I am still alive, all through November my writing time has been used on writing Noren the Strong, a new novel rather than blogging. I’ve managed just over 50,000 words, although Noren the Strong (working title, very likely to change) is not yet complete. So, I’m still writing even though November is finished.

Noren the Strong

An alley in Bryggen, this was the inspiration for the main buildings in Straven, where Noren and Yngvild grew up.

Noren the Strong is a fantasy novel set in a world inspired by my recent visit to Bergen, Norway. The key point of view character is Yngvild, who has more than a bit of a crush on Noren. She’s a few months older than him, and they’ve grown up together in a small community of about 50 people.

I wrote 50,128 words for Noren the Strong during November. The story feels like it could be an epic saga. However I’m planning to wrap it up well short of that. There’ll be time for more of it if people seem to like it. Noren the Strong was unplanned. I planned a different, science fiction novel, for this year’s NaNoWriMo. So there’s a lot that needs to happen with finishing and editing Noren the Strong.

A better name

One of the things that it needs is a better name. I started off intending to write from either Noren’s point if view, or by switching perspectives. By the time I’d got to scene three I realised that I wanted to write the whole thing from Yngvild’s perspective. What that means is that it’s more about her than about Noren. He’s just her eye candy…

Not really. Noren has an important part in the story, but he’s supporting cast rather than the pivot for everything. So I need to rename the story. Suggestions in the comments please.

Not finished

The story isn’t finished, which is why I’m not resuming my normal 2-3 posts a week. I’ll get back to that by the new year, maybe sooner. I’m just going to keep on writing this story until it reaches a sensible conclusion.

See you soon.