Six-and-a-half years after my first—and, so far, only—foray into NaNoWriMo country, I’ve finally dared to read back the manuscript I wrote in November of 2007, and it wasn’t half as painful as I feared. In fact, I’m rather pleased with it, first draft though it is. It gave me some shivers, chills and actual emotional moments.

I’m particularly pleased* with the ending, in which all the story and character arcs come together and are resolved, and come-uppances are dealt out in a satisfying manner.

Only thing is: the ending now takes up the final 10000 words of a total of 50000. With prologue and introductions taking up another 15000, the body of the novel is only half of the total. It needs some serious fleshing-out in the middle**…

Also, the external conflict can be a bit less of a cliché, and I forgot to work in a couple of locations and plot sidelines that deserve to be in there. Not to mention a sorely lacking love interest for my lone hero. Otherwise, the love he lavishes onto his sister takes on dubious shades of impropriety.

But all in all, this manuscript is way more viable than I gave it—and myself—credit for after I wrote it. It has clear Young Adult sensibilities, and despite the werewolves really is more of a thriller/mystery/drama than a horror tale. What’s not to like?

So now what? Do I stick to my plan to write the second half of my Broken World fantasy novel, which is also very close to my heart? Do I take a break from Broken World to work on my Dutch thriller, as I thought I might? Or do I attack the second draft of The Sound of Breaking Glass?

* If I do say so myself. I realize it’s very immodest, or at least very un-Dutch, to be publicly pleased with oneself, but I can’t seem to make myself care about that.

** Not just for numerical reasons: mainly because the story arcs that are resolved deserve some build-up before their climaxes.