Another November and National Novel Writing Month is upon us!  I’ve been planning for this year’s NaNo for the past several weeks.  I’m working on drafting the fifth and final book of my Thorns saga, The Queen of Thorns.  I’ve had some vague ideas around this book for years – back when it was supposed to be Book 3, and I had no idea there’d be two other books in the series!

Since I did end up with two other books, with their own lead characters, I’m excited to use Book 5 to bring everything back together.  I’ve put together a somewhat detailed outline over the last few weeks, and have planned chapters from the points of view of all the lead characters from the series.  So it’s still a Rose and Terrence book, but there are also story arcs and chapters focused more on Elena and Henry (Book 3’s leads), and on Penelope and Cade (Book 4’s leads).  I know from reading other series with multiple leads that sometimes the intended “main” leads aren’t my favorite, and it’s disappointing if my favorites don’t get enough screentime in the series finale.  So I hope to cover that in my own book – and besides, I really like all my main characters too!

I kicked off NaNo yesterday with 1,670 words, dead on the word goal for the day (1,667).  I have a superstition about not getting behind on Day One, so it feels like a particular victory just to get those first day words down.  I got right to the end of Chapter One, so that feels like a nice start too.  Today’s writing has been going fine as well – I just need about another fifty words for today’s goal, and plan to write more this evening.

I’m already sketching out some scheduling plans for the rest of the month, including taking tomorrow off from my day job.  So hopefully I can start the month strong with lots of words written, and see where we go from there!

For now, a Day One excerpt…

Something must have changed on her face, because Terrence squinted up at her, forehead creased in concern, and asked, “Hey – what’s wrong?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say nothing, to deny and to insist that everything was fine, to try to stay in this simpler, more idyllic moment that was already slipping away.  But they had promised each other honesty.  And hiding worries from Terrence had only ever ended badly before.  Besides, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be able to guess.  “I’m going to miss you.”