Monday, November 08, 2010

NaNoWriMo update

Like you care.

But seriously, I am having so much fun with this project. It is important to note that I haveno delusions of literary grandeur. I went into this project expecting to write crap, and I am not disappointed. I think I have had moments where things are really good-- sometimes I get into the zone and it's just good, you know? I can feel that it's working. Other times, though, writing is work, and I have forgotten how much work it is.

My plan was to remember how to write everyday, to fall back in love with writing everyday, to remember that writing is a discipline, to reacquaint myself with my process, and in that regard, it's going really well. I am not sure how much of my particular NaNoWriMo process will translate into my scholarly work (because I need to turn my book-length dissertation into an actual book already), but I am gaining some insights about exactly how much I can do with the kids around.

I wrote a novel when I was in high school called The Skandalous Khronicles of Kiki's Kancer Kastle. It was about a housewife who went batshit and threw a stone bench through the window of a tanning salon, killing a tanning salon attendant and a couple of clients. My awesome friend Lara was going to illustrate it for me, but I lost enthusiasm for the project soon after its completion. TSKKKK was short on plot and long on characters. It told the story of 25 tanners in booths, 2 ladies in waiting (room), a couple of salon employees, and two literal flies on the wall, changing perspectives with each chapter. I am really good at describing small moments and at sketching characters, but larger plot points have never been my strong suit. All of the action in TSKKKK happened in a span of 20 minutes. I am a little at a loss here as I try to develop a more realistic storyline.

Lest you think I am a total idiot for bringing up a high school novel I printed on my Dot Matrix and put in a purple binder, writing the title in a black magic marker and dotting the i's with tiny flower stickers, I found it the other month at my parents' house, and I read parts of it, and you guys, it was good. And really, really funny in places (the flies on the wall had a love story going on that cracked me up). I mean, I was a high school kid, so it was rough, but I was a high school kid and everybody told me what a good writer I was, and I had so much confidence. That's what I need to find again.

So, I am working on it. And to facilitate that work, I am bribing my kids with things like TOY STORY 3!!! MOTY for sure.

3 comments:

  1. I am having a lot of fun too - way more than I expected. In fact, I'm actually finding it easier to do NaNoWriMo than I did with NaBloPoMo last year. Finding interesting in my boring life is HARD. making up stuff is so much easier!

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  2. I was just telling my mom about Nano and how many people are doing it. I said, "I really don't think people realize how much work this is...to write a novel." So far, I've edited mine myself at least five times, my editor's edited it twice, both time required another rewrite/plot reworking from me and now I am waiting on yet one more edit. I'm told three back from her is likely... that's before copyedit! After copyedit, I'll get galleys and have to re-read/edit for the last time.

    It is HARD. You are an insanely good writer. Bravo to you for doing this...and for getting back in the habit! :) I for one would love to see what you end up with!

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  3. First - I have never been a writer, so I am just in awe of your goal.

    Second - I love your bribery - use it here sometimes too :)

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