NaNo: What I Learned & What I Wrote

I finished NaNo (National Novel Writing Month) and I went over 50,000 words written for the month of November with my story A Twist of Destiny. The story isn't finished quite yet, but it will be by next week or sooner. I learned some valuable things in November:

1. I'm a Fly By the Seat of My Pants Writer: I started out with a story idea I had for over a year and within a 1000 words or so it had changed from what I thought it would be. At that point I let it flow and went with my gut.

2. I'm good with sexual tension, but need to work on anything past that point because I find myself screaming "Oh, man I CANNOT write that thought down!"

3. Sarcasm comes natural to me in real life, but putting it on paper doesn't flow as easy.

4. I love writing fiction. Even after a marathon month of writing I still love my story and my characters.

5. I need to find other writers/readers to bounce ideas off of because my teens offered the following advice to me:

-Blow something up.
-Kill off your heroine...come on, you can do it!
-At any mention of romance: rolled eyes & gagging noises
-Blow more things up.

6. Time lines are VERY helpful. I resisted until I couldn't keep track of how many days had went by, and I was going to have two full moons about a week apart.

I'm sure there were other things I learned along the way, but it's all a blur right now. I do however have a title, a description of my story, and an excerpt. I have rewriting and edits to do, but I feel good about submitting this to publishers when it's finished.

A Twist in Destiny

Summary: Two Irish clans take their blood feud to an extreme level, and the last son in each clan is cursed to live until they meet their destined mate, who must choose between them before either of them can move on. It's been over 400 years for Mac and Shawn, but at 20 years old, Maggie FitzGerald has become a pawn in a game that will change her life forever no matter which Irishman she chooses.

Excerpt:
Maggie moved against him, and laid her head on his chest. She could stay like this all day. Mac was her rock. He made her feel safe and loved. Wasn’t that what marriages should be based on? He was also a survivor. After she was gone, he would pick up the pieces and move on. She would always have a special place in his heart, but he would survive.

“You aren’t thinking too hard again are you? That’s never a good thing with you, “ he said.

She looked up, ready to snap at him, and then saw that smile. How could any woman resist that Irish bad boy smile? “

“I think a kiss would go a long way towards stopping me from thinking too hard, “ she said.

Mac leaned down and kissed her gently, ready to pull back, but Maggie reached up and traced his lower lip with her finger. She carefully put the fudge back in the bag, set it aside on the bench, and moved into Mac’s lap, putting her arms around his neck. She whispered in his ear.

“I don’t think that was a long enough kiss to stop me from thinking. Nope, not enough by a long shot.”

Before he could respond, she kissed him again, this time leaving gentle behind, and putting all of her passion into the moment. She pulled back slowly, and sat back on the bench.

“Yes, I do believe that wiped all thoughts from my head. Every stinkin’ one, “ she said breathlessly.

Mac still hadn’t spoke, but he cleared his throat and seemed to be searching for words. Finally, he gave up and pulled her against his chest, laughing softly. They sat there in comfortable silence for ten minutes or so until Maggie’s stomach growled. They both laughed as it growled again.

“I guess fudge and kisses are not enough to fill my need for food, do you have a place in mind to eat dinner? “ she asked.

“I certainly do, it’s part of my grand plan to distract you, “ he said.

He stood up, and they walked down main street. Mac stopped in front of Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub and opened the door for her. Maggie reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and went inside. The waitress showed them to a booth and Maggie sat on the same side as Mac. He raised his eyebrows.

“Are you going to behave yourself? “ asked Mac.

“Whatever do you mean? I’ve been a perfect lady since we’ve gotten to the island, “ she said with a giggle. “By the way, did I mention how nice you smell? “

“Lass, I swear you are going to be the death of me, and that’s damn hard to do since I can’t die. Let’s order before I get too distracted to appreciate the food, “ he said.

~Brenda