I warned you that the plot for my forthcoming NaNoWriMo project would change.
A lot.
After months of tweaks, edits and research (who could forget that big post-it mosaic of characters and plot lines on my wall) I thought I had everything set in stone back in early October. While the rest of my writer friends continued to frantically plan for the impending competition, I shifted my focus to marketing efforts for my first book, I’ll Be Home for Peacemas.
And then I decided, three days before NaNo kick-off, to look over my plans one last time.
Seeing my plot with fresh eyes, I realized there were a few changes that needed to be made, like:
- The protagonist’s name: I was really gung-ho about Charlotte/Charley for my main character’s name, but since choosing it months ago I’ve started to see it everywhere. So for the sake of being a little more unique, I changed her name to Jacquelyn/Jac.
- Changed the protagonist’s father’s name: I had already decided on Jake for my protagonist’s father’s name, but when I changed her name to Jac I thought it might be confusing, so he’s officially been re-dubbed Henry.
- Combined two characters: There’s something just really appealing about a man in uniform, so I decided to combine Bert the local FHP officer with one of my character’s love interests, Tucker. Haven’t decided if he’s still going to be a former lawyer-turned patrolman or just a patrolman.
- Changed the location: Originally (several plots ago) the book was taking place on a lake in Alabama. It’s since been moved to a fictional island at the Georgia/Florida border called Crab Island. There were several reasons for the location swap, but essentially I wanted something a little more colorful and unique than your stereotypical small-town-in-the-South.
- Discovered a new killer: My original plot called for a different murderer than the final plot…but to know more about that you’re just going to have to read the book!
We’ll see what else gets changed during the course of writing over the next month!
Can’t wait for Thursday to get here, it’s going to be one hell of a month.
