NaNoWriMo is done–Success!

I apologize for not posting recently but National Novel Writing Month took most of my time, along with hosting six house guests over Thanksgiving weekend.

For the second consecutive year, I successfully wrote 50,000 words of my second novel, working title “Castle Danger.” In it, my Neo Renaissance main character, Matt Lanier, will face a life or death decision more of the moral death variety, although he may certainly be risking his life if either option he chooses backfires on him.

His choices are: help a woman and her son who have a horrible past, thanks to her criminal ex-husband, and are only trying to build a stable life in a small, northern Minnesota town; or go on the run again as a fugitive to maintain what little freedom he has left after his life came crashing down around him in the first novel.

Matt’s falling in love with the woman, Allyson, but her checkered past gives him doubts about her character and worthiness to be a mother. So his risk is that he helps her, but that turns out to do more harm than good to her son, Josh, whom he also is growing extremely fond of, since Matt has never had children and he acts as a bit of a surrogate father to Josh during the story.

If Matt helps Allyson, he may be required to testify in court on her behalf, or otherwise reveal himself to the public, which would include the police. He’d certainly be arrested and tried for his alleged crimes, which would put him in jail for a very long time, if not the rest of his life.

The story will progress until he’s forced to decide one way or the other. His dilemma is do what’s right (help Allyson and Josh), or run and preserve his freedom. Not an easy decision for anyone. Matt’s not a trained detective or private eye, or military man of any sort, and doesn’t seem to have many tools at his disposal to find out the truth about the woman and make the best decision. He’ll use his superior physical conditioning; high intellect, keen hearing and eyesight honed from years of musical training; a surprisingly heightened sensitivity to mood, emotion, and body language, born of living alone, immersed in the natural world for nine months in the brutal wilderness of northern Minnesota.

My question to you: Describe a moral dilemma you’ve had and how you solved it. Also, what do you think about the story? Should Matt help the woman and her son, or save himself? I think I know how the story will end, but I’m still undecided, since both options could make for a tense, exciting finish to the book.