Nanotastic Monday

After waking to a three-rejection Sunday, I feel like I have my feet again. (midnight rejections are no fun, people)

My NaNo book is rolling along at 25K. Here's the catch: the first draft will probably only wind up around 35K. I'm totally okay with that--it's a YA book, after all. I've surveyed some of my students' current reads, and most clock in between 30-37K, so I feel as though I'm on track. I'd rather write a useful 35K than blather on to inflate it to 50.

What to do with that remaining 15K? I have some lovely (read: ghastly) ideas for a collection of horror novellas set in my fictional little hamlet of Springdale. Maybe I'll take a stab at one...no pun intended.

So what have I done to poor little Elliot in Rock Gods...well, dear reader, you already know about his uncle...

Elliot's girlfriend has an eating disorder. He's too self-absorbed to notice until she collapses one night and has to be taken to the hospital.

His best friend, Ben, quits the band--Ben was the only real member along with Elliot.

He watches helplessly as another long time friend is pummeled by the high school linebacking corps.

His favorite teacher gets busted for looking at porn at school and lets Elliot take the blame.

Oh, there's more...slashed tires, arrests for possession of marijuana, confrontations with police...tsk, tsk.

In other news, I received an acceptance for my entry to the Silly Westerns Anthology over at Residential Aliens. "Gunplay and Haiku in Belching Gulch" is a goofy little story--one hint: wind-up sidekick.

Have a nanotastic week.