So, I was participating in NaNoWriMo this year and I was up-to-date with my word count, progressing smoothly with my story. Yesterday, after writing my required amount of words, I seemed to run out of gas plot-wise.
Prior to beginning the marathon of NaNoWriMo, I made some notes and discussed my plot with other writer, hoping to iron out any kinks. Well, apparently, I didn't map my outline well enough, because the plot seemed to lack the action I wanted. In addition, I think my red herring was more pink than it was red because it didn't distract the reader from the mystery as much as I wanted. I guess what I'm trying to say is the same thing that Bugs Bunny used to say, "I must've missed that turn in Albuquerque!"
When I lost that feeling of enchantment the story held for me, I remembered another story I started some years ago about a man who is able to visit the past where he attempts to steal a famous author's life by beating him to punch by writing his novels first. My wife was a big fan of that idea when I told her about years ago. She still is. And, when I ran the idea by my co-workers, they absolutely loved the idea. Their enthusiasm about the idea was so palpable, that I've decided to shelve my current work-in-progress (yes, you read that right; I refuse to give up on it because I still feel it's a great story given the proper preparation) in favor of continuing with that long forgotten work-in-progress whose title is The Old Royal.
And, for those of you wondering whether I plan to use this for NaNoWriMo, the answer is No. To bring in a piece that I previously worked on would be cheating, and I don't cheat, not even when it would only be cheating myself. I am hereby officially declaring defeat and gracefully bowing out of the contest. Best of luck to everyone still plugging along at their novels. I hope you make it.
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