Parallel Writing

A write-in is something that is encouraged for people who participate in National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo). You get together with other writers at a specified location for a specified amount of time and write. You're each working on your own novel of course. If you have had children, you probably know the term, "parallel play." Parallel play is when two kids may sit close to each other, and look as if they're playing together, but they're really playing different things, and all by themselves. They just happen to be in close proximity. Well, the grown-up version of that is called a nanowrimo write-in...LOL.

Our write-ins were small...OK very small. The most that ever showed up were three writers, me included. Usually it was just two of us. But an amazing thing happened during that time at the coffee house. I learned something about myself, about my writing. Though the coffee house is full of live, laughter, and whirring espresson machines, it's not nearly as distracting as a sink full of dishes and seven piles of laundry. I got more continuous writing done at that coffee shop than I'd ever get at home. So I'm continuing my write-ins, though now I don't have any other writers to parallel write with....LOL

If you're stuck in a rut, give it a try. I highly recommend mixing it up once in a while, or as in my case, on a regular basis. How 'bout every Tuesday at 6pm?

PS What does the photo have to do with all of this? Keep coming back and I bet you'll figure it out. More to come.

NaNoWriMo-The End...well, sort of

Well National Novel Writing Month ended at midnight. Once again it has been an adventure. I started off full-steam ahead with a novel I'd been thinking about for a while. Then, mid-stream something odd happened-something that doesn't happen to me!

I had a dream. My dream was so vivid and so interesting. It was one of those dreams that you feel compelled to tell people about, hoping they'll decifer it and give you some sage advice. But the people I told said the same thing, "You should write that into a book." I had been thinking the same thing, but I was half way through nano with another story. So after a few hours of soul-searching, I made a decision. I stopped writing my initial novel altogether and started on the new one. I took off like you can't believe, but it was really too late to make the 50,000 words by November 30th.

I know that the point of nano is to write a novel fast and furious in a months time. But what about those of us who don't make it? I mean, I wrote 18,000 between both novels. I've read a few people on writers forums say things like, "Well, maybe next year." What? I can't wait a whole year to write this thing. It's burning in me; it must be written and written now.

I'm hoping that Chris Baty would understand, but he's just a human being, who set an arbitrary date for completing the novel. Surely he'd be happy for me even if I didn't fit in his box. Would I have started this novel if I hadn't had the dream during nanowrimo? I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I'll keep writing "until." Until I'm finished; until I'm satisfied it's the best it can be; until...get this...it's published! Hey, it could happen.

Isn't that what Write Now is all about? Yes it is. Time to get back to writing. May your writing days be long! ~Karen

NaNoWriMo- Hanging out with a squirrel is looking pretty darned good

Why is this little guy so bewildered? Do you see what the poor squirrel is sitting on? Yeah, he's sitting on a stump of a tree. The day before, he was running up and down it's branches, enjoying life and then he heard the blare of a chainsaw. As I walked by, I think I heard him say, "What the heck?"

And you know what? I totally understand. NaNoWriMo is the chainsaw I heard. Only in my case, it didn't cut down a tree, but something just as life-changing. It cut off my internal editor. You know the one; it's that little somehow unheard voice that says, "You misspelled that word...go back and chaynge it. Or maybe it says, "Your plot makes no sense at all."

The rules of nanowrimo state that you write as fast as you can, not worrying about such pesky things as spelling or grammar or even character development. In fact, the guidebook is called, "No Plot-No Problem." Sounds great, doesn't it. I mean, you can finally write with wild abandon.

Easier said than done. I am actually having a terrible time with it. I've started my novel three different ways. I just can't help it, it seems. There really is something to turning off the internal editor. It's just that it doesn't seem to stay turned off. The only good news is that I know from experience, that it does get easier. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. But for now, if you're looking for me, I'll be up in the tree commiserating with my new friend. ~Karen

Halleluia -NaNoWriMo Begins

November 1st is an historic day for nanowriters across the world (yes it's true...the world). National Novel Writing Month http://www.nanowrimo.org takes place during the month of November. I've been planning, outlining and spending all of my spare time thinking about my novel. I was like a racehorse, or a greyhound, or something; just waiting for someone to shoot the gun and say, "Go!"

