Nanowrimo 2014

As I do every couple of years, I've decided to sign up for NaNoWriMo.  In theory this is a very good idea for me.  It should motivate me to get more work done, and really kick my novel into high gear.  In practice... not so much.  I've entered NaNoWriMo four or five times, but I've never finished it.  I've never even come close.

But, here I am in 2014, ready to disappoint myself yet again.  But, making the assumption that I will actually make a decent fist of it this time around, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to work on.  I could always continue on with The Lightless Labyrinth.  It would be the sensible thing to do, given that I'm 50,000 words into it.  But, to be honest, I feel like I've hit a wall.  The enthusiasm isn't there right now.  I don't intend to abandon it, because there's so much awesome stuff in it that I've yet to write, but I'm closing in on the conclusion to part 2, at which point the narrative branches in three different directions.  I feel like it's a good place to stop if i want to take a hiatus.

So at the moment I'm going back over what I've done, rewriting my super-over-expository prologue, and just generally tidying up some timeline issues and hammering the character arcs into place.  Once I get parts 1 and 2 done, I can decide what to do for NaNoWriMo.

The first option, as I said, is to continue with The Lightless Labyrinth.  The second, very enticing, option is to start on my next Jack Manley book - Jack Manley and the Interchronal Deathmatch Tournament.  Going back to Jack Manley is really tempting.  I can write him in my sleep.  The prose style is dead simple.  I've got the plot worked out.  I think it would be fun to take a break for a month.  But then there's always the risk that, once I leave The Lightless Labyrinth, I'll never go back to it.  It's been a difficult beast to wrangle, and it's only going to throw up more challenges as I get further into it.  I'm pretty sure I'll be a better writer if I manage to finish it, but...  Man, writing Jack Manley is a hell of a lot of fun.  I'll have to think about it.

PROGRESS SINCE MY LAST POST:
The Lightless Labyrinth - 1,632 words

OTHER TIME-WASTING ACTIVITIES:

What I've Been Reading:
The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard
Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs

What I've Been Watching:
Loads of WWE Raw
Doctor Who season 8

What I've Been Listening To:
Hot Cars and Used Contraceptives by Turbonegro

What I've Been Playing:
Orthanc on a PLATO emulator
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Nintendo Wii