As a birthday present to myself, I registered for the Self-Published Small Press Book Fair this year.  If you didn't get a chance to visit the Book Fair, be sure to keep an eye out for it in 2019.

So, I'm not going to do a lot of big posts this month, most likely, but I will be posting on occasion to keep accountable and to let you know my progress on NanoWriMo 2017.

In preparation for this year's event, I have outlined the novel so I know the time frame (it takes place over a long weekend) and the setting, as well as the four main characters. The basic plot is this--in 2012, four college best friends reunite after 20 years over Labor Day weekend. It's Chick Lit, and it's character driven.  The lame (?) tentative title is Long Weekend.

There's also a tie in to Elegant Freefall, as one of the minor characters from that novel (which is in my desk drawer at the moment, waiting for revision), is one of the four main characters in the NanoWriMo novel.

I've also been listening to old episodes of The Story Grid Podcast in preparation for this project, and love the episode titled "The Mathematics of Story Telling."  It's somehow oddly comforting to know that I need 1/4 for the opening hook, 1/2 for the middle build, and 1/4 for the conclusion. There's also some great advice here about positive/negative balance for the characters.

How's your first day?  

Total word count at the moment for day 1:  2185
Projected end date at this rate:  November 23*

End date = 50K words. There's no guarantee that'll be the actual end of the novel.