So I originally had a different post that I wanted to share today (more about my fitness journey), however I had a burning desire to share with you that I failed Camp NaNoWriMo.

And I’m okay with that.

What I did get out of NaNo this year may not have been the 50k words that I originally wanted. I actually couldn’t be more grateful for this failure as somehow I reached the epiphany of all epiphanies with my novel.

Here’s some background

I’ve been haunted by this novel, this series, for years. Going back through my text documents, I actually started working on this project in July of 2016 which was actually the first time I ever participated in NaNoWriMo. I wrote 50,011 words that month. And I have no idea what happened to that draft. What I have kept with me these past four years is the idea that this project is going to be a series. It’s on a ranch/farm and the central characters are family. I know somewhat the theme of each book and some of the events that cross over and what makes it a whole. My favorite book to write is going to be the oldest (the damaged one) brother’s story. But his is the third book.

The problem….and the solution

My biggest problem this whole time is that I felt it in my gut that there had to be a first book. I knew the characters that were going to be the couple (oh, this is a romance if I haven’t told you). I knew where it was going to be. I knew the backgrounds and how it was going to end. But there was no beginning. There was no middle. There was no chemistry between the main characters.

And that’s what’s haunted me this entire time. I’ve spent these past few years dabbling with their story time and again, only to abandon it and move on to the other characters. But then I realized, without that first story the following books sounded incomplete. In my own head, working on the following books in the series without that first story gave me that feeling, you know the one, as if you started reading Sarah J. Maas’s TOG series somewhere around Heir of Fire.

I know that sounds confusing, but I’m writing purely with the mind of a writer whose thoughts are jumping back and forth between wanting to write this post to wanting to jump back into my character’s first meeting (oh and it sizzles).

So to wrap this up, I finally know how my series starts. I know what drives my characters in my first book. I’ve had some incredible inspiration passed my way and I fully intend to use this sudden passion to dive back into the world that I’ve created.

Writing Buddies

If any of you are romance writers yourselves and rediscovering your passion (or more accurate, your characters’ passion) and would love to be writing buddies DM me on Instagram! Feel free to buddy add me on NaNo’s website, however I don’t check that too often.