All right, so, in the first half of November, I wrote 48,000 words, so I’m on track to quote win unquote my personal NaNoWriMo goal of more or less writing the complete Tuyo #12 in November.

Am I actually at the halfway mark, you may ask, and the answer is, I have no idea. It depends on whether stuff happens more quickly as we move toward the denouement. I don’t feel I’m quite halfway, but could be. Might be less. Honestly, who knows?

Also, I’m not actually 48,000 words in. I’m actually 72,000 words in because I had approximately 20,000 sitting here waiting. So if I’m at the halfway mark, that means the draft will hit about 140,000 words, which is fine. Knowing me, it’ll go longer. I will probably trim, because while I enjoyed writing the slogging-through-unpleasant-scenery part, you may not need to spend quite so much time with that. We’ll see. I’m not worrying about that yet.

As I am this far, I guess I will start calling the novel by name, meaning Bereket. This book takes place two years before Rihasi, and obviously I will include a note about timing and series chronology in the front. Maybe a short note in the front and a link to series chronology in the back. Bereket’s arc is nearly flat. It’s like the arc of the hero in a Western: he’s in the same place at the end as he was when he started. The reader will know where he is heading and will now have a much better idea about the choices he makes later, which should be very fun — I hope it is! I intend it to be! I intend for these two books to work perfectly read in either order. That’s the plan.

Meanwhile! Magdalene is fine and has been fine for 12 days, but there’s an awful lot of Doxycyline left in the bottle. It’s like the infinite bottle of Doxycyline. I feel like it’s the sort of miraculous bottle that could cure malaria for a whole continent. I’m pretty sure Magdalene agrees with me about the Neverending Torment of Doxycyline. I tried the yogurt thing, but we both vote for the faster syringe method.

Also, the cats are unhappy to shift to winter-indoor mode. As you see, Maximilian is pining for the warmth of summer more than Magdalene.

Sleeping away chilly weather

Wishing for warmth

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