Day 2 of NaNoWriMo was a little slower than the first day. I struggled through a tough, critical scene in which several characters are introduced. Still wrote enough to keep the daily average above the recommended 1667 words… I’m at a total of 3407.
For grins, my final line last night:
“The queasy feeling was growing.”
Write on!
I am very happy with my results for NaNoWriMo, day 1. I put down 2040 words. Not quite my goal of 2500, but here’s a news flash: NaNoWriMo suggests a daily goal of only 1667 words. That number, daily, gets you to the goal of 50000 words by the end of the month.
So, amazingly, I am ahead of schedule. Yippee! Let’s hope I can carry that momentum forward into another day of writing.
And, just for fun, here is my opening line (no guarantees it will stay that way, however; editing is just as important as writing!):
“The sad little tricycle lay on its side, overturned in a moment of hasty separation from its last rider.”
Write on!
Its been a long time since I have updated this blog. Its been even longer since I have worked on my writing. Life always seems to get in the way of my efforts on these fronts. I have 3 kids, a full-time job, and a life… and my “little writing project” always seems to take a back seat to the demands of all the other things I have going on. While I crave the creative process, and often daydream about the possibility of completing a novel of my own, I often find that in the practical it can be very hard to find the time to write.
All of the so-called excuses of my life aside, most writers must at some point feel the same as I do. However, the solution to my dilemma is rather simple. In the words of Napolean Hill: “Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.” Or, in the words of an even more modern entity, “just do it.”
Thankfully, there is help for floundering writers like me. Inspiration designed to help instill the writing habitat. A community of like-minded folk who seek to write their own stories and move forward in the field of literature. An opportunity to loose oneself in what the originators describe as “30 days and nights of literary abandon!”
It’s NaNoWriMo!
For the next 30 days I will be pushing myself to write, each and every day. Although it is not my expectation that I will be able to move from first to last page of an entire manuscript in one month, as some who participate will do, I do have some pretty clear expectations and goals for my personal experience with NaNoWriMo.
- I am expecting that I will be able to make significant progress on my first draft. I will be focusing on putting 2500 words to paper each day, minimum.
- I am expecting to develop a writing habit. So far I haven’t developed the routine and ritual of a time to write, and I hope that with a daily incentive to put words on paper I will come by a ritual that works for me and makes writing more sustainable, despite my other committments
- I am planning to document my progress in this blog. By commenting, even briefly, on my activities of the day, I will keep myself accountable and chart my progress as I go.
Who among you has ever tried NaNoWriMo? How far did you get in your 30 day journey? Are you participating this year? I’d love to hear from other writers who have used NaNoWriMo to jump start their efforts. And best of luck to all of the NaNoWriMos out there. In the words of one great author, “let the wild rumpus start!”
“Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.”
- Aldous Huxley
(1894 – 1963)
author of Brave New World and Point Counterpoint
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
A recent study out of Wake Forest University has found that parents are not necessarily a happy lot. At least with respect to their children, that is. Apparently, people with kids are more likely to suffer from depression and emotional distress than people who have no children.
It’s a broad-reaching study. The authors base their results on a sample that spans a wide array of socioeconomic, educational and racial categories. Rich or poor, black or white, technical certificate or Ph.D., it appears that we can all be united in misery if we simply exercise our right to procreate.
As a mother of three lovely, inspiring and, yes, sometimes stress-inducing children, I feel I can speak with some authority on this issue. I smile and laugh a lot, but I also feel my share of what I can only describe as “grrrr.” As in, “grrrr, I just cleaned this room and now someone has scattered cheerios everywhere,” or, “grrrr, I just folded this laundry. Who dumped it onto the floor instead of putting it away?” And sometimes, it gets really exaggerated, as in “GRRRR! The next one of you who hits his/her sister/brother is gonna get a spanking, because WE DO NOT HIT IN THIS HOUSE!” As you can see, “grrrrr” is not always rational, and sometimes lacks a sense of humor.
But “grrrr” goes along with having kids. At least in my house. What else goes along with kids? Silliness, tickling, hugs and kisses, “I love you,” a sense of pride, a sense of wonder, and – when I am really lucky – free foot massages. So it ain’t all bad.
But for those of us stuck in the torment of the parent trap, experiencing the lowest of the lows, I have some good news. A silver lining, if you will. Here it is: all of this despondency might just make you a better writer.
Some people believe that trials and tribulations make you a more interesting person. A person with something to say, with an unusually strong desire to be heard. Ernest Hemingway, for example, believed the best way to become a great writer was to have an unhappy childhood. Nothing like the angst of the young to build your character!
If your childhood wasn’t so bad, perhaps you have a second chance at writing greatness by enduring a rocky parenthood instead. I’ll ponder this during my next foot massage. Which is forthcoming after I refold the blasted laundry. Grrr!
