November, Nano & the Worst Holiday Idea Ever

I was really looking forward to Nano this year. I had an idea; a book I really wanted to write, but that was one that needed to be written fast, without too much thinking, to make it work. I was excited.

Then events started changing my plans...

First off, the book previously known as The Fairytale Way. Once it became clear that there was actual interest in the novel, and I started working on it with an agent who wanted to sign me, I figured that I could use Nano to bring it to a swift conclusion, before the inevitable rewrites. It wouldn't be a true Nano, but it would be close.

Except, by the beginning of November I still wasn't in the position I had hoped to be - with an approved outline and the freedom to write until the thing was done.

Work continues, sort of apace, but it's hard going. The main problem seems to be that, in discussion with my agent, we've added all sorts of stuff that makes the story stronger. Unfortunatley, until last week, we'd forgotten to take anything away.

Cue cut of entire subplot and two major characters, and a quick reshuffle of the remaining facts and figures. I think I've just, now, got the actual events and so forth in place, but the first thing I need to do is go back and rewrite the first 60,000 words to conform to the new plot. And that's not the sort of thing you can do for Nano.

It's also not really the sort of thing you can do with confidence in my usual fifteen minute stetches. It's the sort of thing that requires concentration, and time. Bearing in mind that while trying to write this Sunday morning blog entry I've continued several conversations with my mother, dealt with a teabag crisis my husband was having, and solved a variety of Vista issues on my parent's new laptop, it's clear that peace and quiet to work is not available in large quantites.

But what the husband and I did have as a surplas of holiday days to take from work before the end of the year. And so was born what I am now terming the Worst Holiday Idea Ever.

We drove up to the parents in Wales on Friday night for a couple of days, and tomorrow we're driving over the mountains to spend the week in the family caravan on the Lleyn peninsula. It's going to be very cold (snow predicted on the mountains) and probably rainy. Everything's going to be closed because it's November in a seaside town. The TV only gets BBC 1&2 Wales, Harlech TV and S4C, the Welsh channel. There's no internet for miles.

We've prepared well; we've packed dvds and books and playing cards and games and things. And we've made a deal; Simon lets me work on the book in the morning, and then we can go shiver at some castle or Neolithic burial mound in the afternoon. The evenings are for the dvds. We're packing extra blankets, possibly a heater, and Simon bought me a hot water bottle yesterday.

And by the time we get back, I want a full synopsis and revised opening chapters to send to my agent.

Wish me luck!