Camp Nanowrimo Accountability Post #4

These past couple of weeks have definitely been a struggle as far as my Camp goals go. 

Current total: 33,375/41,938 - as you can see I'm quite far behind. This number should be a bit higher before I go to bed, but it's still far from where I wanted to be at this stage. However, I think I can still pull this off if I work hard this week and stay focused.

One of the things holding me back, other than life and just being busy, was my Murder Mystery Short. I wrestled with the premise for so long until this past Sunday when I wrote close to 5000 words in two sittings. All of it finally came together. The big turning point was when one of my minor characters literally seized a gun, pointed it at the other characters (and me, I guess), then took over the entire story.

I don't know if non-writers can understand that even though, yes, we are the ones writing the stories, sometimes we don't feel like we're in control. Characters come alive on the page and make themselves known. I suppose one could argue that it's my subconscious guiding them, but that's not how it feels. Sometimes when I write, it feels like something else is telling the story through me. I guess that's where the idea of the Muses came from.

Recap of the status of my other stories:

Fantasy story: 4423 words and counting. I've stalled a bit in the middle, but I've got a beginning and an ending. I'm going to focus on some of the key battles that take place to help me along.

Time travel novella: Finally think I cracked the code on this one, too! I've got a solid outline. I've also figured out exactly how my version of time travel will work. Not sure if I'll have this draft complete by the end of Nano, but it should be done by the end of the first week of August.

Horror story: Still on pause, but I think it will be similar to the murder mystery and burst out of me towards the end of this week.

Anyway, back to it!