I wish I could say that my time this November was fruitfully spent. However, the only fruit really born from this experiment were shorter hair (theoretically haircut time was one of many times my nose should have been in closer proximity to a grindstone) and the discovery of my henceforth untapped skill for making sublimely creepy Christmas cards. That said, while I'm not finished, I can say: my word count did go up, and I'm determined that before month's end my book will have an ending. So yes, at the very least my book will have a beginning and an end. Now it's just a matter of filling in a few gaps (if you're feeling charitable, you can imagine them as small gaps), and my draft will be complete.
One thing that stood between and my writing this past week (not that I'm making excuses), was that I was far too busy stuffing my face with Thanksgiving goodness. Impaired by mass amounts of turkey and wine, I wasn't equal to writing so much as haiku. (For the record, I'm not intending to belittle the labors of true haiku poets...just that the type of haiku I write could generally be generated in a semi-conscious state.) I don't have much else to say about Thanksgiving, except that it was lovely to see my family and to eat the delicious offerings they provided. It was also fun to eat some proper BBQ and briefly attend (though not participate in) a square dance. Below find two photographs that I feel succinctly sum up the event:
What a beaut'. Behold 21 pounds of free range deliciousness. 
Did I journey to Japan? Or is this just one of the culturally varied parts of Fort Worth, Texas? It's surprisingly hard to tell sometimes. Also, I'm posting this because I'm weirdly proud of this picture. Notice the delicate balance of shadow play. That just happened.Finally, I'd like to take this time to give a shout-out to my talented mother, a loyal reader and commenter of this blog, who has already completed her 50,000 words for the month. Congratulations, frenchteacher! You are proof that it can be done. And done despite turkey-and-wine-impairment to boot.
Thanks for the recognition! Also thanks for reading my almost completed first draft. You should also mention that we enjoyed 2 great games of Liebrary.
ReplyDeleteEvery game of Liebrary is a great game of Liebrary.
ReplyDeleteI looked for Liebrary when I went Black Friday shopping... alas, I had no luck. Congratulations to your mother, as well!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised I managed to squeak by with 51,340 words. It was my first year trying to do NaNoWriMo. What is your NaNoWriMo username?
You asked on Facebook what my novel was about. It was about a 19-year-old girl named Cadence who had undiagnosed Dissociative Identity Disorder. The whole story is written from the point of view of the narrator, Sarah, who was Cadence's main alternate personality. There were two other recurrent alters we met in the story. Cadence had an abusive past, and there were flashbacks, but I kept 'em short and tried to focus on the present. Cadence started dating a guy at her college, but Sarah started dating a girl. They were both seen by the other partner's friends on their respective dates, and we have a climax where Cadence has a nervous breakdown with all her alters' interferences in her life. The ending consists of Cadence getting help with a dedicated, understanding professional, and hope for the future with a strong support system of friends. The alters also come to the realization that it might be time to work at letting go because Cadence has grown up, and they can't protect her forever. It was NOT supposed to be a young adult novel, but it really, really reads like one. <3
Tara--I bought it at B&N if that helps, although I've heard it's also available from Amazon.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't have a user name on NaNo because I never officially signed up. I was a sort of renegade pseudo participant.
Your novel sounds really interesting! I'd love to read it! You can read mine too...when it's finished.
I added you to my blog roll thingy the other day and you didn't even know it til now. Is that creepy?
ReplyDeleteHaha, nope not creepy at all. I totally stalk your blog too! I enjoyed your review of Kafka was the Rage and that you posted that article David said he'd send us. (Wait did he send it to you? Does this mean I'm out of the book club??)
ReplyDelete