NaNoWriMo 2021: Project Introduction

Guess who didn’t plan to join NaNoWriMo 2021 until October 30th, but is back on her bullshit? Hi, yes, hello, it’s me. After deciding to join a mere two days ago (oops), I’m actually quite excited and figured, why not write up a post about it? So, read more to find out what project I’m working on, some fun tidbits and my goals!

What’s NaNoWriMo?

If you’re a writer, I’m 99.9% sure you’ve heard of this. If you’re not, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a monthly challenge where, traditionally, you try and write 50,000 words in one month. It’s evolved to be a little more flexible, allowing writers to join and do more than just write new drafts (like edit, revise, plan, draft, etc.). Personally, I started NaNoWriMo in 2015 (wow) and have attempted in a few times, yet only succeeded once. Still, it’s a fun way to increase word count and practice making writing a priority–something I really want to do.

The Project

So, what do I plan on working on this time? The first book in a new series, The Unknown Realms. The book itself, I have no idea what the title will be (I’m shit at titles). It’s my first foray into fantasy romance and I am so, so thrilled. Am I writing this book just to explore the only one bed trope? Yes, and…?

I am in the very early stages of planning, so far, with a rough outline (coughninepagescough). I don’t have a proper blurb written up yet, but the gist is this: our primary characters, Karrathulian Elanvante and Callum Ohelmshire, are brought together with a misfit group–eight in total–gathered at the request of the High Queen. Together, they have one purpose: to investigate the remnants of the dead lands beyond the mountains, thought destroyed by an old war, yet are suddenly coming back to life and spreading a sickness that threatens all the realms of Anora. They must find the source and stop it. Oh, and Karra is a bisexual retired cartographer with a guarded heart and Cal is a soft virgin cinnamon roll plagued by blackmail and a misplaced sense of duty. Plus, the entire ensemble is a diverse group of disaster queers that I already love and I haven’t even met them on the page yet.

Think classic DnD questing shenanigans meets steamy romance amidst an environmentally-charged crisis backdrop in a queernorm world, where even the most beloved fantasy tropes are tossed on their asses.

Right? RIGHT. I am fucking stoked.

The Fun Stuff

I don’t want to give away too much about these characters or this story yet. But, I hope the teaser above was enticing. I did want to share some fun tidbits, though, that I helped use as part of my inspiration process.

My Pinterest board for character inspiration is here. I’ll prolly be adding more pins throughout the upcoming months! I also have a Spotify playlist that currently has…two songs on it. *facepalm* So, if you have any classic, tavern-adventure type melodies, dark, heartbreaking sorrows or just fantastic writing music, send me your recs!

My favorite bit, however, is my list of tropes I want to incorporate. Namely:

• Only one bed
• Injury healing (I dunno what the proper wording for this trope is, but when you read it, you’ll know)
• Shoved against a wall 👀
• Barest brush of touches
• Using their title only until danger; then, first use of the first name 🥺
• Found family
• Misfits
• Adventure and quest given by old “wizard”

Will I get to use them all? Or will others show up in the fray? Only time will tell….

The Goals

So, THE GOALS. For NaNoWriMo 2021, I’ll be sticking to the classic goal: write 50,000 words. This is draft zero, so I haven’t even started yet (besides like, half of the first chapter that will prolly be rewritten anyway). While I do want to build a writing routine and practice making writing a priority, I’m not as chuffed about writing every single day of November. That never really works well for me. I’m going to aim to sit down and write 250 a session. (Yes, I realize that doesn’t add up to 50K, shush.) I want to keep the stakes low, try and turn my editor brain off, and just enjoy the process of exploring a world that excites me, with characters waiting to capture my heart and play with romance for the first time.

I might do a check-in post at the halfway point of the month, before a wrap-up post at the end!

In Sum

Thanks for reading and showing interest in my latest WIP! It’s the first “new” book I’m going to be working on in years, so the excitement matches the nervousness well. My NaNoWriMo 2021 profile is here and you can add me as a friend, if you like! Tell me what kind of projects you’re working on. I want to cheer you on!