The map of the narrative

      Last night I told you that we were going to discuss my NaNoWriMo book. So I thought I would this morning instead of trying to get a couple of hundred words on it before I go to work. (I got up late and really don't have time to get into it.) Also, I wanted to set in my mind the broad shape of the novel and look at the narrative map and see if I can get there from here.
      The book is titled Darkness, Oklahoma. It's a horror/adventure novel in the sense of the movie Aliens, i.e. facing terrible and powerful creatures but not overwhelming so. Well, maybe Aliens is the wrong comparison because you might be thinking guns and military types. Nope, this is story about a small town in Oklahoma that happens to end up being the latest battleground between good and evil.
      On the evil side, the Marked Ones, commandeered by the Senkarn, the Bone Queen. Senkarn intends to exterminate humanity. Actually, that's just a small part of her plans. Her goal is to rip the heart out of Heaven and present it as a gift to her Master.
      On the good side, we have a police chief, a nurse and a priest, who are all more than they appear, but are beset with all our human weaknesses and follies. They've been chosen to stand against the Bone Queen and evil she represents. They're helped and hindered by a saint, an ancient vampire, a coven of witches, ghosts and several more surprises, including the Triumphant Baptist Church Ladies Prayer and Quilting Circle.
      Naturally horrific moments abound as well as ones that demonstrate our capacity to rise above evil. It culminates in a battle where the fate of Darkness and the whole world hangs in the balance.
      Well, at least that's my plan. To write Darkness, Oklahoma, I had to construct a fairly detailed outline. It has a lot of plot points that have to woven together to create a coherent whole. Of course, the first thing I did was to deviate from it. (I have a streak of rebellion that runs clear through me. I am capable of rebelling even against me!) The priest, who started as a minor character in my outline, grew into a full-fledged spiritual warrior. The Bone Queen became more ... ah ... physical in her efforts. The witches turned out to have goals of their own, making them tricky allies at best. It's like trying to herd cats, but I've been ruthless. They all understand that if they move too far away from the outline, I will have cut them off. So we -- evil Power, vampire, ghosts, witches, zombies, humans, etc. -- are moving in the same direction. I think.
      It's also a love story. Yes, I know, it doesn't seem like there would be room, does there? But this battle would be full of "sound and fury, signifying nothing" if humans weren't involved. And humans fall in and out of love and generally muck things up because, hey, that's what we do.
      I won't tell you more since I don't want to spoil the story for you. (I'm hoping that several of you will be willing to read it when it's done and give me your input.)
      One last thing. Completing NaNoWriMo won't be the end of the book. I figure that the book needs between 75,000 to 100,000 words to properly tell the story, not to mention publishers seem to require that length.
      So that's what I'm working on this month. I'm sure we'll be talking about it more. I also want to give my thanks to Crystal who has already started reading the novel and providing valuable input as it barrels along. Y'all have a good day, and I'll be talking with you later.