I am half way through the month and a little behind in my word count. No matter, I am sure I can make it up on a weekend. Or I will just wake up early and write in the mornings as well as in the evenings. That is something I have just noticed, or rather, Erin has noticed and pointed out to me. I would never have taken a weekend to do legal work. I would have rather been caught dead waking up early to do work before going into the office. This makes me hopeful that I am on the right path.
November 7, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
One week in now and I am still humming along. It is so liberating being able to create a world from your imagination. My professor has quoted Mark Twain to us as saying, “All first drafts are crap.” I believe him. There have been several nights where I catch myself thinking, “This is absolute crap.” When that happens I simply keep writing until I get back on track. Making things pretty is for the revision process.
My novel is picking up some heady themes: loss, shame, anger, hatred, friendship, loyalty, honor, courage, and duty. I find my characters bantering like old friends. This is my kind of story.
November 1, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
It has begun. If I can continue to write 1,667 words a day then I will finish with 50,000 words on November 30th. I am not even paying attention to the end goal. Instead, I am focusing on making my word count every day. I have a main character, a protagonist, his name is Carn. I do not know where the name came from, but hopefully thousands will know him by the time this process is done.
October 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
I have been to several of the class meetings at this point and am feeling more comfortable with the process. The whole idea behind writing a novel in a month is to show you two things. One, that you must continually press on to overcome your internal editor. Two, that you can write 50,000 words in a month. For the first few weeks we have been working on character development, setting, plot and so on. Others in the class have apparently started outlining their story. I have decided not to make an outline. I want the first 50,000 words I write to be pure and raw. This may cause me more work in the future, but I don’t care. I want to revel in the joy of creation.
September 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I decided. It seemed much easier sitting at a beachside café drinking margaritas with my wife. She had asked if I was happy. Before I even answered we knew the answer was no. We had known for a while. I hated the practice of law. It had been obvious since I almost dropped out part way through the second year of law school. So what was I going to do? She didn’t care as long as I was happy and I pursued it whole heartedly. “Writing” had been my answer.
I have always wanted to write but never had the courage to pursue it. I have been obsessed with fantasy and science fiction novels since my mother brought home a copy of The Hobbit. She told me I had to read it by the end of the summer. I asked her for more four days later. Since then, whenever I drive past a stand of trees on a hillside, through a wooded valley, or walk through the forest, the world around me comes to life with feats and creatures of mythical proportions.
So, you want to write eh? Great! Now what? The answer scared me to the marrow. I had to write of course. My wife suggested taking a class at Bellevue College. She asked me to sign up for a “Write a Novel in a Month” class, and I have.
Holy Crap! Write a novel in a month? It apparently can be done, and I am going to do it. Things have to start somewhere right?