Category: NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 30

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

Well, it’s done.

516 pages in total, in the rawest of forms, a story from start to finish.

Now the hard part begins; the first edit.  I’m sure there are a few continuity issues, and at least one name changes for one of the characters.

There are other issues that will need addressing, like Inspector Banner who seems to turn up out of thin air and needs a little more introduction.

Likewise, Henry’s brother Harry needs to have his timeline and actions given his disabilities looked at in terms of whether it’s possible he could do what he did.  I know it’s fiction, but characters lose credibility when they seem to have powers they simply could not possess.

Above all, Michelle needs to be more thoroughly introduced, though my intention originally was to have her this girl who is too good to be true, all of a sudden have this bad streak, whether by design or by accident.

I also think her relationship with the Turk needs more explanation because it seems in places quite wishy washy for want of a better description. 

There may yet get to be a prologue that gives each a chance to see who they are before they get to the hotel by the sea.

Perhaps I’m, simply miffed that Diana aka Millie did not get a chance to shine before she appears much later in the book.

But, it is what it is for now, and the next edit, in a few weeks might or might not address all of these issues.

First Dig Two Graves – The Final Draft – Day 1

The second Zoe thriller.

…

At the end of the first book in the series, Alistair, Zoe the assassin’s handler, was killed.

As far as he was concerned, Zoe had reneged on the contract to kill a target, and for that, she had to be punished, just to let the rest of the team know they could not decide arbitrarily who or who they would not kill.

For her sins, Zoe had been captured and was about to be executed when John, the man who wanted to become her boyfriend, turned up on a luckless and unplanned rescue mission.

But as ad-hoc operations go, that one was very successful.  Zoe, though badly injured aided John in a do-or-die escape.

Alistair learned to his chagrin, that a badly injured Zoe and untrained well-meaning friend trumped overconfidence.

Of course, Alistair’s death does not go unnoticed, and his mother, a renowned and very capable ex-KGB agent with connections, wanted to avenge his death.  Her influence reaches as far as the upper echelons of the State’s intelligence services, and requests from her would never be ignored.

Such a request for information is made, and so starts the next book in the series.

Revenge.

Of course, nothing to do with Zoe or John, or their relationship, runs smoothly, and once again in pursuit of the impossible, makes it his mission in life to win over the assassin-on-sabbatical.

But first, he has to find her., and sort through the lies and treachery of his best friend who is also looking for Zoe, but for entirely different reasons.

…

Todays writing, the first three chapters, 2,109 words

First Dig Two Graves – The Final Draft – Day 1

The second Zoe thriller.

…

At the end of the first book in the series, Alistair, Zoe the assassin’s handler, was killed.

As far as he was concerned, Zoe had reneged on the contract to kill a target, and for that, she had to be punished, just to let the rest of the team know they could not decide arbitrarily who or who they would not kill.

For her sins, Zoe had been captured and was about to be executed when John, the man who wanted to become her boyfriend, turned up on a luckless and unplanned rescue mission.

But as ad-hoc operations go, that one was very successful.  Zoe, though badly injured aided John in a do-or-die escape.

Alistair learned to his chagrin, that a badly injured Zoe and untrained well-meaning friend trumped overconfidence.

Of course, Alistair’s death does not go unnoticed, and his mother, a renowned and very capable ex-KGB agent with connections, wanted to avenge his death.  Her influence reaches as far as the upper echelons of the State’s intelligence services, and requests from her would never be ignored.

Such a request for information is made, and so starts the next book in the series.

Revenge.

Of course, nothing to do with Zoe or John, or their relationship, runs smoothly, and once again in pursuit of the impossible, makes it his mission in life to win over the assassin-on-sabbatical.

But first, he has to find her., and sort through the lies and treachery of his best friend who is also looking for Zoe, but for entirely different reasons.

…

Todays writing, the first three chapters, 2,109 words

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 30

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

Well, it’s done.

516 pages in total, in the rawest of forms, a story from start to finish.

Now the hard part begins; the first edit.  I’m sure there are a few continuity issues, and at least one name changes for one of the characters.

