Days 151 and 152

My story so far…

..

The notion that I would be writing a book throughout this writing calendar seems at odds with the way I have approached writing books in the past.

About eight years ago, I started working on the writing of books using the NaNoWriMo method. That method, of course, does not demand that you write a book in the 30 days that make up November. What it asks you to do is try to write 50,000 words, which would make a reasonable-sized book.

To ‘win’ the prize, which is simply a certificate, all you have to do is write an average 1,667 words a day.

Not all that hard really.

Or is it more difficult than it seems?

When you are put under pressure, and have to find a plot, characters, twists and turns, and write that many words, it can finish up turning you into a mental wreck. What happens if you get ill, are called away for work, or experience some other calamity?

Despite what might or might not happen, over the past 12 years, I have managed to write 8 books, of between 50,500 words and 65,000 words. Since I’m one of those who fly by the seat of their pants, it suits me. For planners and prognosticators, you would need a couple of months before November to plan.

Writing this story, now with the working title of “A score to settle”, I’m taking the long road, thinking more about what I write, and not necessarily writing every day.

As with most of my novels, they start as a short story, which turns into a long short story, and then a novel, if the ideas keep coming.

This one, the protagonist, Alan, has been through a version of hell and comes out the other side in a hot tugid room in a seaside resort town in a pseudo-dictatorship country, run by an ever-cheerful president who is the face of the so-called benevolent ruling elite.

Behind the smiles and platitudes is the real leader, a general who runs the military and the secret police. It is a country where human rights abuses are suspected, but as with any propped-up government, people who matter tend to look the other way.

Introduce into this, the parameters for the story –

• A human rights conference, which is at odds with the perception of the country’s objectives

• A population that is beginning to stir, not openly revolt, but it is a work in progress

• A missing face of the last coup d’état, who disappeared shortly after the military took over

• The imminent return of the son of the missing leader to become the face of the next coup

• Circumstances that will work against the ruling elite making a coup possible

It’s not our protagonist’s problem; he is just there to ensure that the keynote speaker is protected, supposedly without them knowing he is there.

On a normal, routine-of-the-mill operation, it would be at best a five-day holiday in paradise.

And that’s where the fun starts…

It’s one of those situations, that time of life, after being at the edge, on the edge, and over the edge, that our protagonist wakes up and realises that his life is no life, that he had achieved nothing but fuel nightmares with the faces of those who had died, both friend and enemy over the years.

Not a time to start speculating on what might have been when he is about to step into the breech.

Then, of course, everything changes. An assistant arrives because he believes his boss had lost faith in him, the target changes from a man to a woman, one he had to mind five years before, in a mission that went sideways. He had to contend with a police chief who suddenly takes more than a passing interest in him, and discovers the whole country is a powder keg about to blow up in his face.

And that’s just after he accidentally meets a free spirit, the ubiquitous woman in white who, in a few short questions, can see into his very soul and question everything about himself.

Perhaps the near-death experience had primed him for such an event.

The worst thing about it, where he should have enjoyed that introspective time with her, his suspicious mind treats her, and everyone around him with suspicion and alarm, as he had been trained, and it’s perhaps the most soul-destroying truth.

He can never have a relationship or friendship, or anything, while he is doing his job.

And it’s day one of the operation.

But first things first … running in the background is another plot, fuelled by the anger of one man, hell bent on destroying the organisation he works for, and particularly its leader.

Not only will the perceived enemy of his target be looking for him too, but quite literally, his own people will be trying to assassinate him for the second time.

I have to say – this is a fun story to write.