I always love to write a post on the eve of NaNoWriMo, and this year I’m especially excited.

I had a harder time than ever deciding what to write. I have the project I SHOULD work on, two that I want to, and one that would probably be easier than any of the other three. This conflict is all pretty unusual for me, because for the past two NaNos I’ve known exactly what I was going to write: a Serengard novel from scratch. But I’ve been working on Serengard non-stop since last November. I rewrote, revised, edited, implemented edits from my line editor and copyeditor, and released my first book. As of right now, I’m in the middle of line edits on the second book and I have 40k of the third book already drafted. I’m afraid I’ll burn out on this series if I don’t take a break.

As silly as this is, I have a chart on my fridge full of pros, cons, and votes. I asked for an opinion from anyone who would give one — family, friends, people I’ve never met — all with a sinking feeling that I would end up drawing straws at the end of it.

But my little [big] chart worked. I tallied up the results and emerged with two victors…and that pushed me into making the decision myself. The pros and cons listed next to a pile of names really put things in perspective for me. The one that I felt would be the most marketable and appealing only got votes from people who know me too well and thought it would be an excellent and relaxing break for me. The other book is so complex and heartbreaking that I’m a little scared to attempt it, yet this is the book that instantly caught people’s attention, even if all I told them was the category and genre. This is the one EVERYONE wants to read.

With my trepidation balanced against everyone else’s overwhelming interest, I’ve decided to try writing my Civil War historical drama, a.k.a. “Sekrit Victorian.”

BUT BUT BUT…if I get into November and decide I just don’t want to do it this month, that I’d rather chip away at my Sekrit Victorian slowly (because some projects are just like that — heck, I already have a 100k draft of it that I’m chucking in the recycle bin), I will fall back on its rating buddy, the spy thriller.

And, of course, I WILL finish drafting the third Serengard novel in December and January, lest it feel neglected and begin to pout.

I’m pumped. Instead of being my whip-cracking, write-til-you-drop month, November is going to be an intriguing dance with some manuscript ideas I’ve had haunting my head for far too long. What’s 1,667 words a day? Piece of cake.

#famouslastwords