Okay, week two has completed, and it ended not too far from where it began. As of right now, I’m about 10,000 words behind where I need to be, so I’m writing this post as fast as possible so I can get back to writing. But first…

One of the things I’ve noticed about my novel is that the more I write it, the more I realize I’m not really in control of the story, my characters are. I know it sounds/reads a little weird, but it’s true. I went into this novel knowing my core characters really well, and I thought I had a good idea on how they would act, but they’ve really been doing and saying things that I hadn’t planned. And I think that’s why I haven’t been producing enough material—because I can’t force my characters to do what I want them to.

So, the deeper question is upon me: What does this say about my writing?

Maybe it says that, no matter how hard I plan for a story, my imagination/subconscious is really in charge.

Which leads to another question: What is behind the story that my imagination/subconscious is trying to tell?

I know the story I’m trying to tell. It’s about a group of college graduates who are treated like kids when they should be respected as adults. Thirty years ago, this wasn’t a problem, but it’s something I see happening all around me today, and I think it’s wrong. I keep hearing things like 40 is the new 30. Does that make 24 the new 14? Come on, people. When you’re 40, you’re 40. Act your age.

I don’t know the story my subconscious is trying to tell. Maybe it’s about my fear of material loss or my fascination with storms. Maybe I’ll find out someday.

Also, to prove that I’ve been working—even if I have been writing—the image on the right is of my novel in Scrivener. (Click it to see it in detail.) You can see on the left that I’ve planned out my chapters and my scenes within those chapters. You can also see the middle of my fifth chapter. Enjoy!