Countdown to NaNoWriMo 2010

Catch-up

Wow, I hadn't really realized how long it had been since I had posted. I should at least add a few points to play catch-up.

1st--I went home for Thanksgiving and spent a week in Westerville. Since my grandmother passed and they are planning on selling the home my mother was raised in (that my grandfather helped build) there was a large gathering for what is likely the last large gathering for quite a while. 26 people came and it was amazing! From August-November I've seen all of my 17 cousins save one. I also got to hang with some of the next generation of cousins which was a real treat.

2nd--While home I finished NaNoWriMo, for my 4th time (5th attempt). I got quite behind over Thanksgiving and had to put in over 5400 words on the 30th. All quite worthwhile although a bit of a letdown as when I finished there was no one around to celebrate with (and I promptly got into a fight with my mother who seems to think the whole thing a waste).

3rd--Holiday Party overload. December was filled to the brim with holiday parties. By the week before Christmas I was up to two or three events each night to choose among.
Lots of fun, but very tiring. Being that I had taken off a significant amount of time for Thanksgiving I stayed in Chicago for the holiday. Christmas Eve was spent at Kingston Mines enjoying blues with a couple of friends and Christmas day I had a nice lunch with Rachael, Jamie, and the Johns and then took in a movie.

2008 was a rough year...I tend to gloss over the past and go, "No, I'm fine, it wasn't that bad," but really...it had too many really bad things to just gloss over, so for once I'm going to just put a hash mark in that other column. So...Yay 2009!

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Torn Between two Books- Planning Nano 2008

So, um, I think too much. It's true, I've admitted it many a time. And yet I try to avoid it, I try to just lighten up and keep things from being bogged down from over-analysis. So I'm kind of torn on what I want to write for my novel this year. I have one idea and many different ways to see it through and, knowing I tend towards the most complicated of options I'm tempted to go the light and fluffy route, but haven't made my decision yet.

Here it is. My original idea, as written by me in August:

I'm thinking of writing a "Wildly Untrue Autobiography"

"Untrue Facts" about my life:
- I was born on a small island the same day as the last of a rare species of birds was last sighted.
- I had five brothers and sisters but most of them were lost (no, not died, just lost) along the way
- I won't eat anything blue
- I had phenomenal mathematical skills until one day I decided math was untrue.
- I taught my parents how to swim
- I accidentally put out a death warrant on the love of my life
- I inspired someone famous to change careers
- I trained a goat
- I talked to an elephant
- I survived a deadly spider bite

Now it is several months later and my idea for an auto-biography (or biography) has changed. I'm now thinking of all sorts of other more complicated (of course) options.

Here are my current notes:

"A Fabulously Untrue Auto-Biography"

Main Idea:

MC leads fabulous life dealing with all sorts of interesting people and possibly influencing history
-what do they learn from all this? Do we learn to love them? Hate them? Envy them? Pity them?
-What tells us that it is untrue? perhaps they are a little "not right in the head" and this is what makes it all untrue? (great possibilities for fuzzy transitions between reality and fiction)



Life line Possibilities:

RipVanWinkle approach of waking up every Century or so to experience various events

Time Travel--mechanical, natural, unknown, alien technology? allows forward and back (quantum leap)

Start at one point and Proceed around the world until conclusion is at same point-
-perhaps walking the entire way?
-perhaps companions join for portions
-perhaps certain fixed amount of time allowed in each place
-who would have imposed this rule? (granted wish to travel for 100 years but this was price?)

Reincarnation/Possession--perhaps lives "through" several people's lives?

Different type of linear progression...
-trapped by memories- when one even relates to another they suddenly find themselves in a different day/time/person/lifetime and can only live through the event until they again will transfer upon a new relationship--kind of trying everything until they get it right? Kind of like Time Traveller's Wife but with other people/lifetimes

It's crazy to me that these all could, realistically, lead to good novels...they're all viable options, and I have to choose JUST ONE!

(It's also crazy to me that in some way, shape or form Anne Rice has seemingly written novels that would cover about 80% of the ideas I came up with. I would say that I've just read too many of her novels and am influenced, but I think actually she has just really covered all the bases quite well.)

NaNo --My Planning Philosophy

I know some people believe in thoroughly planning a novel before they write it--I'm not one of them. I prefer the "Choose Your Own Adventure" where perhaps you've read a couple of the pages, know of a few events that will happen, possibly an endpoint you'd like to reach, and you might even know bits of the character or characters involved

I hold that until you've actually written a character and let them act things out, given voice to things, and let "them" make decisions you don't REALLY know them, even if you think you do. In fact, I feel it would be counter-productive to "know" your character before you write them. Imagine trying to write a novel using Yoda, Mr.Spock, Elmo, and Ms.Piggy. They are all characters that you probably feel you know, but outside of a couple of funny lines of dialog and gross over characterizations (I believe this is the literary equivalent of over acting) you would probably fall flat after a few pages, or perhaps a chapter. First of all because you're not working with your own characters, but secondly because you DON'T really know these characters as well as you think (although my brother may have dissected enough Star Wars to argue with me on his knowledge and ability to write Yoda).

