Zee Write Stuff

NANOWRIMO

Friends, Romans, and fellow writers!!  NaNoWriMo is here!  Yes,  it is..... National Novel Writing Month!  Every November writers around the world start tapping out a 50,000 novel in 30 days.  Yes. You heard me.  


50,000 words in 30 days.


This amounts to a pace of......  1667 words per day.  


Every. 


Day.  


Oy!  I have signed the pledge every November for the past five years, and I have... as yet... NOT completed a novel of 50,000 words.  I have approached 30,000 words on a couple occasions.  But not the requisite 50,000.


Flu, finals, friends, and house guests -- those are a few of my excuses.


The dread dead middle of the book --- ah! that's the real problem, so 'tis, my darlings.


Well, I am off to start on my Writers Journey.  And yes, if you do want a GREAT book about writing and movies and classic heroes questing through time and space, love and laughter, fear and courage -- here you go (link and image here from Amazon) --  Christopher Vogler's, The Writer's Journey.  I use this book to teach Western Lit by following each hero's journey, and most of my students enjoy the focus of the course.  They also tell me they will never look at a movie the same way again.  Cool, huh?


Meanwhile, this year for NaNo, I have absolutely NO idea what I'm writing.  Last year I was deep into a spy novel.  Since I cannot use a novel I'm already writing, I've got to come up with a New Idea.  Oy yoi yoi.


Well, I am going to employ some sneaky ways to get to a start -- I am going to use The Writer's Toolbox (yet another product placement for this blog -- ah ha... do you think I will ever make money here?  NO).  Anyway.... this little box has "sixth sense" cards, three sets of 20 popsicle sticks (that's 60!) each with sentences introducing ideas, and four spinners: Obstacles, Goals, Protagonist, and Action. 


Whew! All I have to do is spin, pluck, and deal.  Et voila!  A novel.  Or maybe an inkling of an idea?  I hope so.







I'll be writing about my journey here.... if I am awake and able.  Coffeeeeeeeee!  










***Meanwhile, I have one note for whoever attempted to comment on my previous post.  Okay, more like four notes.  With reference to The Four Agreements, too.  


1.  Always be impeccable with your word.  If you stand by the courage of your convictions, why would you attempt to post by signing "Anonymous"?


2.  Don't assume anything.   You assume a lot.  You assume that because my blog offered no comments after the post, that I had somehow censored the comments.   Dude... I had no comments because nobody reads my blog.  Rarely have I any comments to read.  At all. Duh.


3. Always do your best.  Do you really think anybody wants to allow obnoxious, rude, denigrating comments to their blog?  You might want to re-think the Civility tone. Seriously.  Calling the blogger names is not a good idea.  Actually, as a rule of thumb in life, don't call people names.  I figure if you're calling names, you are the one with the issue, not me.


4.  Don't take anything personally.  I had to sift comments for odd reasons which have nothing whatever to do with politics or anyone else's point of view.  Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes crazy relatives are crazy.  But I'm betting most people need a refresher course in Projection.  Look it up.


I'm jus' sayin'......


Final product placement... The Four Agreements




Back to writing that novel ...