20k words and a main character that can't speak.

I hit 20,000 words the other day on my werewolf WIP. I am exceedingly proud of this achievement, because it is only the second time I have ever gotten so far on one of my stories. Which is funny because the only other story I got that many words (I actually got about 45k) was this story - the first time around. That was when I realized my characters and world lacked depth, I did way too much info dumping, and the whole thing pretty much sucked.

I am really glad that I went back and began to re-write the story. I feel like it has improved by 3 billion. I know my characters a lot better and my plot and where the story needs to go.

Now, onto the second part of the title.

A main character who cannot speak.

Yeah, that's right. I am writing a story in which the main character - the hero, the narrator - is a mute due to a curse that was bestowed upon him in order to pay a debt for the crimes of his siren mother. Granted, it is a paranormal and his love interest is very special so she can communicate telepathically and whatnot. I doubt the story will go anywhere, but it provides an excellent opportunity for me to expand my writing skills. And it's a lot of fun, because my stories always contain a little too much dialogue.

I'm hoping it will help me learn to better balance description and emotion in my narration, because that is one thing I struggle with a lot. Usually, when I describe things I forget to include the character's personality and emotions, and when I am focused on the character's feelings I forget to explain what is happening.

I actually have all the major technical aspects for the story worked out. Like MC's family history and how his curse came to be. Also, Love Interest's Big Secret and why she has the ability to communicate with MC telepathically. My MC is also a genius, so his voice is a lot more intelligent and slightly more formal than anything else I've ever written.

In fact, this whole story is a lot different than everything else I've ever written. Boy narrator (which is actually something I've done before) that cannot speak. Monarchy-ruled society. Paranormal creatures are an accepted fact. And MC is really vulnerable and emotional, which are qualities I never ever instill in my MCs.

So yeah, I'm excited. Even if the idea of creating a protagonist that cannot speak is ridiculous.