I’m at a sticking point with The Truth Will Out. I’m not getting into it like I am with the other books. Nothing feels committable or nailed down. The main character doesn’t feel settled down and the theme (and this is the big thing with me) doesn’t really sing with me. It just lays there like an overfed cat. This is really frustrating because I want to get to work on it on the New Year.

Normally, I’d set the story on a shelf in the back of my mind and let it work itself out. I’m going to do something different this time. I’m going to just throw caution to the wind and pants the thing. Pantsing is writing the story without any sort of outline or guide, contrasted with Plotting which is when an outline is being used. I tend to be a bit of a hybrid. I have a guide in my head, but I don’t adhere to it or I keep it loose enough in case I get a good idea while I am writing.

I am going to just sit down with the two scenes I have in my head and the end in mind, but I am not going to be committed to anything other than the two scenes. I will have no idea about what is going to happen after those two scenes are written.

I hope that this is the elixir to break this stand-off. It’s a good idea, but I just need to shake things up a little.

As far as everything else goes – I just need to get some stocking-stuffer shopping finished and I’ll be done. Nothing big to be honest. Nancy likes dark chocolate, so she’s going to get some dark chocolate malt balls and maybe a gift card. She doesn’t want a whole lot, and she doesn’t read this blog, so I can openly discuss these sort of things. Might get her a gift card to Half-Price Books. She loves that store.

So, in the New Year I’m going to start Pantsing The Truth Will Out and outlining the second draft of Romance with Advantage and try to finish up Valentina’s Service. That one I am going to completely re-write now because I don’t like the direction it’s going…that and I need to have it done by Halloween to meet the deadline. I might do that one first and let Romance with Advantage come around in the end of the year. We’ll see how this experiment works.

Well, that’s all for now. I am going to take a couple of weeks off for the Holidays and will be back Thursday in the New Year to try to write this blog at least fifty-two times, along with four novels. Speaking of novels – if you look to the right, you can find my current works and the works of good friends. Check them out! Until 2022 – take care and be safe out there.

Sorry for the late update, but I have been working twelve-hour days at my dreaded day job. I’m sneaking this on after hours at work, but I can proudly say I am still on schedule.

Now – you’re going to want to mark this day on your calendars. It si a high-water mark for me, and the chances of it happening again are going to be astronomical.

Ready?

I have to pad my novel.

I know! I’m just as shocked as everyone else is. You see, for those of you who might not know, I have no problem exceeding a word count by thousands of words…and not wanting to cut a single syllable. You want a 50K novel? I’ll write 65K. I can’t help it. I get dragged down side stories and lost in the thickets of description and before I know it, I have to trim everything down.

Not this time. This time I’m writing Catastrophic Christmas Party and I’ve hit all the major plot points – even threw in the beginning of a love interest for giggles. I was so sure I was going to run off at the mouth and have to cut down a couple of scenes.

Total word count? 30K roughly. Novel was supposed to be 50K. I very, very badly undershot it.

Padding is going to be not that nig of a problem, I’m just miffed that I have to do that. I can throw in a couple of scenes with Evan dealing with Christmas shoppers and his whammy. I can even include a scene with his parents and give a little bit of a back story with him. Maybe even a chance encounter with the love interest. Like I said, it’s not a problem of padding, I’m just flabbergasted that I have to do it.

Speaking of padding – I am out of Nanowrimo this year. As it ends up, overtime at work started and that always cuts into my writing time, especially since I like to get big checks so I spend at least 12 hours here at work. I’ve been noodling and outlining another novel in the meantime, but I’m not pounding the keyboard like I should. Something-something-eight hours of sleep…I don’t know. Next year – next year I’ll have a better idea of time management and maybe skip the overtime. I’ve won it once, I know I can do it again if I focus.

Well – that’s all I have time for right now. There’s not much else going on other than I got my flash, so my camera kit is pretty much complete, now all I need is to take some time and start photographing again before it gets too cold. I might even hit up a couple of friends and see if they would be willing to model for me in an ad for Valentina’s Feast.

So – take care, I’ll see you next week.