Hello, Thanks for the likes and follows. I hope you are all doing well.

The flowers of the month are peonies and chrysanthemums. I did a little research and found that the meanings of these flowers are nice to remember – peonies are for romantic love (happy marriage), good luck, and prosperity; chrysanthemums are for joy, longevity, optimism, and undying friendship. The birthstones are citrine and topaz, and their meanings are similar to the flowers. I like to keep this type of information around; it inspires me, and I hope it inspires others as well.

A lot happens in November, besides the holiday at the end of the month. Writers all over the world are working on their most significant projects. I know I sound over the top, but it really feels like it. We are like 100,000+ marathon runners with our writing equipment. Some of us use pens and paper, others use computers, typewriters, and distraction-free devices. I signed up for two writing events. My grand ambition is leading me onto strange pathways.

I always have more than one writing project on the brain, and I’ve attempted to focus on just one for these monthly challenges, but I’ve never been able to succeed. There has been some progress, but I have yet to reach the finish line. I accept the type of writer I am and move forward.

The first is the Rough Draft Challenge by Sarra Cannon and the Heart Breathings community. The project I started there is Dead Girl Tale 2: Nox. I never gave up on this story. The fun thing about the Rough Draft Challenge is that you can set or reset your writing goals. Dead Girl Tale 2 is part of a four-story saga, which I call the Imperium/Galactic Alliance Universe or I/GAU. For most of the year, I’ve been struggling with laying out the outlines and characters for those stories. There has been a nearly two-month break. Here’s a brief summary of Dead Girl Tale 2: Nox:

The main character, Nox, was kidnapped as a teenager and sold in the Imperium to the shady side of that part of space. She was replaced by a clone, Nieve Xander, her original name. This clone dies from a clone-related illness. The Xander family grieved for their sister. Several years later, her DNA is picked up. They pull strings and bring her back to Galactic Alliance space, believing that she is a clone. Adult Nox has changed over the years and will do what she has to for her identity and autonomy.

The next challenge event, set up by ProWritingAid, is Novel November. Initially, I was going to use the same story for both events, but it didn’t feel entirely ethical. I changed the title to Fayte Maghnus Monogatari. I’ve written about this story before—or should it be called a serial? A decision for the future. This is my urban paranormal series. The goal for Novel November (NovNov) is to write 50,000 words. That breaks down to about 12,500 words per story, which is manageable. I’m rewriting the four novella-length stories I have for the monogatari. The working titles for these stories are: The Long Night, 2010/The Séance House, New Tale of a Body Thief, and Neighbors. Each story starts off with either Fayte or Maghnus as the main character. Fayte Devoe is a psychopomp with the mantle of Charon, the Ferryman. Maghnus Knight is a medium. Because of the nature of their abilities, they cross paths.

The task list this month appears to be huge. I thought I could squeeze one more developing story, but reality hits eventually. Therefore, the outline for the vampire romance is on hold until January 2026. Full disclosure, I will probably write notes on it and the characters, but the actual story is for the future as well.

The media update is going to be simple. I found myself nostalgic for the 2000s and 2010s. Maybe even the early 1990s. I have finally watched the completed live-action series of The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and caught up with the Mayfair Witches created by Anne Rice. Yes, I’m listening to both books – Discovery of Witches, book 1 in the All Souls series, and The Witching Hour, book 1 in the Mayfair Witches series. Why was I into all this paranormal drama? It was the end of October, and I am developing a vampire romance. I also realized I am still listening to Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and Supernatural Academy by Jaymin Eve. These books are all under the umbrella of urban fantasy/paranormal, but they all read differently. And carry their own appeal. I try to elaborate when I complete the stories or remember.

The other thing I am looking forward to besides a really good Thanksgiving meal is Critical Role’s The Mighty Nein animation. I’m a big fan of Vox Machina and have watched the animated series multiple times. I have even watched campaigns, but they take longer.

That is all for now. This post is way longer than expected. If you’ve read it all, thanks again. I hope the rest of the week goes well for you all. For the writers, writing in challenges or not, you’ve got this. I want us all to succeed and remember to be kind.

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