Challenge within a challenge: A novel idea take two

Way back in April my friend Hayley and I decided to try and wrote a novel in a month. With Hayley getting married and life getting in the way for me, we both didn’t complete our novels.

November is the National Novel Writing Month and the month has been running since 1999. I’d heard of it before but it was only through one of Hayley’s friends putting it on Facebook that I was reminded of it again.

With a quite-ish November I thought I’d give the novel another go. The site says that you should have a fresh idea, but you can work on existing ideas as well. So I’m picking up with Mr Hunter and I. As I’ve said before the novel is based on my job hunting days as and as they are still happening it’s good to write what is happening to me into the characters’ story.

Like screenwriting the first draft is always the worst; it’s just an achievement to get something down in writing. At the moment my first draft is pretty patchy, doting around all over the place and the constant struggle of writing he said and she said all the time. I’ll be looking at different books for ideas of how to vary it up. Giovanna Fletcher and Cecelia Ahearn books will be a good place to start.

So here’s to a second try at the novel. Hopefully I’ll write more than the first attempt.