Writing Wednesday || NaNoWriMo Check-In #3

Guess who’s not totally off schedule and wound up in a panic about it!

ME!

Seriously, I’m feeling absurdly good about where we’re at with Honey and Haunt right now, and even looking at the numbers, it’s hard to believe it. 👀

Current Word Count

This week, I was meant to be at 35,337 words. For the first time, though, I’m actually behind schedule, which is a little bit of a bummer. I’ve actually clocked in at 34,175 instead because of increased hours at work and other complications. Thankfully, it’s not far off from where I meant to be, so I don’t feel too bad about it!

Plus, this leaves me with 16k and change to go, which feels ridiculously doable given my track record. Hell yeah!

 

Favorite Line

“Look, I came because Kieran is my best friend and she sounded scared. I’d do that even if I wasn’t going to be any real help, because that’s what we do for each other.”

Any hope of the sentiment easing some of Everest’s frustration evaporates at the way they make a fist and tap it against their lips. “Are we not friends anymore?” they ask when the words finally come to them. “You stopped talking to me after graduation. You haven’t texted me once. Kieran says it’s because things are tight here and you have to help out, but you’ve told me when shit’s gone belly up before. I’d help if you asked, too, but there’s been radio silence.”

How do you tell someone that you can’t be their friend anymore, though? How do you explain you can never leave this small town, not because something is holding you back, but because this is where you keep your heart and soul? How do you admit that every second you spend together hurts, because soon enough, you won’t have any more time?

Oh man, I hadn’t meant to write this scene so early, but there’s no avoiding the truth: Roa and her impulsive teenage feelings have made a rift between her and Everest, and it’s TOUGH. I loved writing this scene because it forces them both into this really emotional space early on, and it’s going to force me to navigate it as we go. And this is essentially going to have the vibe of friends to strangers to friends again to lovers because of Roa’s poor communication skills (don’t worry, Kieran chews her out for it, because someone has to have some sense), so I’m excited to see how I can make this pan out to its fullest. After all, it just wouldn’t be me if I didn’t pour on the hurt/comfort from the very start!

Also, Everest, I’m sorry for emotionally wounding you so soon. It’s going to get better, but other things are going to get worse.

 

Favorite Character

You guys, I freaking adore Everest Lamont.

I haven’t given them my full attention so far, since it’s been more important to establish Roa, Kieran, and the ways the plot and setting are hopelessly intertwined, but now that Everest is here, I can’t help but want to tell you about them.

They’re actually a great-great-something or another grandchild of the man who founded Lamont, and they would do ANYTHING to get out. There’s a whole family legacy there they feel trapped by, and all they want to do is work on their motorcycle and maybe draw cool things. The engineering program they’re going into is more their parents’ idea than their own.

They’re also not in on the cryptid hotspot that is Linley Farms, unlike Kieran, which means that they’re smart enough to observe the weird things Roa and Kieran get up to, but they haven’t yet gotten their hands on all the pieces that are critical to a full understanding of how magic on Linley Farms and wider Lamont works.

And best of all, Everest is arguably the only member of this disaster trio who has control of the shared brain cell. They’re whip smart and observant, and when they see danger, they actually take half a second to plan their approach, instead of charging in with knives and hoping for the best. Someone, after all, has to be damage control, and the person who isn’t totally desensitized to the existence of magic and monsters is probably the best person to do that.

Truthfully, though, I can’t wait to write the scene where they learn exactly who and what Roa’s extended family is composed of, because their logical brain is so not ready for the “my uncle is Bigfoot” talk. It’s going to be peak Everest.exe has crashed, and I’m EXCITED.

(They’re even MORE not ready for how the Jersey Devil is involved, but I’ll only hit them with one brain breaking revelation about this whole cryptid witness protection thing at a time. Can’t blow their mind too much at once.)

 

Goals for This Week

If all goes well, I should be at 44,675 this time next week. Of course, that is right before my two aggressive sprint days/days off, AND right before Black Friday, so I make no promises about the state of my project. Still, I’m going to try my hardest to make this deadline, because that’s going to make the home stretch all the easier to get through.

 

And there you have it for this week’s update! The cryptids are still alive (for now), the bees are hard at work, and the gang continues to be relentlessly queer. All according to plan, tbh. Check back in next week to see what’s gone pear-shaped, though, and what’s only gotten more fun! 💛