NaNoWriNot
I went into NaNoWriMo with hope and big dreams. Finally, I was going to write a novel! And it would be good. Good enough to revise and submit. Good enough to get published. Good enough that Cassandra Claire would write fan fiction for it.
The last week of October was spent gearing up for the challenge. I read the NaNo boards daily -- hourly, even. I bought two writing books: I'd Rather Be Writing for inspiration, and The Marshall Plan Workbook for plot development. I turned old story ideas over in my mind, but decided to start from scratch, with a story idea that came from a random title generator. "The Emerald of the Healer" brought to mind a fantastical adventure of a knight sworn to protect a powerful jewel, but who fails in his duty when the emerald is stolen by a common pickpocket.
I spent the first two weeks of November rehasing the plot. Who was this girl, this pickpocket? What did she want, where was she headed, why did she do the things she did? And how did the story end? I couldn't see the answers. And, not seeing the full picture, I was unable to begin.
All through Novemeber I thought, developed, and wondered -- and wrote not a single word on the story.
NaNoWriMo taught me that I am still afraid of writing stories. I am still afraid of taking a chance when I can't see the consequences.
I've been wondering lately if art must always reflect life. I'm currently unemployed and confused. I don't know what I want to do, what kind of job I want, where I should go. And, confused, I find myself unable to move forward. I have not submitted resumes or gone on interviews or even found an opening that's interested me.
My story is suffering from writer's block.
The last week of October was spent gearing up for the challenge. I read the NaNo boards daily -- hourly, even. I bought two writing books: I'd Rather Be Writing for inspiration, and The Marshall Plan Workbook for plot development. I turned old story ideas over in my mind, but decided to start from scratch, with a story idea that came from a random title generator. "The Emerald of the Healer" brought to mind a fantastical adventure of a knight sworn to protect a powerful jewel, but who fails in his duty when the emerald is stolen by a common pickpocket.
I spent the first two weeks of November rehasing the plot. Who was this girl, this pickpocket? What did she want, where was she headed, why did she do the things she did? And how did the story end? I couldn't see the answers. And, not seeing the full picture, I was unable to begin.
All through Novemeber I thought, developed, and wondered -- and wrote not a single word on the story.
NaNoWriMo taught me that I am still afraid of writing stories. I am still afraid of taking a chance when I can't see the consequences.
I've been wondering lately if art must always reflect life. I'm currently unemployed and confused. I don't know what I want to do, what kind of job I want, where I should go. And, confused, I find myself unable to move forward. I have not submitted resumes or gone on interviews or even found an opening that's interested me.
My story is suffering from writer's block.