Deep Mist Day One

Wherein I undertake to participate in National Novel Writing Month, known also by the hideous contraction NaNoWriMo, a word that will never again be typed by me, at least not if reasonable alternatives remain open.

I’d heard about this in the past and had some vague inclination to check it out. But then earlier this semester one of my photography students mentioned it. After exploring the web site for awhile I got hooked on the idea and decided to give it a try.

The novel I’ve begun is called Deep Mist. It was originally a tale of Lovecraftian horror set during the Vietnam War, something I dreamed up for a screenwriting class when I was an undergrad. The incarnation I’m working on now combines that old plot structure with another war/Lovecraft mix set aboard a U-boat during Operation Monsoon, a plan that sent a handful of subs to the Indian Ocean to harass British shipping.

November is novel writing month, which is a good time for it. The semester isn’t exactly winding down at this point, but by now everyone is either used to the routine or gone from the class. That gives me a little leeway to focus on something else for awhile. Plus I’ve got the entire week of Thanksgiving to play catch-up if I end up falling behind my planned pace.

This particular November is especially auspicious. Royals fans are coming off the craziness of our first postseason appearance in 29 years, and the narrow loss in the World Series has us all feeling a little at sea. Thus having a big, new project to focus on will help keep me, well, focused.

I’m also looking forward to the start of my sabbatical at the conclusion of this semester. As I will be studying the question of transmedia storytelling, this large storytelling endeavor should be a nice way to get that initiative going.

I’ve set myself a pace of approximately 1,667 words per day, which should take me to the 50,000 word plateau by November 30. On that count I’m off to a good start, pounding out 2449 words. Currently I’m starting at the beginning, though I may end up hopping around a bit or at least moving between the 1943 part and the 1967 if writer’s block sets in.

According to the site, novels with cover art are 60% more likely to make it to the 50k mark in time. With that in mind, I generated a quick cover (above).