There are other issues that will need addressing, like Inspector Banner who seems to turn up out of thin air and needs a little more introduction.

Likewise, Henry’s brother Harry needs to have his timeline and actions given his disabilities looked at in terms of whether it’s possible he could do what he did.  I know it’s fiction, but characters lose credibility when they seem to have powers they simply could not possess.

Above all, Michelle needs to be more thoroughly introduced, though my intention originally was to have her this girl who is too good to be true, all of a sudden have this bad streak, whether by design or by accident.

I also think her relationship with the Turk needs more explanation because it seems in places quite wishy washy for want of a better description. 

There may yet get to be a prologue that gives each a chance to see who they are before they get to the hotel by the sea.

Perhaps I’m, simply miffed that Diana aka Millie did not get a chance to shine before she appears much later in the book.

But, it is what it is for now, and the next edit, in a few weeks might or might not address all of these issues.

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 29

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

What is a love story without a happy ending?

It’s just all the trials and tribulations in between that make it seem like it’s all too much effort with nothing but pain and misery punctuated by a few moments of utter delight.

I’m sure a story where everything works like clockwork might have been easier, but the thought of having some meaty characters standing between them and ultimate happiness was more interesting.

The idea of Emile, or the Turk, being an affable person, was modelled on Sidney Greenstreet, a rather interesting actor in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s, and I’d just seen his performance in The Maltese Falcon.

When I first started the story, I wanted Michelle to have a secret, but at the time, it wasn’t for her to be a prostitute, simply a fashion model who fell in with the wrong crowd and got into trouble with drugs and the high life.

But that wasn’t interesting enough.  By that time, I was dabbling in the thriller genre, and realised I couldn’t write a Mills and Boon-type book, so it veered into thriller territory.

Who doesn’t like a guy who wants to rescue a fallen angel?

Why not make the fallen angel an avenging angel?  Her friends help her escape, and then she decided to help her friends escape to the freedom she fleetingly had, and now, determined, would have again.

But, the idea of freedom and the actual getting of it are two entirely different concepts.  400 pages worth of angst, setbacks, love found, and love lost, the love found again.  Henry might be a little too naïve, but he had to be to provide the extreme contrast in backgrounds and notions of what life is like.

…

Words written 3,914, for a total of 111,685

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 30

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

Well, it’s done.

516 pages in total, in the rawest of forms, a story from start to finish.

Now the hard part begins; the first edit.  I’m sure there are a few continuity issues, and at least one name changes for one of the characters.

There are other issues that will need addressing, like Inspector Banner who seems to turn up out of thin air and needs a little more introduction.

Likewise, Henry’s brother Harry needs to have his timeline and actions given his disabilities looked at in terms of whether it’s possible he could do what he did.  I know it’s fiction, but characters lose credibility when they seem to have powers they simply could not possess.

Above all, Michelle needs to be more thoroughly introduced, though my intention originally was to have her this girl who is too good to be true, all of a sudden have this bad streak, whether by design or by accident.

I also think her relationship with the Turk needs more explanation because it seems in places quite wishy washy for want of a better description. 

There may yet get to be a prologue that gives each a chance to see who they are before they get to the hotel by the sea.

Perhaps I’m, simply miffed that Diana aka Millie did not get a chance to shine before she appears much later in the book.

But, it is what it is for now, and the next edit, in a few weeks might or might not address all of these issues.

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 30

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

Well, it’s done.

516 pages in total, in the rawest of forms, a story from start to finish.

Now the hard part begins; the first edit.  I’m sure there are a few continuity issues, and at least one name changes for one of the characters.

There are other issues that will need addressing, like Inspector Banner who seems to turn up out of thin air and needs a little more introduction.

Likewise, Henry’s brother Harry needs to have his timeline and actions given his disabilities looked at in terms of whether it’s possible he could do what he did.  I know it’s fiction, but characters lose credibility when they seem to have powers they simply could not possess.

Above all, Michelle needs to be more thoroughly introduced, though my intention originally was to have her this girl who is too good to be true, all of a sudden have this bad streak, whether by design or by accident.

