25 or 40? Which direction do I go?

I found a pin a few weeks ago at a shop in a mall in Pierre, South Dakota.  The pin was so “me” that I had to buy it.  It’s got a 1950s-style woman with the words “Even if the voices aren’t real, they’ve got some really good ideas.”  The whole design is on a bottle-cap type background.  It’s a great pin.  And it fits me.  But it also sums up my biggest problem right now.

This past year hasn’t been kind to my writing life. There have been computer crashes and family changes; outside obligations and inner turmoil; too much to do and too few hours to make it happen.  I’ve neglected my craft in favor of my life.

Having said that, I have learned a lot this past year.  A lot about the business of writing, a lot about the people I love, a lot about me.  And none of that is a bad thing.  But now I’m finally getting my “poop in a group” as one of my good friends would say.  I’m working on Sleeping Bear, the sequel to Ghost Mountain, and plan to have it completed by the end of January.  I’ve been able to listen to those voices again.

Well, I never actually stopped listening to them.  I just let the embodied voices of humans over-ride them.

Now that my mind is more tuned into the writing muse, however, I’ve found another set of voices  vying for my attention.  My problem is that this set isn’t as well defined as Cerri was when she showed up in my mind’s ear.  And I’ve learned that ignoring the ideas floating around in my head only works for so long.  It’s similar to a dieter craving chocolate: you can put it off for a little while and still be fine, but if you keep avoiding the chocolate truffle eventually you will devour the entire cake and the pint of ice cream with it!  The longer I avoid writing this new story, the louder the ideas become.  Like in life, though, louder doesn’t make for more coherent.

So I’ve compromised with the voices in my head.  I will finish Sleeping Bear during my “regular” writing time, while working on this new series as my NaNoWriMo project.  (Oh!  Friend me there.  I’m listed as just Nichole.)

The “Pens and Needles” series will take place in a small South Dakota town where my protagonist moves.  She purchases a home and rents a storefront on the town’s main drag.  The store, Pens and Needles, will be a combination book and craft store—”pens” for the books and “needles” for the crafts.

I know how the first murder takes place, and even have an idea of the culprit.  I know why my protagonist, Allison, gets involved and some of how she solves the case.

Like a stereotypical woman, however, Allison won’t tell me her age.  Some days I imagine her 25, an orphan who inherited her money.  Other days she’s a 40-year-old divorce who moves to the Black Hills for a fresh start.  Some days she has no family to speak of.  Other days she’s a single mom.  Either way, Allison does not want to be a cliche.  Or maybe I don’t want her to be one.

So here’s my question:  How old do you think Allison is?  Is she just starting out?  Or starting over?  Which do readers prefer?

I would love some input!

Nichole

 

 

Tags: Cerri Baker, Ghosts, NaNoWriMo, Pens and Needles