NaNoWriMo 2020: A halftime report

I’m halfway through NaNoWriMo 2020 both in the number of days and number of words. After tonight’s session, I’ve written 27,040 words of my new novel Haunted. Here is how my project is going and what I’ve learned along the way.

This is a 100% pantser project

There is no one right way to write a novel, and this project proves it. This is a 100% pantser project. I had a story idea, but I threw it out the moment I started writing. I kept a few of the original character names. I’m letting the story tell itself, which is fun and liberating. I gave up on stories in the past because they didn’t conform to the structure I tried to impose on them. This time, I’m letting the plot points and characters emerge without judgement. What’s interesting is that they flow within a story structure without having to force one upon them. The finer points can be worked out in editing. Right now, I’m taking in the story the same way readers would when they see it for the first time.

Haunted is the prequel and sequel of Amiga

Someone asked if I was planning to write a sequel for Amiga. I wasn’t planning to write one at the time I was interviewed, but Haunted has certainly turned out to be that book. It is also the prequel for Amiga. We see Laura Rodriguez when she was in high school, and…