Some of you may already know that I’m heading north and west (as I write this), on a train across the US, from NYC to a small town in Washington State, just east of the Cascade Mountains. The train trip will take about 3 days, and then I have 31 days to revise this year’s NaNo project.

I ended NaNo with a pretty good first draft, which looks something like 170 pages of rambling narrative and dialog, made colorful with Notes-for-revision in red. This particular draft is about 40% notes, 20% dialog, and the rest some narrative that needs culling. BUT. I’ve figured out how my novel will end, which I didn’t know in October, and I’ve discovered some new characters who’ll help (or hinder) my protagonist. Hindrances are important yet my biggest challenge, because I hate for things to go wrong for anyone. More on this in future posts, as I wrestle my plot into a workable form.

For now, as we roll past the Hudson River, I’m going to read (a history of London’s Great Fire) and watch the sunset.

PS: Thank you, Amtrak, for leaving on time!