AndreaBlythe.com

Technically this project began with the entries I wrote for January’s brigits_flame contest (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, if you’re inclined to read them). As soon as I started writing these passages, along with about 712 words of back ground, I knew there was a much larger story that needed writing.

I’ve never thought about writing a werewolf novel. I definitely read werewolf stories and enjoyed them (Silver Kiss, by Naomie Clark is an excellent example), especially if they went beyond the wolf, but had never put much thought into writing them. The idea just hasn’t appealed to me much. Not only because the market is flooded with werewolf stories, but also because I haven’t particularly been drawn to the werewolf as a character. It hasn’t held the same fascination for me as witches have or even vampires did when I was younger. However, this story has got itself into my skull and presents what I hope is a new angle on the genre.

I’ve been letting the story slosh around in my brain for several weeks before coming back to it, and have since very roughly laid down what I know about the story, about my main character, some of the side characters, and of course, the villain. That’s the biggest one for me — the villain. I normally have a really hard time putting together a villain, one that’s not only dark or dangerous, but also has a purpose. This one just sort of jumped onto the page, full of mange and violence and rage, and I can’t wait to see what mischief I can get him up to.

I already know that this will be a young adult/teen book, and that I don’t want this to be a romance, but more of a bildungsroman.

And I know that Claire, my main character, only has enough wolf in her to be very strong, has a strong sense of smell, and is red-green colorblind, but doesn’t have enough wolf in her to shift into an actual wolf. I know she is extremely attached to her father and that she likes tragic stories from history, especially the life of Marie Antoinette.

I don’t have a title for it yet, which is typical, but not a big deal. I’ve started in on what might be Chapter 1. We’ll see where it goes.

Project: Untitled Werewolf Novel
New Words: 952
Current Total Word Count: 6,310
Goal: ~80,000 (or until completed)

Random Sentence(s): Claire made an oompf sound as the box full of heavy books dropped into her arms. She awkwardly turned around and made her way down the ramp and into the house, depositing the box with the stacks of many others in what would soon be their living room once it was all put together.

Notes: Seems to be a good start. I already know this scene needs more to it. I don’t necessarily want to tell everything up front, but I want enough intrigue to the characters and the setting to hopefully keep a reader reading.

[Cross-posted to my livejournal. If you feel inclined, you may comment either here or there.]