Quimi

Last night, I wrote another prompt with my characters Pat and Hwan Ji. And I realized that, counting the newest prompt, I have written 46 prompts with these two over the past two years. Along with 3 different beginnings, and a smattering of notes, for a total of 21154 words.

.........Why is this not a novel yet?

Seriously, I need to do something with this thing before it reaches critical mass and collapses in on itself and becomes a plot black hole. It's already showing signs; my more recent prompts are starting to contradict some of the earlier ones. And I really love these characters, and their admittedly malleable plot/concept.

However.

They have competition.

There's last year's NaNo, Oddity Hall, which I also love, and would dearly like to finish. Ideally before the next NaNo. Unfortunately, I'm in the Mirey Middle, and while I'm still slogging away, it's very definitely slogging. :(

There's Mutelight, my sort-of-high fantasy involving a young priest who has lost his voice in a world where magic and miracles must be sung or spoken, a couple of boys that teach him to whistle, and the demons that want them dead. Or something. This one's only a handful of prompts/scenes so far, though it's asking to steal some ideas from the allegorical epic I'll probably never write. (Advice from the latest Writing Excuses podcast encourages me in this direction.) It's shiny and pretty, and all purple and blue and grey.... that last probably makes no sense to anyone but me. (PHJ is blue and black and green, while OH is ...orange, mostly.) It's up there in the competition for Next NaNo, which is coming upon me all too soon.

And then there's the new bunny that attacked me in the shower the other night, about a genie and the girl he's forced to protect. Little more than the concept, but new enough still that the OMG SHINY hasn't worn off yet. (It's a lovely golden color, even.)

And this is just what I've poked at in the past week. We won't even get into the various zombies, wizards, fairies, aliens, superheroes, children, and so on that are waiting their chance at my brain. (Yet.)

I may have to fall back on the old "dump-them-in-the-arena-and-see-who-survives" gladiator test. Though I've never actually used that test on stories....