This blog tracks the ups, down, ins and outs of a would-be novelist becoming a novelist. It all started with National Novel Writing Month, back around 2006. 2009 was the first year in which I crossed the finish line and wrote a novel of over 50,000 words. It was a life-changing accomplishment that turned on a flow of ideas that I’d always thought was impossible for me, the precise, analytical thinker.
National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, has become a pivot point for my life, hence the title of this blog: Tracking the Words – a Yearly Cycle. It’s taken a while to realize that NaNoWriMo isn’t just a yearly occurrence that consumes an entire month of my time and energy. I write year-round now, but for all practical purposes, my New Year’s day is now November first. There is the planning, several months worth, for the next NaNoWriMo, the actual month of frenzied writing, and the following month of the first edit and revision. The following year is taken up with editing and revisions, finishing stories, and making notes for new stories.
2010 was my second win, with another novel nearly completed. 2011 saw my debut as an indie publisher, with two ebooks on Smashwords. And another NaNo win, with my second science fiction novel. Oddly, the first book I published wasn’t a NaNo novel, but one that sprang from the very first one by way of a long, non-linear series of inspirations and insights. That novel, Boundaries, was posted, chapter by chapter on my Live Journal blog, where it’s still available. The published novel, Hidden Boundaries, is longer, with more fully developed characters. The sequel, Crossing Boundaries, follows my characters as their lives change and become more complicated.
My first NaNo novel showed me the way to express lifelong concerns about social change and the power struggles that go on between individuals. That’s taken me in an unexpected direction, one I had difficulty coming to terms with. My stories (so far) are about slavery in its many forms, and about male/male relationships. Aside from having to deal with my personal feelings about these subjects, I’ve discovered that my writing doesn’t fit neatly into any of the standard genres, and that will affect the way I go about finding a readership. So be it.
Contact
I’ve always tried to protect my privacy on the net, but I know that sometimes it’s worthwhile to have a way for people to reach me. This is a new address, just for WordPress users. Please don’t spam. darkboundaries at gmail dot com.
