NaNoWriMo Update

Yes, I know November hasn't started yet but the terms of NaNoWriMo allow participants to start planning, etc before the start of November.

I've been trying to put some structure to my vague idea and I'm coming up against some interesting obstacles. An element of the storyline involves my protagonist interacting with a romance novel.

I think my attitude to romantic liasons in books has been molded by my choice of literature. As you will no doubt have guessed from the title of this blog, I read Tolkien. Tolkien, due to the society and time in which he was writing, populated his stories almost solely with men and tended to only have the comrades in arms sort of friendship not proper relationships. Modern fantasy writers clearly treat the sexes with more equality, have strong female characters and can therefore have properly developed relationships. Even then they are usually only included to move the characters and story forward, they are a means to an end not the end itself. Like real life, relationships aren't the be all and end all. They are only a part of our lives, an immensely important part but a part never the less. And I choose books that reflect this.

To get an idea of what I would need to write, I checked out a couple of Mills and Boon from my local library (with great reluctance!). Apologies to anyone who reads and enjoys this sort of book :o). I really don't like reading romance novels. I think I was put off for life by having to read Wuthering Heights for my A-Level Literature course! Anyway, I have managed to get to about page twenty and I have thrown up my hands in defeat.

I can't do it. I simply cannot read through all the simpering, heaving, sighing, quivering sultriness.

I have decided that my protagonist will just have to read some chick lit instead. Much more achievable (hopefully). Off to check out Bridget Jones's Diary and see if I get on any better with that. Enjoyed the movie so hopefully the book will be just as good, if not better.

On the positive side, I'm getting a nice structure built, with the help of some nifty freeware writing software.

Happy Journeys.