Let's JFDI then

What's to lose

We've wasted five months pontificating about structure and character anyway, what is there to lose by just trying to sit down during November and write a draft?  So let's rough out the acts and chapters.  First, the chronology as I have it already:

The backstory:

• Twenty years ago, Friedrich Recker is rescued from the sea and brought to Glasgow
• As he gains strength, he gains popularity and influence
• Billy Fraser and his wife Nancy fall under his influence
• Recker embarks on a reign of terror in the community
• Nancy has an affair with Recker and falls pregnant
• She kills Billy in a struggle and lets Jake think it was him
• The community fear for her sanity and lock her in the shed
• Young William distraught at his father's death, sets fire to it, not knowing it's his mother
• She survives in secret and goes into hiding
• Nancy poisons Recker, and locks him in the church
• Nancy has her child, a daughter, but gives her up for adoption
• Nancy feeds Fiend over the next twenty years

The modern story:

• Jake discovers an old man is living in a church
• By accident (fire?) the old man escapes and Jake takes him in
• Living with Jake and Elaine, he gets stronger by the day
• The man gets involved with the gang activity
• The world descends into chaos as Fiend takes charge
• Jake hits a breaking point but cannot challenge Fiend
• William, Jake's brother, gets killed
• Nancy, their mother, reappears on the scene hating Fiend
• Jake learns to let go of his mental block in order to defeat Fiend
• Fiend is defeated

The Acts of the Story

Act 1 - The way it's been, the discovery of the old man, his release
Act 2 - The rise of Fiend, success and excitement, changes afoot
Act 3 - Begins to go sour, starts to back out, ends with William's death
Act 4 - Jake regroups, finds himself, realizes his power, defeats Fiend


Chapters

Act 1
Chapter 01 - Discovery of Fiend, turning point
Chapter 02 - The way things have been with Michael
Chapter 03 - The fire, friendship and a need to change
Chapter 04 - Fred comes to stay, the way things have been with Elaine

Act 2
Chapter 05 - Fred recovers, romance dwindles
Chapter 06 - The first outing, William's approval
Chapter 07 - New image, new beginnings
Chapter 08 - The first victory, enemies vanquished
Chapter 09 - Cock of the roost, the first murders
Chapter 10 - Jake has a pop
Chapter 11 - New houses all round
Chapter 12 - A blast from the past
Chapter 13 - Jake takes a back seat

Act 3
Chapter 14 - More murders, more problems
Chapter 15 - Jake hands in his cards
Chapter 16 - A night out from hell, the break-up
Chapter 17 - William makes an admission
Chapter 18 - The Big Heist, William dies

Act 4
Chapter 19 - A face from the past at the funeral
Chapter 20 - The failed challenge
Chapter 21 - Finding out the truth, Elaine goes mad
Chapter 22 - The key to the prize
Chapter 23 - Making sure everything is settled
Chapter 24 - The showdown

Act 5
Chapter 25 - The aftermath


So now what?

So what does this mean for word length?  If I have 25 chapters that's around 3,500 per chapter on average.  I think I could possibly get a draft pf this length done per day, which makes a 80,000 word first draft eminently possible during the month of November, if I give myself one day off a week.

Many of these chapter headings are little more than ideas at the moment, but I quite like the idea of leaving it vague before I start because it allows me to be a little bit more inventive when the draft is being written.

The idea is to write almost a fully encapsulated story within each chapter.  Each chapter will have a reason, it will move the characters through their timelines, hopefully exploring all the possible conflicts and questions and each of the four timelines will have a good conclusion.

Go!