May 152026
It’s been a long time since I talked my writing without it being specifically about a new NaNoWriMo project, my yearly goals, or a new publication.
But I’ve been getting back into working on my current WIP, and what better way to build motivation than to talk about it?
This particular WIP is actually one I wrote the first draft of for NaNoWriMo, all the way back in 2020. After writing it, I shelved the draft to work on other projects and finally came back to it this year to look it over with fresh eyes.
It needs a lot of work, but I also think it has a lot of potential.
Unlike most of my stories, though, this one isn’t fantasy or horror. It’s a Christmas crime comedy about a 1920s-era mobster who accidentally becomes Santa Claus, a premise I describe as “The Santa Clause meets Brother Orchid.” Imagine a lot of fish-out-of-water comedy together with a good old-fashioned storyline about learning the true meaning of Christmas.
(Not to mention the antics of a criminal who suddenly has the ability to access any home he wants and observe people’s behavior from the safety of the North Pole.)
Now that I’ve revisited it, I can see there are quite a few areas that need to be improved. In particular, the characters in the rough draft are a little one dimensional, and the plot structure could be a bit more solid. I was working on the main character’s backstory today, and I like how he’s developing as a fleshed out character.
That’s all for now! Here’s hoping one of these days I’ll be able to tell you that my Christmas crime comedy is available! For now, back to editing!