So November is over and so is the 2011 Edition of NaNoWriMo. On a national and international level, it was a grand success, but close to home it was an abysmal failure. I was even a member of a NaNoWriMo club here at the school I teach at and two of the members wrote even more than they needed to, but truth be told, I did not even come close to winning. To be blunt, I lost. Big Time. I was like LeBron in the last NBA Finals, except I didn't look good doing it and I didn't get to keep my sponsor (my imaginary sponsor). The goal was to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I didn't even get close.
Writing takes time and in November it seemed like my time dried up faster than rubbing alcohol. I started off strong. I began writing a story that has been sitting in my head for awhile. I titled it, The Patriarch, and wrote about 3000 words and then came to a place where thinking time was needed. The whole story and the plot of it needed to be boiled down and dissected to see what was I going to really say and why was I going to try and say it. Several days went by and not a another word had been written and I found myself about 8000 words behind, so I panicked and went to a story that has made an appearance here at HTH, A Workman's Dream, and wrote on it some more, but found myself asking the same questions of myself. And once again, I found myself far, far below where I was supposed to be with my word count. I, then, looked up from this and it was already November 18th. And this is where things really fell apart. I then made myself a grand plan for my greatest wordy comeback and Fall Break was when I was going to do so. However, life and everything else had much different plans for me as usual.
We got out for Thanksgiving Break (Fall Break) on the 18th. I was going to try and write like a crazy man or Jack Kerouac for the next 9 or so days. That plan lasted until 4:00 pm when I arrived home to survey my home and my list that I had made for us to get ready for my family to come for Thanksgiving. I still had some hope in this plan until Saturday when the grocery shopping alone took 4 hours. Then the plan went to the extreme back-burner, but I was still believing that I could just let both stories mull around in my brain and then when my family had packed up and left, then I would just practice some literary regurgitation. But as you can see, is not what happened.
So...long story short is this. I was a participant of the 2011 edition of NaNoWriMo. I was supposed to write a 50,000 word novel. I wrote around 15,000 words on two separate stories. I will finish them, but they need time. One of my many faults is that I need to see the purpose in doing something. This sounds like it should be a strength, but trust me, it is a fault. I wanted to write 50,000 words. I even tried to do so, but they just wouldn't come. I wanted to really jump head first into the "literary abandon", but just couldn't do it. I guess for now, I will just take comfort in that Norman Maclean was 70 when he published, A River Runs Through It, and it is one of the best books I have ever read. It was his first and almost his only. I will write a novel, but it is going to take some time. The words have to be more than just words. The plot has to be more than just something I am rewriting that I have read or seen elsewhere.
I will participate in the 2012 edition of NaNoWriMo, but think I'd better get planning now in order to have my brain ready this time. You should too.
David
Writing takes time and in November it seemed like my time dried up faster than rubbing alcohol. I started off strong. I began writing a story that has been sitting in my head for awhile. I titled it, The Patriarch, and wrote about 3000 words and then came to a place where thinking time was needed. The whole story and the plot of it needed to be boiled down and dissected to see what was I going to really say and why was I going to try and say it. Several days went by and not a another word had been written and I found myself about 8000 words behind, so I panicked and went to a story that has made an appearance here at HTH, A Workman's Dream, and wrote on it some more, but found myself asking the same questions of myself. And once again, I found myself far, far below where I was supposed to be with my word count. I, then, looked up from this and it was already November 18th. And this is where things really fell apart. I then made myself a grand plan for my greatest wordy comeback and Fall Break was when I was going to do so. However, life and everything else had much different plans for me as usual.
We got out for Thanksgiving Break (Fall Break) on the 18th. I was going to try and write like a crazy man or Jack Kerouac for the next 9 or so days. That plan lasted until 4:00 pm when I arrived home to survey my home and my list that I had made for us to get ready for my family to come for Thanksgiving. I still had some hope in this plan until Saturday when the grocery shopping alone took 4 hours. Then the plan went to the extreme back-burner, but I was still believing that I could just let both stories mull around in my brain and then when my family had packed up and left, then I would just practice some literary regurgitation. But as you can see, is not what happened.
So...long story short is this. I was a participant of the 2011 edition of NaNoWriMo. I was supposed to write a 50,000 word novel. I wrote around 15,000 words on two separate stories. I will finish them, but they need time. One of my many faults is that I need to see the purpose in doing something. This sounds like it should be a strength, but trust me, it is a fault. I wanted to write 50,000 words. I even tried to do so, but they just wouldn't come. I wanted to really jump head first into the "literary abandon", but just couldn't do it. I guess for now, I will just take comfort in that Norman Maclean was 70 when he published, A River Runs Through It, and it is one of the best books I have ever read. It was his first and almost his only. I will write a novel, but it is going to take some time. The words have to be more than just words. The plot has to be more than just something I am rewriting that I have read or seen elsewhere.
I will participate in the 2012 edition of NaNoWriMo, but think I'd better get planning now in order to have my brain ready this time. You should too.
David
Start writing now. Do not write for the project. Write from your heart. Granddad, Oklahoma, woods, fears, 8th grade educations, religion vs. passion of the Lord, Granny, family members at odds against each other, greed, great mothers......
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