Happy halfway point of Planning Month!
When I last left you, I had narrowed my big list of ideas down to 2. Those 2, I explained, were about to go through my planning process to see which one sparked more interest and joy.
Today, I’m sharing with you the planning for the Hitman idea.
Main Character: Regina King
What does MC Want: To keep up her work and life balance. Things in her life are PERFECT right now. What she wants is for NOTHING to change.
What does MC Fear: Losing her husband, having to stop working, or working in some dumb office job that sucks the life out of her slowly.
What is in the MCs Way: Steward Houston. He knows what she does for a living and he wants revenge.
What is MC Willing to do to get what they want: Kill. Die. Walk away from life (honestly, this is the hardest one for her to be sure of, despite the fact that this seems like it should be easiest).
Theme/Lesson: Everything in life has a cost but we aren’t always prepared to pay it.
Climax (where will everything change): Confrontation with Stewart that breaks all of Regina’s rules. Clearly this job has her unraveled. Before this scene she is CALM, STOIC, and STRICT about her rules. After this we will see PANIC and STRESS.
Resolution (how does it end): SPOILER (But I have it written out). “This should be the end of my story and it would be if I were not addicted to watching people die.”
Final Thoughts
- This story is DEFINITELY still sparking excitement.
- I got the first 8 bullet points (chapters) down on the Outline before hitting a small sticking point. I filled that 9th bullet in with “SOMETHING TO SHOW TIME HAS PASSED” and moved past it (I do this a lot).
- It looks like I can hit my climax around Chapter 14.
- It looks like I can hit my resolution around Chapter 28.
- This would mean LONG chapters for me, which makes sense since I “normally” write YA and this would be Adult.
- I’m NOT done with the outline. I have at least 5 notes to myself that would be major decisions that have to be made (including NEED THIS BACKSTORY).
- BUT, I still love this idea.
What’s Next
Next, I will put this one aside and do the planning document(s) for the Magic Journal story.
WHY?
It seems like I’m enjoying this story. Why not just write this one? Well, the short answer is, I’m an irrational perfectionist. That means, not matter how reasonable a decision is, I know I will second guess it about a week into November. I may LOVE the Hitman story, but if I never look at this second one, I will always wonder if it was the right choice.
So, I plan the second idea too. Really, one of three things will come from this second planning.
- I realize I do, in fact, love the Hitman story. I decide to work on it exclusively and shelve the Magic Journal story.
- I realize I prefer the Magic Journal story. It gives me more excitement and joy than the previous idea. I decide to shelve the Hitman story and work exclusively on the Magic Journal.
- I love them both and have trouble deciding. If this happens, I will try to write the first chapter of each one and compare them. OR (because this is a NaNo project and that feels like cheating) I will try a planning document for the ANTAGONIST.
Stay Tuned
That Magic Journal planning will come soon.
For today, I’m happy with where I am!