The final Monday of NaNoWriMo 2018

To finish my series of posts about NaNoWriMo, I’m bringing you right up to date with a post about this year’s efforts.

Today is November 26th and I’m pleased to say that NaNo has been a success for me this year. My word count is over 50,000, so I’ve achieved my objective. From a short story, I’ve managed to construct the basis of a novel, which has changed so much from when I started it.

It began as a tale about Jackson, an orphan who discovered a secret. By the end of the story, he’s fallen in love and helped save the world from a megalomaniac! The story has all sorts of strange but ever-so-slightly logical Steampunk science, a sprinkling of fantastic machines, action and adventure. Mostly they are things that you might be familiar with, just different enough to show that you’re “not in Kansas anymore.”

I’ve even managed to put a little romance and revenge in there as well, just to make sure that I’ve covered every base when it comes to the inevitable editing. My plan now is to leave the manuscript for a couple of months, then return to it and start the job of polishing it, ready for my editor to have a look.

Here’s a little sample from a bit further into the story than the piece I posted earlier. Jackson had discovered that he is to be trained to spy for his new master, the enigmatic Mortimer Langdon. He is given an example of the technology of the times, a slightly different take on what we do here, yet within the realm of possibility.

~~~~

 

“We’re all prepared outside. Sir Mortimer, ma’am,” Fairview spoke in the accent of a man from the wild, forbidding northern parts of the country.

“Good. Come on then Jackson, you’re about to find out what your new boots can do. Did you feel the lump in the sole? It has a purpose.”

Intrigued and excited, Jackson fell in with the rest as they moved outside. He prodded at the lump with his toe, but nothing happened.

They went through the door in the panelling of the basement room and arrived in a small courtyard, between the back of the house and the tall wall that encircled the orphanage. It was hidden by the shape of the building and Jackson had never guessed at its existence before now. The wall was at least fifteen feet high, of red brick with a small door set in it. Gas lamps threw dark shadows.

Jackson gazed about. He thought that he saw movement; a figure came from the shadows and moved towards them. He saw that it was a girl; in fact, it was one that he recognised. Appearing to be about his age, she was tall and pleasantly rounded, with long dark hair piled on her head. It was secured with an ornate metal pin, shaped like two entwined swans. Jackson had often wondered how she had retained it from the light-fingered among the females, now he was starting to understand a lot more of the hierarchy of the orphanage, he was seeing all things differently.

“Jessamine Batterlee,” he said, “What are you doing here?”

She smiled, “I’m to be your accomplice Jackson, I see you have the boots, like mine.”

Jackson looked down at her feet. Peeping out from beneath her skirts were the toes of boots, highly polished like his. He had never noticed her wearing them before, and he had stolen more than a glance at her when he thought he was unnoticed.

Now, she tugged at her waist and the skirts fell away. Underneath, she was clad in trousers not unlike his, except they were tighter. Jack felt embarrassment, he had never seen a woman dressed so, never guessed at the shape that was revealed. The narrowness of her waist was emphasised by the wide black belt she wore, the hips and legs were long, full and shapely.

Jessamine was obviously unconcerned with her new appearance. “Follow me, Jackson,” she called, running toward the wall. Jackson was about to shout at her to be careful, it seemed that she could not stop before she dashed herself against the brick. She jumped at the vertical face, swinging her feet up to kick at the wall. Jackson fancied that he heard a click as she stuck fast, her feet three feet from the ground. Then she started to climb, moving up the wall as a babe crawls over the floor. It was as if the wall were horizontal. She swiftly reached the top and sat astride the bricks, her leg swinging. She waved down at him.

“Well Jackson?” said Mrs Grimble, “your turn. What are you waiting for?”

Jackson looked at her, aghast. “How can I do that?” he asked.

“You climb with the boots on the brick, and you wear these on your hands.” Mrs Grimble passed Jackson a pair of fingerless gloves, “press the fingers and palms onto the brick,” she said, “and kick the toe of your boots against the wall, you will stick.”

Jackson reached up and placed the palm of the right glove against the wall. He tried to pull it away, it was firm. He lifted his left boot and kicked at the wall with the toe. There was a click and when he tried to pull it away, he found that it too, was stuck fast.

“How?” he asked.

“Does it matter?” came the swift reply from the new Mrs Grimble. “Just climb.”

“No,” Jackson shook his head, he was becoming uncomfortable, attached to the wall as he was, by one hand and one foot, but he wanted answers.

“Tell me how to move,” he demanded, “my hand and foot are stuck.”

“This one will be trouble,” Mrs Grimble said to no one in particular. “It will all be explained Jackson, but now is not the time. You merely have to adjust your position so that you remove the weight, do that and your hands and feet will release.”

Jackson tried it and found it to be true. He put his left hand on the wall, slightly higher and transferred all his weight on it. He lifted his right. It came away easily and he moved it higher and placed it against the wall again. Swinging, the hand held him tight. He tried the same with his feet. Now he had the method, he began to climb easily.

He reached the top, feeling unfit and out of breath. Muscles unused to such exercise ached as he straddled the bricks, sitting facing Jessamine. She was grinning, her teeth white and even.

~~~~

It still needs a lot of work, but I’ve fallen in love with the world I’ve created and had so much fun this month exploring some of its possibilities. Once I have given it a rough edit, I will be offering it to my loyal beta readers for their opinions, probably after New Year. If they like it, it will be professionally edited and join my catalogue.

Meanwhile, the Showcase will return on Thursday, featuring another great Indie author.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this journey through my NaNo history. If you’ve been writing and you’ve managed to get over the NaNo finish line, well done. If you haven’t got to your target, don’t be disheartened. Credit is due for trying; it’s not the end of the world, nothing you write is ever wasted. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself and got the basis of something amazing.

Here are links to the whole series of posts,

NaNoWriMo 2014

NaNoWriMo 2016

NaNoWriMo 2017

Next Monday, with NaNo over for another year, normal service will be resumed. I’ll be taking a break from new work and discussing my future plans.

Loading

Comments are closed.