An Unexpected Gift

The high temperature dipped below 100 degrees so I actually wore a pair of jeans to my dentist appointment last week. That means fall is approaching! It also means NaNoWriMo is nearly here, and if I'm intending to participate this year, I need to get my act together and finish the current novel-in-progress. It is the final novel of my Silver Vision series (aka the "Sheralie" books), and it has been a challenge. I don't know about other writers, but there is something particularly challenging for me about finishing a series. All the plot threads need to be tied up, and the climax needs to be more than the climaxes for the other books in the series. Preferably the ending should also be satisfying, not one that leaves readers feeling let down, or worse, flinging your book angrily against the wall.

No pressure.

Between life (because yes, life does not stop for novels, I know) and the immense challenge of getting this dang book right, I'm lucky to get a thousand words written a day right now. But yesterday I was bound and determined to get a major chunk written, especially after finally working out some important plot points during my crack-of-dawn shower before our family temple trip. (Odd, where and when plot solutions descend on one's brain.)

By late afternoon I finished through my "must-dos" for the day, sat down at my computer, put my headphones on with some writing music to inspire me, and started off at a great clip.

Then I ran head-first into a wall. Way back in the day (almost thirty years ago now), I took a college class called Political Geography. In a nutshell, it was about how the natural features and resources of a country influence how the population develops, why conflicts with other nations happen, and in general how the natural world affects political stuff. It was fascinating (which I did not expect), and apparently some of it stuck in my head for decades, because I realized that what was going on in the nation where my fantasy novel is set did not make sense. In particular, one of my main antagonists was doing something that was ridiculous considering my vague mental map of the country and its topography.

I grumbled about it to my friend Makena (who is an amazing artist) and then resigned myself to pulling out my old pathetic sketch of the country and its features that I jotted down years ago (remember how this series is seven books long?). But Makena, gracious and awesome friend that she is, offered to make a map for me. While I attempted to pound out another couple of hundred words, she took my vague sketch and a bunch of other details I provided for her and then sent me a map before I went to bed last night.

Look at this!!

Makena is probably mortified that I'm posting this (because she is an artist, like I said, and this was just a quick map, nothing fancy) but can I tell you how inspiring this was? I stared at it for about ten minutes straight last night and the solutions to several annoying plot conundrums popped into my head. It was a lovely experience, and exactly what I needed!

Now I have no excuse. 39 days to go. I can finish this book by that deadline. Right?????

(Guess what I will be doing every free moment of fall break!)