I am dabbling in historical fantasy. I don’t want to pigeon hole my stories, but that’s pretty much what this is. Late 19th century Brooklyn with ghosts, witches, and a talking cat – yeah, that fits the bill.

The quality of the story may be best suited for a young adult audience, but I’m not sure yet. What differentiates a YA fantasy from an adult fantasy? Complex plot lines? Sophisticated prose? Adult versus juvenile characters? I have not read much YA, so I’m not the person to answer this.

Regardless, I am loving the research process, finding fascinating tidbits on late 19th century New York and Brooklyn to weave into the story. And since this is not pure history, I can pick and choose, which is quite liberating. What sorts of toilets were most common among middle class families in the 1890s? What were the popular songs played on pianos in wealthy homes? Did women wear trousers? What was public transit like, if it existed at all? What were the most offensive and pleasing aromas one experienced when walking down a street on a hot summer day? There are so many little details to discover! Plus, I have included some tiny elements from my own family history, largely in the way of names, plus a few other odds and ends. It is deeply satisfying to create an entire world and imagine how the people in that world live each day.

This is my NaNoWriMo project for 2019 and I am almost done. Just over 46,000 words written and I will finish a day early because I won’t be around to write on the final day! It has been a fun challenge. I did not go to any write-ins, mostly because I write at odd hours, but also because I don’t think I would like writing in the same space with other people. It sounds distracting. But maybe I will try one next year, out of curiosity. If nothing else, it’s probably a good way to become part of a solid writing community.

The most important part of this writing journey so far, even without the NaNoWriMo challenge to help me along, is that I feel more confident with each day about the quality of my writing, and that I enjoy the process. I have written at least 800 words every day for the past six weeks or so. This is my new habit. My new routine. My new daily “must do.” With any luck, it will eventually become some kind of livelihood. But that was never the goal. The goal was always to just do it. And I have.