NaNoWriMo!

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.

 NaNoWriMo is an event, officially taking place in November every year, in which an average of 300,000 writers from around the world take it upon themselves to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  The purpose of this insane enterprise is to just WRITE.  No editing is allowed; in fact, in the workbooks provided for elementary through high school writers on the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program website, you must push a button and vacuum your inner editor right out of your head and into a little room where he/she waits for you to finish your book so it can be edited.  

I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year!  All you need for it is a notebook and pen, or a computer and fingers to type with.  To connect with other writers and set a goal, you could go to one of two websites: Nanowrimo.org, the official site, or ywp.nanowrimo.org, the young writers program which provides workbooks and also lets you set your own goal instead of the standard 50,000 words.
       So guess what story I'm writing for NaNo?  My {Good} Stepmother story!  Haven't exactly decided what I'm going to call it.  But I have worked out quite a bit concerning the plot and characters, thanks to the surprisingly helpful workbooks.  I say surprising because I usually don't get anything out of such things, but this one has been indispensable.  Half of it is preparing for November; the other half coaches you through as you write like a mad man/woman.  I have to admit that I'm awfully excited for November as well as dreading it simply because it is the threshold of winter!

So.  I'm going to do a couple short character bios for my NaNoWriMo book. If you've read my previous post about this book, The Evil Stepdaughter, you will find I have made some changes here.  Don't be confused; they were deliberate changes to fit the rest of the story. :)

Morgan
 Morgan is a plain and tall 18 year old with remarkable maturity and clear-headedness, but perhaps not enough humility.  She was shortly engaged to a soldier currently and unofficially nicknamed Terry, but a deal between her father and the King crushed all her hopes.  She was married off to the scruffy old man and forced to become stepmother to the bratty Snow White, who appears to everyone but Morgan as an angelic, victimized child who lost her mother at an early age.  Morgan is able to use magic, but only a little; she prefers instead to use earthly resources that may appear magical to peasants.  Snow White accuses her so often of witchcraft that she became extremely sensitive to any mention of her skill.

"Terry"
Terry is probably not going to be his name, but it is one that I had to stick on him for the moment.
Not-as-tall-as-Morgan, impetuous, and good-natured, Terry is blonde-haired and handsome.  He also has a sometimes unbearable case of cockiness.  But he has a good heart and loves Morgan ardently (thank you, Mr. Darcy, for that beautiful word) even after they are forced apart.  His hot temper is not infrequently unleashed, especially when he hears someone compare Snow White's ravishing beauty to Morgan's "plain, forgettable face".  

NaNoWriMo is going to be a remarkable experience and I can't wait to share my progress with you guys. 
-Ashley