I am weak

I know Rocky is going to read this post and say, "I told you so!" and sometimes, I think I do this just so she can have that honor (why isn't it that I never get the chance to tell people "I told you so"?). I've said over the past month that I wasn't planning to go through NaNoWriMo again -- that alternate rush and agony of writer's block/flow, you pick. Last year, I hit the 50,000 word mark in less than two weeks and that unfinished story still sits on my harddrive; I was too exhausted to make it to the 50,001st word. My goal in NaNoing last year was to accomplish what I failed to do the previous year: finish. In other words, it was like climbing Everest or running a marathon -- something you do once just to say you have done it.

However, in the last couple of days, my brain has been eaten by a story idea, this time based on Anne Neville (interesting article here on both Isobel and Anne).

The literature on Queen Anne Neville is few and far between; she and her much maligned spouse, Richard III, for some reason don't capture the imagination like the Tudors, for whom novels exist aplenty. Of course, there is the Sharon Kay Pennman's marvelous The Sunne in Splendor and I also enjoyed The Reluctant Queen by Jean Plaidy. Both cover Anne Neville impressively, and usually I'd be content to just re-read over and over again, but for some reason, I have a nagging urge to write a story myself set in this time period. jemima points out that there's actually a market for historical fiction as well.

The key to being successful to this endeavour however is needing an outline of dates and events. I know enough just off the top of my head to hit the highlights, but I'd like to do more than that. Now, the question is, do I write Anne Neville's story from her perspective? Someone else's? At any rate, research is required, and unfortunately, a few of my history books which I require are not with me. But hey! No one said a 50,000-word novel written in 30-days with a Thanksgiving holiday in there had to be accurate!

Something to think about; I think it'd be sad, actually, to let November go without NaNoWriMo eating the brain. So if all goes well this weekend and I can get an outline of dates and events put together, sign me up.