Writing a novel ~ what a novel idea!

No Plot? No Problem! ~ by Chris Baty, 2006, writing, 44 pages

I was given a novel-writing kit by someone who no longer wanted it, and inside is this little book by Chris Baty.  Hey, I remember that name!  He's the one who came up with National Novel Writing Month, better known by using the first syllable of each word:  NaNoWriMo.  I also remember that November is NaNoWriMo month, so I suggested it as an activity for Crown Center residents.

The last time I took part in NaNoWriMo was a few years ago, but I decided to look at my notes to myself.  I'm not bashful, so I'm sure you already know my notes are also posted online for all to see (first posted HERE)

My novel

Here's what I've come up with:  Betsy and Diane are a couple of book bloggers who go on a road trip together, after Betsy retired.  The two had met in a group of people who discussed books online.  Their little group had started calling itself Book Buddies.  Driving to visit a few of their book friends in other states, they laughed at the idea that people once thought it's dangerous to meet with strangers you have only "met" online.  You know, that stranger could be an axe murderer!  At least, that's what people thought a quarter of a century ago.  (See illustration.)

They laughed at the absurdity, since each of them thought the other seemed absolutely okay.  They'd known each other a couple of years online, but had just met in person yesterday, when Diane traveled to Betsy's town so they could go on this adventure together in one car.  The book's title could be:  Happenstance: The Case of the Axe Murderer.

What the two didn't notice as they drove along was that they were being followed by a man one was involved with, a man who was still very afraid of strangers met online.  When the man saw them pull off the road and get out of the car with one of them holding ... gasp! ... an axe, he pulled up behind the car, sprang into action, shoved the two apart, and wrestled the axe away from the "would-be murderer."  The other woman fell and hit her head on a rock.

Ironically, the one who fell was his girlfriend.  She wound up in a coma, in the hospital and totally unaware for most of the novel.  And that means, she was not able to say, "Wait a minute!  That's not the way it was at all!"  Now, which woman is in a coma, and who is on trial for attempted murder?  And why did one of them have an axe in the car in the first place?  I guess that means I need to decide whose car they were driving on this trip to visit their online friends.

That's the background, leading up to a trial for attempted murder.  The novel itself could be told through documents, like emails and instant messages and newspaper articles about the case.

You know you are a bookie ... if bookstore owners smile

when they see you come in the door.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. Monday was MLK Day, HERE.
2. On TWOsday, I posted about Adam's first wife (and eating pizzas), HERE.
3. Irregular verbs were the words I discussed on my Wednesday Words post, HERE.
4. Thursday Thoughts were about a novel about slaves in the American South, HERE.
5. I shared the beginning lines of an Ann Patchett book, HERE.
6. On Saturday, I played Bingo and wrote about it, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.