It’s the second day of NaNoWriMo and I am already STUCK!
I’ve been struggling with the plot points and outline and characters for my novel… I have so many ideas all at once and they clash and contradict each other. I have index cards, a whiteboard, notebooks—all with scribbles and notes… but nothing coherent…
I’ve tried several times to create a synopsis of the story I want to write, just to see if it all hangs together… but even that exercise ends up going in circles.
Ok. One more time… here goes…
Heather Winslow—a writer— is desperate for a quiet space off the beaten track in which to plan her next great novel. She looks through the classifieds and finds a cottage for rent at Dillard Beach, Cape Cod.
After driving for hours through a thunderstorm, she arrives at the cottage only to discover the cottage is locked and the owner, Sam Whitworth, is nowhere to be found. She tries to call him on her cell phone. No answer.
Determined to find a way into the cottage, Heather walks around the cottage, checking to see if there is a backdoor. Just as she reaches the corner of the house, a man jumps out of the shadows, pushing her to the ground and runs off down the road.
She calls the police and a squad car arrives a few minutes later. Officer Booker listens to her story, promises to look around. He suggests she might want to find accommodations elsewhere for the night. The Anchor Pub has a few rooms they let out in a pinch.
He leads her to The Anchor, she meets the owner, Maddox Connor, and spends the night.
Next morning, she calls Sam Whitworth, the owner of the cottage who is surprised to find she has already arrived. He has totally mixed up the dates she was coming. All apologies, he arranges for the cottage to be swept clean and prepared. And offers to take her to breakfast at the cafe.
Are you bored yet? I’m struggling to stay awake.
What have we got so far?
- Writer needs space
- Rents a cottage
- Drives through rainstorm
- Cottage locked
- Man jumps out at her and runs away
- She calls police
- Meets Maddox
- Spends the night at The Anchor
- Owner takes her to breakfast.
Sigh…. too many details…
What happens next? Besides trashing the whole thing???
Ok, here’s another stab at it…
She tells Maddox about the man in the backyard of cottage… who could it be? is the town dangerous…? Vagrants and theives running about?
He suggests she may have encountered the town drunk, Peter Rand who often sleeps in and around cottage rentals that aren’t occupied.
She asks for more information about Rand. (Her investigative “radar” sniffs a story?) Maddox fills her in on the local gossip and promises to help her find something she can use. “The town is filled with legends and tales of yore!” He assures her. He claims to be a would-be writer, himself.
She is happy to find someone to talk to.
Now does this Maddox guy turn into a little romance on the side??? I’m not sure. But now that I’ve introduced him as a secondary character, maybe something can start perking along….