I figured it would be fun to do sum-up posts to cover what sort of chaos I’ve been up to, since it’s not a traditional NaNo.

I was lucky this week and managed to hit a 7-for-7 and didn’t have to do any catch-up days. A lot of the 100 words has been brainstorming and doodling rather than writing a coherent outline, but things are slowly starting to come together!

Day 1

• Updated the blog post formatting on existing draft chapters 24-29. This is converting from the old WordPress formatting into blocks, updating the descriptions, links, images, etc., fixing typos, and then updating the story page with the new information. Whee!
• I kidnapped a sea-level rise map of Australia from Vivid Maps and then mucked with it a bit to get a map I liked. Time to lay out the three kingdoms! (I also found a really useful map that equates the various areas/zones to other places here.)

Day 2

• Brainstormed a little on what I want the book to feel like. It’s literary comfort food about people who aren’t supposed to be the hero of the story managing to muddle through anyway. (Even though they try very hard to avoid being the hero in the first place).
• Had a long hard think about foxhawks– and how there’s no way they can easily carry a rider. Or fight in a war.
• So many thinks!
• Whoops

Day 3

• Brainstormed a little more on the overall theme of the story and what sort of growth (or lack thereof) everyone is going through. Decided that the catravens need some major tweaking to make sense. So. Tweekage commence!
• Many thoughts about backstory and personality, but mostly doodling and less actual words.

Day 4

• Doodles! Head-study sketches for Chau and some work on the stormhawks (osprey-fox)
• Backstory paragraphs for everyone! Well, the main folks anyways.
• Working more on the maps and general layout of the continent
• Completely tossed out the Three Kingdoms idea and now they are one kingdom and some locals

Day 5

• Updated formatting on chapters 30, 32, 36-39
• Laying out of the existing scenes and locations (There were way less than I thought!) ((Like, three towns. That’s it.))
• Working out the posting schedule for the eventual serial story, so I can work out what the sub-arcs are and the various conflicts within them.

Day 6

• Setup a spreadsheet and broke the story out in a four act structure.
• Watched a LOT of YouTube videos on how to plan/plot stories.
• Worked out where the empty bits in the ‘messy middles’ were and started brainstorming ideas to fill them
• Doodled ideas for foxhawk rider harnesses.

Day 7

• Worked through some ideas on how to fill in the missing bits with angst/drama that relates back to existing things.
• Need moar drama, stat.
• Expanded a bit on the side characters looking for new subplots.