I recently tripped over NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month and thought, OK, I'll play. It's a crazy idea, but good crazy, and sometimes it's a spur like that which sets you on your way (and note, Sarah Gruen's novel, Water for Elephants, began as a NaNoWriMo project. NY Times bestseller now. Magic happens...).
All my published writing has been nonfiction, mainly articles, and while I enjoy that, writing a novel has always been on my somewhere someday slate.
So I've nothing to lose by playing along with NaNoWriMo come November. If you decide to play too, leave a comment so I can take an interest in your progress. The goal is 50,000 words. Not edited polished finely wrought words (you can do that in December). Just the words, because it is a place to begin.
At the moment, I have an idea, and I'm letting it burble along till November. Asking it questions, to see what answers come. Brewing, like coffee. Or soy sauce. Or beer. None of which I drink, as it happens. Fiction writing, for me, is sometimes a matter of prodding your mind, as though it's the Lion and you're Young Albert. Fish out that stick with the horse's head handle and stir it to action. Even if it didn't go so well for Young Albert. Sometimes you don't know what you're going to write until you start writing it. Such as references to The Lion and Albert.
What am I referring to?
Stanley Holloway audio of this monologue on YouTube here.
Text of "The Lion and Albert" here .
As part of immersing myself in a writing mode, I've taken the possibly crazy step of setting up a separate blog focused on writing/books/words - links, ideas and so forth. It's still new and only has a couple of entries so far, but do take a squizz at Keyboard and Pen if you're interested. Keyboard and pen, because they're two of my most important writing tools. Love that blogger scheduling tool too.
No. I won't bore you about the tooth. Maybe I'll write an entirely fictitious scene about a recalcitrant tooth instead - it's not annoying, it's FODDER!
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2 comments:
Bugger the writing. Look at that fantabulous badeg on your sidebar!!
;-)
(Thanks)
Oh thank you for the link to The Lion and Albert. It brought back wonderful memories of a Yorkshireman I worked with who in his time had been, amongst other things, a performer. He would regale me with "Albert" and other comical monologues until my sides hurt and I was crying with tears. I'll remember Fred today. Thank you.
Good luck with the novel - friends who have done Na No Wri Mo have found it exhilirating and frustrating in equal measure, but absolutely appreciated it in December.
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