I also think her relationship with the Turk needs more explanation because it seems in places quite wishy washy for want of a better description. 

There may yet get to be a prologue that gives each a chance to see who they are before they get to the hotel by the sea.

Perhaps I’m, simply miffed that Diana aka Millie did not get a chance to shine before she appears much later in the book.

But, it is what it is for now, and the next edit, in a few weeks might or might not address all of these issues.

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 29

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

What is a love story without a happy ending?

It’s just all the trials and tribulations in between that make it seem like it’s all too much effort with nothing but pain and misery punctuated by a few moments of utter delight.

I’m sure a story where everything works like clockwork might have been easier, but the thought of having some meaty characters standing between them and ultimate happiness was more interesting.

The idea of Emile, or the Turk, being an affable person, was modelled on Sidney Greenstreet, a rather interesting actor in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s, and I’d just seen his performance in The Maltese Falcon.

When I first started the story, I wanted Michelle to have a secret, but at the time, it wasn’t for her to be a prostitute, simply a fashion model who fell in with the wrong crowd and got into trouble with drugs and the high life.

But that wasn’t interesting enough.  By that time, I was dabbling in the thriller genre, and realised I couldn’t write a Mills and Boon-type book, so it veered into thriller territory.

Who doesn’t like a guy who wants to rescue a fallen angel?

Why not make the fallen angel an avenging angel?  Her friends help her escape, and then she decided to help her friends escape to the freedom she fleetingly had, and now, determined, would have again.

But, the idea of freedom and the actual getting of it are two entirely different concepts.  400 pages worth of angst, setbacks, love found, and love lost, the love found again.  Henry might be a little too naïve, but he had to be to provide the extreme contrast in backgrounds and notions of what life is like.

…

Words written 3,914, for a total of 111,685

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 28

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

Henry wakes to the realization that, one, he is in hospital with no memory of how he got there two, his brother Harry is nearby, three that he had no idea if his rescue mission succeeded or failed. And lastly, what happened to Radly.

The reality, he had been used as a human punching back, Michelle had disappeared, along with the Turk, and Harry made the conscious decision not to tell his little brother what had transpired while he was in the hospital.  Good news though, Diana and Radly were in the same hospital, and were alive.

Harry has pieced together the night’s events, and ever relating it, he wonders how any of them are still alive.

His father comes to visit, and it’s apparent he doesn’t know the real reason Henry is there.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.  Henry has bought a house in his now favourite village by the sea, easily accessible by train, for now, and plants to go there when discharged.

Michelle has not returned, and he has told himself that she might never.  It’s that old saying, better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

Then it’s off to Morganville.

…

Words written 4,637, for a total of 107,771

NaNoWriMo – April – 2023 — Day 29

“The Things We Do For Love”

…

What is a love story without a happy ending?

It’s just all the trials and tribulations in between that make it seem like it’s all too much effort with nothing but pain and misery punctuated by a few moments of utter delight.

I’m sure a story where everything works like clockwork might have been easier, but the thought of having some meaty characters standing between them and ultimate happiness was more interesting.

The idea of Emile, or the Turk, being an affable person, was modelled on Sidney Greenstreet, a rather interesting actor in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s, and I’d just seen his performance in The Maltese Falcon.

When I first started the story, I wanted Michelle to have a secret, but at the time, it wasn’t for her to be a prostitute, simply a fashion model who fell in with the wrong crowd and got into trouble with drugs and the high life.

But that wasn’t interesting enough.  By that time, I was dabbling in the thriller genre, and realised I couldn’t write a Mills and Boon-type book, so it veered into thriller territory.

Who doesn’t like a guy who wants to rescue a fallen angel?

Why not make the fallen angel an avenging angel?  Her friends help her escape, and then she decided to help her friends escape to the freedom she fleetingly had, and now, determined, would have again.

But, the idea of freedom and the actual getting of it are two entirely different concepts.  400 pages worth of angst, setbacks, love found, and love lost, the love found again.  Henry might be a little too naïve, but he had to be to provide the extreme contrast in backgrounds and notions of what life is like.

…

Words written 3,914, for a total of 111,685