Last January first, I promised myself that this would be the year that I’ll finish and submit my first novel. You see, I’m pretty good about starting new things…it’s the part about finishing them that I can’t seem to get a hang of. I can’t count the number of notebooks and diaries I have that are half-full of ramblings and chapters of different stories that have since then been left unresolved. The finishing part also applies to the actual notebooks themselves–sometimes I get tired of a specific notebook and switch to another one even when there are still a lot of clean pages remaining.

I know. Deplorable. Thankfully, I’ve switched to Evernote since getting a smartphone so there’s no need to waste any more paper.

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I now have four–FOUR!–unfinished novels sitting pretty in my laptop. The first of the bunch, the story of Matty and Ty, was the one I started last NaNoWriMo and was what I was supposed to finish this year. Then I joined this local contemporary romance novella writing class last February, and started Frankie and Matt‘s story, as inspired by a good friend of mine. In March, I got sidetracked by the story of Kallie, my Filipino-Mexican-American diver/surfer girl. Switched back to Frankie to try to meet class deadline, only to have Cyn’s voice pop up in my head last May. You might remember Cyn and Beck from the short story I posted here entitled In The Club. I’m telling you, that Cyn girl’s plenty demanding and now I’m working on silencing her by finally writing her complete story.

To sum it up, I need to stop writing new stories and start finishing old ones. Therefore, I am posting my list of current fiction projects, which I should update at the end of every month. To all my friends who stumble upon this entry, please do me the great favor of bugging me about my personal deadlines. I’ll need all the help I can get.

Here they are! Note that the descriptions aren’t really synopses, they’re just…vague descriptions. LOL.

CYN – BECK

Intended genre:  New adult, college
POV:  Third person limited, alternating
Short description:  Due to her parents’ wishes, Cynthia del Prado moves to the US to pursue a degree in Psychology. There she meets MJ, her hippie artist roommate, Chris, her gorgeous seatmate in Advanced Lit who hits on her every chance he gets, and Beck, Chris’ frat brother who blows hot and cold.
Word count progress:  40,239 of 90-100K words
Actual plot progress:  About 40%
Target finish of first draft:  August 2013
Current status: Active

FRANKIE – MATT

Intended genre:  Philippine chic lit
POV:  Third person limited, Frankie
Short description:  Tomboy Frankie has been single since birth and is quite happy to be so. Her life is turned upside down when a simple trip to Singapore to watch the F1 race sparks an unexpected relationship with Matt, with much help from her meddlesome mother and her own lack of driving skills.
Word count progress:  21,739 of 30-35K words
Actual plot progress:  About 55%
Target finish of first draft:  October 2013
Current status:  On hold

KALLIE – GAB

Intended genre:  New adult, post-college
POV:  First person, Kallie
Short description:  Fil-Mex-Am Kallie visits her mother’s hometown in Cebu, Philippines after college graduation to learn more about her heritage. She lives with her mother’s family, and meets Gab, their next-door neighbor and the best friend of her cousin Nico.
Word count progress:  63,998 of 90-100K words
Actual plot progress:  About 60%
Target finish of first draft:  December 2013
Current status:  On hold

MATTY – TY

Intended genre:  New adult/Adult, mid-20s
POV:  Third person limited, Matty
Short description:  Unhappy with her career path and the pressure of her parents’ expectations, Matty quits from her banking job and goes on a journey to find herself. She finds more than she expected when she comes across another solo backpacker on a train.
Word count progress:  55,420 of 90-100K words
Actual plot progress:  About 35%
Target finish of first draft:  2014
Current status:  On hold
*Notes:  Started during NaNoWriMo 2012, needs major revising/rethinking of plot. Story inspired by Train Guy and recently adapted for a short story requirement in Creative Writing class.