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
The Rapture is upon us, if some folks are to be believed. Saturday, 21 May, is the day that a few zealous followers of Harold Camping are claiming that Jesus will call his most faithful to join him in heaven, and those of us judged unworthy of this corporal ascension will be left to endure the end of time (which, in case you were wondering, will come on October 21st). If this is indeed true, it means we have but a few days remaining to savor this life as we know it.
This momentous occasion has prompted some interesting commentary from the media. NPR has published a list of “extreme trials of tribulation” novels that depict the end-of-days. In my personal study of post-apocalyptic literature, I didn’t run across these offerings, but will be putting them on my list. Personally, my best recommendation for the horror of the end of days would be Cormac McCarty’s The Road. Not the movie, mind you… you have to read the book to understand the drudgery, desperation and dispensation of the trivial that is sure to mark such a time of peril. Dark days, indeed.
Blogs across the country are springing up with advice to those on either side of the marker of worthiness. The Data Port admonishes recent college graduates not to worry, they will all make it to the Rapture “on the proceeds of your graduation gifts.” Beyond that, no need to concern themselves about their otherwise bright futures. Of course, this is useful advice only if you buy into on the notion that the Bible itself is truth, the word of God, and unimpeachable as a result. As Data Port delightfully reminds us, “Everything the Bible declares has the full authority of God Himself!”
Not so fast. As my old professor of literature, Richard Friedman, once told my class: the Bible is written by man. Way back into the oldest parts of that revered document, the whims of man have been getting in the way of the text. In his fascinating and scientific exploration of the Pentateuch, Friedman explains how the motivations of the different authors of the text greatly influenced the tale that was told, and the story that is recounted today clearly bears the scars of humanity.
Friedman is not alone. There are a myriad of works on the subject that draw or expound upon this same conclusion in various parts of biblical text. This isn’t groundbreaking news today. And should it surprise us to see that humankind is motivated to document and record its own story in a way that simultaneously conveys our own viewpoint and validates the authority of that viewpoint? Do we not see it today, in our own society, with the activities of our politicians and social historians?
As an example, ask yourself: do you consider yourself a climate change believer, or skeptic? Is there a body of literature and/or science you draw your opinion from? Do you feel righteous in your choice? Irrespective of which answer is right, it is clear that modern voices on the issue have brought to bear every possible method to write the history their way, and to support their point with as much authority as possible.
Think also of how many words and phrases of the Bible, even some of its explicit intentions, are not enacted literally in our modern day. Do you subscribe to the “eye for an eye” philosophy of justice? The American legal system does not. Does the Catholic Church forbid new mothers from entering the cathedral today because they are considered unclean? Is it likely that Adam, if there ever was an Adam, lived to be over 900 years old?
Imagine then, the writers of the Bible, writing their story and their prophecies to suit their needs and aspirations. The concept should not be foreign to us. All authors write to some purpose. And as Joseph Conrad said, “Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality.”
At the end of the day, the Bible can be revered as an enlightened piece of work, but it is, at its core, a piece of literature. It is the work of many, many human hands, hearts and minds. Considering this, it seems rather ridiculous to take that text and warp it into the prediction of The Rapture we are facing this week. The hype, though dismissed by most of educated society, has had the impact of frightening some. I have a friend who is fearful, not because she believes the date is upon us, but because someone in her family does. She fears his proclamations of how his family should be united at this glorious time. She fears the mind of someone who believes this, and what he might do to obtain his objective of unity. And in this man’s state of mind I find all the indictment of Harold Camping I need.
Were he still alive today, Conrad, author of the universally acclaimed Heart of Darkness, might have a few pragmatic thoughts to share about Harold Camping and his so-called rapture.
A few weeks back, Amanda Hocking became the subject of many online articles regarding the potential of e-publishing. Seems Ms. Hocking, a 26-year old self-described “unicorn enthusiast,” has been pulling in a 6-figure income by selling her work on Amazon.com. A quick perusal of her selections at that site reveals that she is selling her paranormal material for anywhere from $.99 to $2.99. How does she clear such a healthy income on the nickel-and-dime strategy?
In a word: volume. Hocking’s work has been selling at a rate of more than 100,000 hits per month on Amazon. And because she has no agent, no publishing house to take cuts or to hold the contract on her work, she keeps about 70 cents of every dollar her work brings in.
Traditional publishing involves many layers of people involved in the production of a novel or other creative writing. Agents help connect authors with publishers, and publishers engage editors, artists and marketing folks. And everybody needs to get paid. As a result, it is pretty common for an author to see only a limited revenue from their novel, in the form of an advance or a small piece of the pie generated by sales. Many authors who have been publishing for years speak of a general lack of revenue stream from their work, even if they have seen some decent sales. I recently attended the Southern California Writers Conference in which I heard several speakers lament the low-pay aspect of their field.
