We’re now barrelling headfirst into the last month of 2023. The days feel shorter, the dark feels endless, and the year is swiftly coming to a close. While this wont be my last post of 2023, I would like to update everyone with what I’ve been doing lately.
I participated in November’s NaNoWriMo, but unfortunately fell short of the 50,000 word goal. My day job turned out to be very strenuous during November, and I feel that a writing marathon may have been me biting off more than I could chew. Coupled with the fact I’m a slow writer anyway (and can only write at night because of, well, 3 kids here), I may have just been getting swept up in the excitement of the moment. Also, the news about NaNo mods being involved in various scandals took the wind out of many peoples’ sails. Suffice to say, like many writers, I didn’t want to even be associated with that site any further, and deleted my account and moved on.
In terms of writing, I had a few changes of heart when it came to my project. The Arborist, as it was (and at the moment I guess, still is) needed a refocus as my protagonist felt like an outsider in her own story, and after some restructuring the novel now has more of a revenge style of plot. I am also in the process of editing some unfinished pieces from the last few years that I came across in my files, as I would like to find a home for these in early 2024.
Currently however, I am still working on my novel, fuelled by a single malt and the flicker of a dying candle. Thanks again for reading, and look forward to another update towards the end of December.