My NaNoWriMo account
After a month and a half of taking shelter in short stories and personal narratives, I finally have the guts to write another novel.
I'd like to introduce: The Street Adventures of Franco and Jack.
The Street Adventures of Franco and Jack is a slice-of-life comedy-drama novel (with light novel elements) that tells the story of a miserable tramp and a sick dog finding an unusual friendship in each other for the sake of betterment. Their adventures are set on the streets of Manila, some of which tighten their bond and some of which test it.
It is going to be available on RoyalRoad.
I started outlining and planning out Franco and Jack a week ago. So far, I have outlined 4 chapters and the first 2 story arcs (7 short chapters per story arc) and have created 7 characters (I'm planning to add 3 more before I get started).
One thing about creating characters is that the author has to assume different personalities to accurately explore the uniqueness of his characters. An author is a storyteller, a creator, a researcher, a psychologist, and a method actor at the same time. His personalities range from that of a detective, a student, a bystander, a professor, a struggling husband, a drug dealer, and even that of a lamppost's. One thing is consistent is a reader looks carefully: a part of the author's soul resides in every character that he makes.
I digress, but I would like to digress further by paying homage to my unfinished works. These dead pieces led me to Franco and Jack, screaming at me to never let this upcoming novel die along with them.
I will do my best.
SEARCHING FOR HOPE
Word count: 134,390
Last words: He sighs. “That’s way too cynical… but your answer is somewhat similar to my point. It’s safe to assume that he didn’t become a pilot because he wants to fly an airplane that would keep his passengers as safe and as comfortable as possible. No, he became a pilot because he has a family that needs to be taken care of."
My first-ever unfinished novel. It is about AM, a man with severe depression with psychotic features that is in search of a white-haired, white-dressed young woman who has somehow successfully convinced her not to jump off the building. AM has no clue as to who she is except for two that the woman uttered: "I'm Hope."
MILDRED
Word count: 1095
Last words: Unsurprisingly, the first one to talk was Toby, the muscular man. He had brown skin and was bald. His strong facial features and physique made it look like he was a soldier. Loud-mouthed, he talked like he was always mad at something. “I want to believe you man, but all of this just doesn’t make sense. I mean, we don’t even know how you ended up on our boat. You could have fallen from the sky, but our boat doesn’t have a hole in it. And, might I add how crazy it was that we triple-checked everything before setting sail, only to find a stranger naked when we were already fishing in the middle of the sea?”
Mildred is heavily inspired by Kimi no Nawa, and it is about a man who wakes up naked on a boat with no memory of his past. A thought-provoking concept, but it was too much for me at the time.
THE REAL DEAL
Word count: 1390
Last words: I was a victim of a human-trafficking organization called “Lopez Group”, and they specialize in harvesting organs to sell to the black market. It’s said that 1 in 100 of the missing person cases could be attributed to them. They are some of the most heinous criminal organizations in the country, but exposure to media has been significantly reduced to prevent public fear and the fact that the authorities couldn’t find any clues about them.
This is about a man who was saved by a vigilante, and he searches for him with hopes that he would be accepted as the hero's protege.
THE LOSERS' CLUB (3 attempts that I fused into one novel)
Word count: 4665
Last words: The car feels empty the second she gets out. Her house—I assume it’s her house—is a bungalow made of red bricks; though I can’t see it clearly because of the metal gate blocking the view.
This is about a group of colorful personalities (a family driver, an heir to a prestigious broadcasting company, a struggling salaryman, a streamer-gamer, and a daughter of a revolutionary leader) with similar views and ideologies. At some point, they named their group "The Losers' Club", a reference to how the society labels "different" people as losers.
Again, the whole concept is out of my league.
MILDRED (2nd attempt)
Word count: 2245
Last words: "I was the one who created that luck, Migs, and I didn’t mean that to make you feel bad. I’m saying that as a matter of fact. I dislike junk food and instant noodles. I have always kept a healthy lifestyle since I was a child. Prednisone messed both our bodies. I, too, was unaware of it. But I decided that I would avoid anything that would trigger my asthma."
This piece is about "Migs" who has somehow, in his desperate attempt to change his life, made contact with a voice that calls itself "Mildred."
MILDRED (3rd attempt)
Word count: 2158
Last words: I forced a smile as I thought of the name again. My insanity was telling me that sooner or later, Mildred would reveal itself or herself to me.
Evelyn and I shook hands, and I didn’t even look behind as I walked towards the nearest bus stop.
Into the unknown.
MILDRED (4th attempt)
Word count: 988
Last words: So much for intuition. I did not even have the slightest of fragmented dreams about what happened earlier in my life. I was like an empty shell just before I woke up in the Sayers’ home. I felt like an outsider who didn’t belong in this world; I felt like my life started right there and then.
I know, right? Mildred Mildred Mildred Mildred.
[UNTITLED]
Word count: 1486
Last words: Ignatius came up with a self-improvement project called “Operation Redemption”. He decided that regular jobs were not for him, and for him to make an impact with the world, he must do something that was socially relevant. Therefore, he decided to take up Law. When he began that project, he felt that he had found his purpose. His mind was constantly challenged by a lot of readings and questions that tested one’s intellect. His hard work paid off when a prestigious law school sent him an e-mail informing him that he was admitted.
Wow, so much personal aspects.
To the Amazing Sharpie, my Brother-in-Arms
Word count: 36,660
Last words: “What does being close to a place where Dom got jumped have to do with this?” Quentin protests. “I live in EMS, so of course I’m going to be close to where it happened!”
“I followed those two with my eyes until they went out of sight,” August says, “and they’re heading towards EMS’s direction.”
Novac nods.
· About: “Everybody who knows me has always seen me as that type of person, and I’m quite sick of it.”
· My book tells the story of Ignatius Stone: a detached, unemotional, and fierce teen often seen as offensive and problematic by everyone who knows him. Although Ignatius doesn’t care about what other people think of him, he is peeved that even the select ones who are fond of him believe that he’s someone capable of doing everything in his power to get what he wants, even at the cost of hurting others. Knowing himself better than anyone, his conviction firmly stands: he is not a fiend.
However, a series of bizarre incidents will force him to take a second look at his character.
Sharpie is about a non-violent psychopath who is blamed for wrongdoings that he knows he didn't do. Worse, he keeps receiving letters that imply that he meticulously orchestrated these actions.
——
Someday, I will write these words in the next entry:
THE STREET ADVENTURES OF JACK AND FRANCO (COMPLETED)
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