Category: NaNoWriMo

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 20

No more surprises, please?

…

Meetings, legal jiggery-pokery, dealing with recalcitrant and obstructive people, figuring out how to deal with people, the sort of skills Michael never acquired because he never really needed them, leave him exhausted, angry, and seriously considering going into hiding.

Accepting the role of fixer-upper of all things Agatha had not turned out to be the two-day doddle he was expecting.

That dive into the even murkier world of high finance, the rich and powerful, the aristocracy, what not-for-profits were supposed to be about, and somehow strayed from the path of good, and into something else, was an education in itself.

Perhaps it was his ‘outside the window’ view that gave him the edge over all the slick talking and fast-talking that people in the business seemed to do so well, baffling people from his side of the tracks with what could only be described as bullshit.

But that was not the worst of it.

A knock on the door to his new, but self-proclaimed temporary residence, delivers Howard with an envelope that has the sort of news that had that ‘knock the wind out of you’ effect.

Agatha was murdered.

…

Words today, 1,921, for a total of 37,433

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 14

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

…

There’s nothing like having a travel agent on hand when you need to make some urgent bookings because your travel arrangements have gone up in smoke.

Anyone else would have had the devil’s own job sorting out their travel arrangements.

And, yes, Maryanne is coming along for the ride. Is she feeling obligated to look after him, or is there some other reason? As yet, it’s not clear.

But it’s a day of planes, trains and automobiles, attempts to locate his mother so he can find out more about what’s going on, and then get home where it may, or may not be, safe.

So much for having a holiday.

So much for going to his first conference. There’s going to be some explaining to the head agent.

It seems that this novel, going on the amount of writing so far, is going to be bigger than 50,000 words, at the halfway mark, or near enough, I’m at 35,000 words, give or take, which indicates a story of 70,000 words.

We will have to wait and see what happens. I have more planning to do.

More tomorrow.

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 15

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

…

Well, we knew something was going to happen when Jack walked in the front door of his modest residence.

It’s been trashed.

We have the clues; we know what they are looking for – that item his mother fortuitously dropped off at the travel agency.

No one knows what it is yet, but it is going to be an important part of the puzzle moving forward.

And now Rosalie has it, it means that she is in danger.

Of course, this is the time to contrast his relationship with Maryanne, and that with Rosalie. Back, before he left, he realised he had a thing for her (though is ‘thing’ the right word to use?) and had said he would meet with her when he got back.

So, a meeting is set. Without Maryanne tagging along.

In the meantime, there is that disaster called his residence to deal with, and, of course, he calls the police to report the break-in.

We know where that’s going, don’t we?

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 20

No more surprises, please?

…

Meetings, legal jiggery-pokery, dealing with recalcitrant and obstructive people, figuring out how to deal with people, the sort of skills Michael never acquired because he never really needed them, leave him exhausted, angry, and seriously considering going into hiding.

Accepting the role of fixer-upper of all things Agatha had not turned out to be the two-day doddle he was expecting.

That dive into the even murkier world of high finance, the rich and powerful, the aristocracy, what not-for-profits were supposed to be about, and somehow strayed from the path of good, and into something else, was an education in itself.

Perhaps it was his ‘outside the window’ view that gave him the edge over all the slick talking and fast-talking that people in the business seemed to do so well, baffling people from his side of the tracks with what could only be described as bullshit.

But that was not the worst of it.

A knock on the door to his new, but self-proclaimed temporary residence, delivers Howard with an envelope that has the sort of news that had that ‘knock the wind out of you’ effect.

Agatha was murdered.

…

Words today, 1,921, for a total of 37,433

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 15

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

…

Well, we knew something was going to happen when Jack walked in the front door of his modest residence.

It’s been trashed.

We have the clues; we know what they are looking for – that item his mother fortuitously dropped off at the travel agency.

No one knows what it is yet, but it is going to be an important part of the puzzle moving forward.

And now Rosalie has it, it means that she is in danger.

Of course, this is the time to contrast his relationship with Maryanne, and that with Rosalie. Back, before he left, he realised he had a thing for her (though is ‘thing’ the right word to use?) and had said he would meet with her when he got back.

So, a meeting is set. Without Maryanne tagging along.

In the meantime, there is that disaster called his residence to deal with, and, of course, he calls the police to report the break-in.

We know where that’s going, don’t we?

More tomorrow.

