Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of some troubling news regarding the NaNoWriMo organization. As a result, I have stepped away from the official organization and events. In a nutshell: the organization sat on allegations of child endangerment for six months, and then shut down concerns rather than addressing them. I’m sure there is much more to the whole story, but anything close to child endangerment is a hard no for me.
So… Moving on. What does leaving NaNo mean for me as a writer?
I have loved the spirit I associate with NaNoWriMo, which is one of encouragement, and courage, and bold spirit for writers, new and established, to carve out the time to simply write. The goal of 50k words in 30 days, or for some a novel in a month, was one I embraced and enjoyed participating in. For some writers, the dedicated month to write is almost like a holiday, or an extended at-home writer’s retreat, not merely a challenge.
But without the website, the badges, and the forums, can one still be productive? Some writers are finding this question of stepping away from the organized event a little daunting. I understand. And so what do we do? Keep writing anyway?
I definitely am! And if you are a writer who has also separated yourself from NaNo, or if you are a writer who was never affiliated with NaNo, I encourage you to join me.
My goal remains the same: utilizing the month of November to push aside other detractors, or distractions, or excuses, or whatever, to focus more narrowly on a particular writing project.
For me, I had two goals for this month. the 50k for NaNo, and then pushing beyond to hit 90k for Valiance. I had two goals because, well, the NaNo site wouldn’t allow me to change the 50k to 90k as part of their NaNo set up. And that is completely fine. So, now I am just adjusting to my 90k goal. And I have added a personal reward for once I hit that 90k: a shiny new Paperwhite Kindle with pretty sage cover.
And, even though my original Kindle still works (it no longer automatically updates, and has no more room for more ebooks), I really, REALLY want this new Kindle.
This means daily writing.
A LOT of writing…
Granted, this is something I do anyway. The difference is, any other time of the year, I spread my writing between projects. (I currently have four projects that I am actively writing.) I look forward to November because it is a month that I have dedicated for a few years now to focus on that one project. For me, that has helped me with two novels, and this year is already shaping up to really help me get this third novel well on its way.
So. I am going to keep going with my goal for November. And I hope every other writer does as well.
Now for my update on Valiance:
Over the past week, I have added over 10k words. Less this week largely because I was also invested in three days of virtually attending a huge author conference that was happening in Las Vegas.
Still, word count might have been lower this week, but I added a bunch of ideas, comments to remind me to dig in a little deeper in spots, as well as some additional plot points for future chapters.
As of today, Valiance is 14 chapters deep with rough points for another 15. This will not be enough for the entirety of the story, but will certainly get me a lot to work with as I go back to project hopping in December.
Some of you are aware, I write off the cuff for the most part, so it is not unusual for plot points to shift and move around, or disappear entirely, as characters take on lives of their own and begin to dictate the manner of the progression within the story. The MC of Valiance has done just the same this week. I’ve had a lot of fun building her character, her past, her ideologies, and her interactions with other characters. I have also had a lot of fun really building other characters and more of the tension within Valiance, all while wrapping it within Biblical theory.
One of my favorite scenes to write this week:
I got up.
Moving to my shelves, I glanced backward at George. Could I trust him? It was too late now. He knew I had the book. He knew I was learning about and practicing a religion. My career and my mind were already in his hands. He’d just have to report me to Megida and everything I knew and loved about my life would be at an end.
I reached up to the hidden key pad, my hand shaking as I fought with myself. Then I took a deep breath. How many times had I read “fear not” within the book that opened my heart to God? I needed to trust Him, not George.
And so I entered the code, pulled out the Bible and took it to the table where George sat wide-eyed and silent as though I had laid out a great treasure in front of him.
Inwardly, I smiled. He was about to really find out, and I prayed that the Lord would touch his heart and soul as He had mine.
Valiance: Chapter Twelve ( unedited draft) by C. Borden • All Rights Reserved
Are you curious what Valiance might look like? Or maybe how I envision some of the characters? You can get a peek here on this Pinterest board:
Oh! Another cool aspect of writing Christian Science-Fiction is how much time I am spending in The Word as I search for references my MC can use as she prays or deals with conflict and fear. Right now, as you can see above, my MC is struggling with her faith. In a future where religion is banned and persecuted, she is entirely alone in her newfound faith. Learning to overcome her fears and be confident in God despite a very real threat to her person requires me to find passages that provide her with encouragement and point her to His promises. I have notes of nearly a dozen passages and verses that I will be incorporating into the novel as able, but one passage that has stuck out to me this week (which is still just a note, but is shaping a conversation and some character development) is from the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 40:28-31Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
And… I have run out of things to say. Haha!
Please come back next Monday, when I will fill you in on how much I was able to get done, another snippet, more verses, and whatever else I feel like sharing.
I am still posting my daily word count progress on X. If you want to follow along, I’d love to have you.