#154 - Don't be throwing stones in glass houses...

Recently I've been doing some work on my NaNoWriMo 2007 novel, tentatively titled Glass Houses after the name of the counter-terrorist organization that the main character gets roped into. (Don't worry, I'm taking great pains to find an infinitely better name, trufax.) I'm taking a revision suggestion from No Plot? No Problem, written by the founder of NaNoWriMo, Chris Baty, and breaking down the scenes of the novel onto notecards, making note of the action that happens in the scene, the characters that appear, and why the scene is possibly important to the story (it may not be). It was a little awkward going at first, especially considering that I have so many incomplete chapters and dangling plot threads, and I didn't even come up with a climax for the story (I fail so hard at plotting and pacing, you have no idea), but I'm slowly reaching a point of productivity.

What has me spazflailing a bit is the realization that, with the way I wanted to set things up, I might have to break Glass Houses down into a trilogy of novels. It's just as well, since the novel is divided into three parts anyway. Certainly it would resolve a number of issues, such as allowing for space for Ryker and the other main characters to interact with each other and grow. On the other hand...are you fucking kidding me? When I signed up for NaNoWriMo, I only wanted to write one novel, dammit! What's this "trilogy" nonsense all about, huh?

I suppose we'll see how things turn out when I get around to doing the second draft. I'll continue to write and plan things as a single standalone novel, and if I'm still having issues, I'll take an axe to this thing.

-Reileen
well, my hands are cold tonight