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 14

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

…

There’s nothing like having a travel agent on hand when you need to make some urgent bookings because your travel arrangements have gone up in smoke.

Anyone else would have had the devil’s own job sorting out their travel arrangements.

And, yes, Maryanne is coming along for the ride. Is she feeling obligated to look after him, or is there some other reason? As yet, it’s not clear.

But it’s a day of planes, trains and automobiles, attempts to locate his mother so he can find out more about what’s going on, and then get home where it may, or may not be, safe.

So much for having a holiday.

So much for going to his first conference. There’s going to be some explaining to the head agent.

It seems that this novel, going on the amount of writing so far, is going to be bigger than 50,000 words, at the halfway mark, or near enough, I’m at 35,000 words, give or take, which indicates a story of 70,000 words.

We will have to wait and see what happens. I have more planning to do.

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 19

Memories are sometimes best left in the closet.

…

A dreaded visit to the boarding school to see the twins, her children being looked after until he arrived to collect them, brought back a whole raft of memories of his time at school, and not in a good way.

Resentful, sullen, definitely the result of substance abuse, and a whole lot of those issues, they instantly dislike, and disbelieve he’s their father, not that it matters, he had the documentary proof.

Agatha’s assessment of the headmaster was spot on, a man who would exploit the plight of a family to extract a sizable donation to forget anything that might be detrimental to the school and the family.  It was the nature of business where the rich were concerned.

Michael was annoyed that it hadn’t taken very long before he slipped into her murky world.

That old expression ‘give them an inch and they’ll take a mile’ comes home to roost, and he is led on a brief odyssey before the children’s solution is found.  A month in a new type of detox was going to be the first stage of their rehabilitation. 

…

Words today, 2,334, for a total of 35,512

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 13

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

…

So what do you do when you start having doubts about everything to do with your life? It starts with a sleepless night agonising over why you were lied to.

Then, in the cold dark hours of early morning, you turn to the only thing that can possibly give you answers.

The internet.

It’s time to delve into the prior life of the woman you are beginning to think is completely strange to you, and what do you find.

Previous relationships with a man before she was married to the man she said was Jack’s father. And yes, the man in the old photos is very easily recognisable as his father.

What’s more, he is a criminal himself, and is supposedly in jail. There’s more to that story.

Then Jack gets a cryptic message from his mother, who tells him she’s left a package for him at the travel agency, and that she is going away.

Seems everyone knows what’s going on but him!

More tomorrow.

Mistaken Identity – The Final Editor’s Draft – Day 14

This book has finally reached the Final Editor’s draft, so this month it is going to get the last revision, and a reread for the beta readers.

…

There’s nothing like having a travel agent on hand when you need to make some urgent bookings because your travel arrangements have gone up in smoke.

Anyone else would have had the devil’s own job sorting out their travel arrangements.

And, yes, Maryanne is coming along for the ride. Is she feeling obligated to look after him, or is there some other reason? As yet, it’s not clear.

But it’s a day of planes, trains and automobiles, attempts to locate his mother so he can find out more about what’s going on, and then get home where it may, or may not be, safe.

So much for having a holiday.

So much for going to his first conference. There’s going to be some explaining to the head agent.

It seems that this novel, going on the amount of writing so far, is going to be bigger than 50,000 words, at the halfway mark, or near enough, I’m at 35,000 words, give or take, which indicates a story of 70,000 words.

We will have to wait and see what happens. I have more planning to do.

More tomorrow.

NANOWRIMO – April 2024 – “The One That Got Away” – Day 19

Memories are sometimes best left in the closet.

…

A dreaded visit to the boarding school to see the twins, her children being looked after until he arrived to collect them, brought back a whole raft of memories of his time at school, and not in a good way.

Resentful, sullen, definitely the result of substance abuse, and a whole lot of those issues, they instantly dislike, and disbelieve he’s their father, not that it matters, he had the documentary proof.

Agatha’s assessment of the headmaster was spot on, a man who would exploit the plight of a family to extract a sizable donation to forget anything that might be detrimental to the school and the family.  It was the nature of business where the rich were concerned.

Michael was annoyed that it hadn’t taken very long before he slipped into her murky world.

That old expression ‘give them an inch and they’ll take a mile’ comes home to roost, and he is led on a brief odyssey before the children’s solution is found.  A month in a new type of detox was going to be the first stage of their rehabilitation. 

…

Words today, 2,334, for a total of 35,512