Writing Report

I'm on the far left in the black--Yes, I tell fortunes every Halloween. It's been a tradition for several years and kids now come from far and wide. It's pretty fun--I get them to do strange things for candy and you should see how wide their eyes get when I tell them if they don't brush their teeth that night their tongue will turn black.

With Halloween at a close and the kids dreaming of pillowcases filled with candy, I decided that I need to report my progress with my latest book. Non-writers might find this pretty boring, but to me it's essential to set writing goals and recognize them. (And then report on my blog :)

I'm writing a novel based on the life of the prophet Abinadi--whose story is found within the pages of the Book of Mosiah (Book of Mormon scripture). There are really only about 5 chapters of good information that I can use as a basis for the story. The rest of the plot is, as they say, pure fiction.

My goal is to turn in my current novel before Christmas. I think I'll be pushing it though. So I'll have to reassess at the beginning of December.

Today I hit 63,537 words (yes, every word counts). Mind you, this is a first draft and there are still many things I need to research--some of them very big picture items.

But this week I made a break-through. I decided who Helam is. If you're saying, "What?"--let me explain. Helam is the first person that is baptized by Alma the Elder, and later in the story a city is named after him. So he must be pretty important. I've been weaving two minor characters into the text that I think have the potential to be a Helam. All I'd have to do is search and replace with the name. Oh yeah, and make sure that whoever Helam is, there's a reason for him to be baptized first, and an even greater reason for an entire city to be named after him.

When writing a novel, often you have to fit the small things together. Other times you have to evaluate the big picture. Helam is definitely a big-picture type of guy. So on to the story. I won't give away his exact identity--but he will have an important role in Abinadi's life, and subsequently in Alma the Elder's life. And looking ahead to volume two, Helam will also play a significant, albeit rather poignant character in the lives of those who are left to grieve Abinadi's death.

I've always wanted to explore the avenue of whether or not true love can be found in an arranged marriage.

Yeah, it's weird. But I'm excited.