I think there is an apt analogy in my art training. As part of my 1st and 2nd year drawing classes in college I was asked to copy "Master Works" and to break down their design, their eye movement patterns, and their value (light/dark) schemes. We had to do sketches where we only drew the darkest elements and the mid tone elements as blurry forms. We did drawings of only the brightest colors and the lightest values. It was only when I did this that I really grew to appreciate a few of the artists. I could look at their work and enjoy it, but I had no idea that hidden within there were great design elements drawing the eye in and directing it. I had no idea that most of my favorite works of art were highly balanced works of design. Their internal architecture was magnificent. So now I knew right? I had dissected the master and I could use their techniques? Well, using this knowledge we were asked to do drawings using similar design schemes and I found it quite impossible. How could I replace one of Winslow Homer's sailboats with anything but? I could imitate the lighting perhaps, or the triangulation of elements based on the dimensions of the canvas and how the elements would align in space, I could evoke the tone of peacefulness or tumult, but I could not change elements without ruining the balance. In like regard one can enjoy a book, a character, a scene and never really SEE the elements in it. You may not notice allegory, alliteration, the way the author held back on that vital piece of information until just the right point, the way the author led you in one direction in order that you may feel how dramatic the shift to the other direction really is or would be. Unless you have dissected, re-written, copied, and delved fully into all the hows and whys, how can you really KNOW the characters, or the writing style, or the foundational beauty of the piece...And even when you DO know and appreciate and understand, you can't duplicate it without simply copying their work.

So I'm not saying we should dissect the character of Spock so that we can put him into our novel. But if we REALLY wanted to put Spock in, certainly we must undertake that step or our characterization will feel flat and one dimensional. But then we must expect that as soon as we add new situations, new relationships, and as soon as we use OUR voice to write Spock's voice, there will be change, he will be different....And that's okay, but we need to recognize it and accept it as inevitable

One of the reasons there MUST be change is that there is the process of growth and change that a character goes through during a novel. If, at the end of the book, Ms. Piggy is still threatening to smash Spock's silly Vulcan face and Elmo is still trying to get Yoda to tickle him it's probably better material for a sitcom than a novel. Most novels include some sort of growth or change in a character and when using "store bought" characters we must understand that by the end of the novel they cannot be the same Mr. Spock that we started with.

So what planning AM I doing?...stay tuned, I'll add that in another post

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Gearing up for NaNoWriMo!!!

NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month has, for the past 10 years, encouraged individuals to allow themselves to insanely undertake the furious writing of novels during the month of November. The goal is to write at least 50K words of your very own, original, never-seen-by-the-world-before novel. It's a fun, exciting, productive, and completely crazy undertaking that hundreds of thousands of people take on each year.

This will be my fifth year taking up the NaNoWriMo challenge. I have "won" the challenge 3 of the past 4 years I've "competed" and am hoping for a 4th Certificate and another year of bragging rights.

The process of trying to write a novel requires for some people absolute isolation, the right soundtrack, or a nervous breakdown....for myself it requires feedback. I need people to bounce ideas off of, chat with and who can gear up my crazy-center just right. I need people who can get excited when I tell them that my fictional main character just punched/kissed/broke-up with/ran away from some other completely fictional character.

Will you help? Will you be one of my team? Will you let me excitedly share my story or exercise my writer's block frustration?

Ideal helpers will be available for chatting by way of phone or gchat. Those who are available late at night when I do most of my writing will be especially appreciated.

Let me know if you'd like to be part of my audience/support/feedback group for this November.

Thank you, thank you, thank you in advance.

~ Valerie

Yay!

50,000 words in about 15 wrigiting days. adn 6K today. I can't ype.My wrists hurt. i'm going ot bed now.

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Support Nano! Save Ferris!

If you like what Nanowrimo does, and would like to help them out, or help them help build libraries in Vietnam, please visit Nanowrimo and make a donation or a purchase. Yay!

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P.S. I'm way behind, but I passed 25,000 words and 53 pages today! (Times New Roman, single spaced, 12pt, normal template margins)

NaNoWriMo

On a lighter note:

I passed 15,000 words on my novel yesterday!!!! Yippee!

Still about 15,000 words behind, but I'm closing the gap!

Want a peek into my novel?

I'll give you the skinny:

Right now
-The narrator just made a funny remark about asymetrical boobs, and she rec'd an odd package in the mail but hasn't opened it yet
-Sara's boss just died. She also recieved an odd package, but isn't going to open it until after she goes grocery shopping.
-Shannon found out her fiance cheated in a most horrific way and then she walked out on her sales job when they took a large account away from her unfairly. She's currently washing every piece of fabric in her house to try to remove his(her now ex-fiance's) smell.
-Christine's daughter has decided to stay with her father for the next few weeks until she takes off for study abroad, Christine's car looks like it is doomed to the scrap heap. She's in the house alone for what seems to be the first time in 20yrs.
-Jeffrey is still trying to save his job and his boyfriend, but it's not looking good
-Lynne is furiously reading through paperwork to figure out how her company's merger is going to effect her (there's some stuff about losing seniority that doesn't look good)

on the other side of the story:

Mr. Ackerman is trying to make sure Mrs. Ackerman doesn't let any of their secrets slip while on pain killers for a broken wrist

Mr.Foster is working on a secret device for the government that would [CENSORED] allowing agents to [CENSORED]. This device may require some training, or recruitment of new agents with experience in [CENSORED].

Mrs. Foster is at home, preparing dinner for a small dinner party and helping the kids perfect their hog-tying/disabling and self-defense moves in between making the different dinner courses and picking up the messages for her next assignment for the [CENSORED].

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