It’s hard to believe it, but NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. I’m struggling to figure out where October went, because it definitely doesn’t feel like November should be just over a week away, and yet, here we are. I’m both super excited that NaNo is so close because I absolutely love this writing event, and also a little terrified because I don’t feel nearly prepared enough. But you can never quite prepare for all eventualities. I’ve been working hard throughout October to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for next month’s writing marathon. 50k words of writing takes a lot of planning for. There’s been a lot of brainstorming, outlining, and prepping done so far, and thankfully at this stage, it looks like I’m going to have everything I planned on doing finished and ready to go before the big, which I almost didn’t believe I was going to manage. My plans are usually over ambitious in the extreme.
For NaNoWriMo this year, I’m going to be writing the sequel to my novel, Frost Hands, which released only three weeks ago. It’s the first book in a longer series, which I’m super excited to be writing. I’ve had these ideas for more than a few years, so to be finally putting them down on paper and sharing them is a huge thing for me. Now that the first book is out in the world in all it’s glory, it’s time for me to sit myself down and start writing the sequel. Currently, it’s going by the rather bland working title of Ember. I’d never been particularly good at coming up with good working titles. When I name anything for real, I usually workshop the title for weeks, get input from my family and friends, and go through dozens of draft ideas before I come up with the real thing. Working titles, I usually come up with on the spur of the moment. They thankfully don’t have to be very good.
In a previous post, I mentioned the fact that Frost Hands was originally meant to be a Snow White retelling. It’s not any more. Through the writing process, the plot grew and changed, morphing into its own independent thing, though if you look vary carefully, you might be able to make out a few of the original elements of the retelling. Following in that same vein, my original concept for Ember was that it would be a loose retelling of Cinderella with mutants and secret agents. It still has both mutants and secret agents, but again, it’s moved away from the whole idea of being a retelling. One day I will write a proper fairytale retelling. I love reading them so much and I’ve always had a hankering to write one of my own. But Ember isn’t going to be that book I’m afraid.
The biggest risk with writing Ember, apart from the fact that it’s a sequel, which are notoriously difficult to write, is that it’s going to be told through the eyes of two different main characters from the first book. I’ve definitely been asking myself whether this is too risky. What if people loved Nicola and Eric from the first book, and are disappointed in the second set of main characters? What if I can’t carry out dual points of view as well this time around? I have to get to know two different characters so intimately, and also portray Nicola and Eric consistently through these new main character’s eyes so that the shift doesn’t feel too jarring. However, for the story that I want to tell, we need these characters. And I’m super excited to be writing them. One of the two main characters we met in the first book, but the other is brand new to the series, and I love them both to bits. I have so many ideas for their personal stories and how that can weave into the overarching plot, and it just makes me so excited to be working on this book.
NaNoWriMo is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited for November to arrive. I have my brand new copies of Frost Hand sitting on the top of my desk, reminding me how much I love this series, and inspiring me to work even harder on Ember to make it the best book it could be. Come November 1st, I’m going to be sitting down to write the first words of this sequel, and start a brand new adventure. Isn’t that a wonderful thought?
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this November? If so, what are you writing? If not, do you have anything exciting planned for the coming month? Let’s chat in the comments!
Like the sound of what I’ll be writing this November? Pick up the first book in the series today! Frost Hands is available on Amazon in both print and ebook form, whichever you prefer. Check it out today!
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