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
One panel at the conference contained representatives of the traditional route to print: agents and publishers. Agents such as Dana Newman pointed out the very real benefits of publishing their way: they connect you with all the people who can make your brainchild a reality. And most importantly, their marketing engines can connect you with your readers. Do you want to walk past the corner bookstore and see your novel in lights upon the shelf? Then you need to go traditional.
Another conference panel contained a number of people intimately involved in e-publishing. Hyla Molander spoke of the benefits of using Scribd to generate a following that translated into readership and publishing success. It took a lot of hard work, she said, but she managed to generate her reader base on her own, sans agent, sans publishing house. Her book isn’t sitting in a bookstore, but it can be downloaded on a web reader.
Amanda Hocking has responded to all the recent hype about her with the same message as Ms. Molander: it didn’t happen overnight, it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and success has been a work–in-progress for some time. Even so, e-publishing is taking off: Forbes has reported that “an estimated 764,448 titles written by entrepreneurs and other nontraditional authors were published in the U.S. in 2009, including reprints. That’s more than double 2008’s figure and six times as many as in 2007.” Clearly, for many, the new publishing route is worth the work.
As I ponder the fate of the novel I am working on, I will invariably have to make a decision about which of these two methods best suits me. As tough as the process of writing is for me (hey, I’ve got 3 kids… finding the TIME to write is hard enough!), I wonder if I have the intestinal fortitude for a marketing assault as well. There is a certain magic to that I may, in fact, be lacking. I’ve come to wonder if being a working writer in the modern era requires a little faith in unicorns, indeed.
Writing is like making a table. With both you are working with reality, a material just as hard as wood. Both are full of tricks and techniques. Basically very little magic and a lot of hard work are involved. . . . What is a privilege, however, is to do a job to your satisfaction.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature
The temperature plummeted as the fog rolled in. Mother snuggled down into her blankets, dipping her chin beneath them to catch her warm breath. It was necessary to stave off the chill building just outside. The blankets muffled the sound of the distant waves crashing against the shoreline below, and even the deep, rhythmic breathing of the children scattered about her was muted by the heavy fabric. Perhaps that is why she didn’t hear him as he crept by her window.
He tried the car parked nearby. He could see items on the front seat that would be of use to him, but the vehicle was locked. Unable to jimmy the door, he opted to look for an easier target. He moved closer to the sleeping bodies and stepped carefully around the debris of the family’s evening repast.
The embers of the dying fire cast a soft glow across the chairs and table. Even without this, he could see clearly through his mask, and the bright moonlight was ample illumination for his work. He was disappointed in what he found. There was nothing here to sustain him, nothing he could pillage for his purpose. He crossed over the table, not noticing a dishcloth he stepped upon, leaving his footprint behind.
When the family awoke in the morning, the muddy imprint would be irrefutable evidence that they had been visited by stranger overnight. They had been intruders in his home, campers in the raccoon’s habitat for only a night.
Writers today can turn to many sources for tips and ideas on how to improve their writing and manuscript. As a newbie in the field, however, I am a little off-put by the array of “how NOT to write” advice.
Take, for example, this style guide’s recommendations. At first blush, its admonishment against repeating specific words seems like sage advice. But the writer goes so far as to state that for “a good word… because it’s good, you get *one* per book.” Huh? The idea that a solid, unusual word can be used exactly once in a 350 page manuscript seems a bit strict on the style-point scale. Some great authors – Edgar Allen Poe’s use of “oppressive” comes to mind – have developed their style around the use of utterances that, like drumbeats, bring to life the ambience of the piece. That said, I figure that a proper spacing of the words could go a long way towards reducing the irritation a reader might encounter should the term-in-question pop up too frequently.
Another style mistake: use of trendy words in dialogue. The guide cautions that a manuscript that uses modern-day colloquialisms runs the risk of earning a work the inglorious label that it ”is only a few years old, and already it’s dated.” Yet can one describe Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter as merely fashionable in its application of the verbiage of the day? Is Hester Prynne dating herself when she asserts of her adornment, “’It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine!’” In many cases, the “trendy” language can also transport a reader to a different time and place. And that can be a necessary vehicle for the work. Think Hunter S. Thompson.
In the end, while the myriad of “how NOT to” write advice may be well meaning and provides a good rule-of-thumb approach to the craft, perhaps the words of some well-practiced writers is appropriate to provide a boundary for such advice. Consider Ezra Pound: ‘The secret of popular writing is never to put more on a given page than the common reader can lap off it with no strain whatsoever on his habitually slack attention.’”
Which begs the question: what kind of reader are you?