Time to write a novel! To all my fellow nano's or wrimo's, whichever the case may be, let's make this the best year ever. And to my very small group of local Walla Walla Wrimo's, "Go Team!" ~Karen

Nanowrimo- My Favorite Forum

There are still some crazy people out there who think that fall means pumpkins and cornstalks, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Boy are they wrong! It's important that we pass along the true meaning of autumn once and for all! Fall means National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known as nanowrimo. I explained what nanowrimo is a few days ago. Maybe you've visited the site at http://www.nanowrimo.org. If you have, you may have already encountered my favorite part about it. Well, actually I have two favorites, but I'll only share one here.

Have you ever been writing a book (if not, what planet are you from?) and thought, "Gosh, I could finally finish my fabulous, soon-to-be best-selling novel, if only..." The *if only* might be, "if only I knew how a post office in Quebec handles power outages." Or maybe you need to know what rations British soldiers carried in 1821. Or maybe it's the all important, "How many wallabies fit into a Tokyo subway car?" Whatever the case, if there is a question, rest assured, there is someone on nanowrimo that has the answer. All of the above questions are directly from the nano site.

So if you have a question, just go to the Character and Plot Doctoring Q & A section of the message board. Post a question and wait for the answers to roll in. Can't get much easier than that. Next time, I'll share what question was burning in my mind for my new novel. Hint: think helpless female in a tiny car.

photo: Art structure at local Whitman College campus

National Novel Writing Month

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? Basically, it's a month-long quest to write a novel. And yes, I said a month; not a year, not three years, but a month. If you haven't already been to the site, you can find it here; http://www.nanowrimo.org . If you've ever dreamed of writing a novel, or if you have one that has been rolling around in your brain and won't let you go, this is the thing for you.

The accompanying book, "No Plot-No Problem" gives you an idea of just how serious this business is. Chris Baty is the founder and 2008 is the ten year anniversary of NaNoWriMo. I've attempted it twice. The first time I was a "winner." Last year, I attempted it again and ran out of steam and didn't quite make it. I have a theory about why I succeeded one year and not the other. The first year, I had a really clear idea of where I was going with my novel- hence my success. Last year, I had an idea of the beginning of the novel, but hadn't really thought it through past the first few chapters. I went through the gate at a mile a minute, but slowed and finally sat on the sidelines, watching the others race past me...boohoo...so sad.

I'll post more on nanowrimo. Keep checking! And consider joining me. Next time, I'll blog about my favorite part of the nano-experience. ~Karen

Learning to Divide my Focus

Boohoo! I bought the t-shirt and everything. And now I have to wear it in shame. I just couldn't keep up with the National Novel Writing Month challenge. Well, in all honesty, I could have, I just chose not to. I worked hard at freelancing this month and found it extemely difficult to divide my focus in two directions.

And in real life I'm not so good at it either. I like to start a job and finish it before moving on. I like to clean one room at a time and when it's done, move on to the next. I eat all of one serving on my plate before moving to the next. And I designate one day a week to run errands and pay bills. As I write this, I think, "What a freak." Do you think I need therapy?

Obviously, this is not a good trait for a writer. I've been working on it, but it still just doesn't feel right. It's impossible to come up with an idea for an article, write it, edit it and submit it before working on anything else. So I'm trying to come up with a system. So far it's been pretty haphazard.

I have found that once I write the rough draft of an article, it is best to let it sit a day before editing it. So right now, that's what I do and the cycle begins; write article 1, edit article 2...but that's as far as I've gotten.

Any freelancers out there have a system that works? If so, let me in on the secret.

In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here, feeling like somewhat of a failure, but all the while celebrating that although I didn't finish NaNoWriMo, I did start. I did get the first 10,000 words of a very good book written and I have faith that at some point, I will return to it.

And now, back to figuring out a system for a reluctant multi-tasker (that's me). ~Karen

Coming Out of Your Shell

While walking at the park one day, I looked down to see a chestnut still inside it's green pokey shell. I picked it up carefully and brought it home. Setting it on the table reminded me of when my kids were little. We'd go for walks and look for "signs of fall" to decorate with. But this day it was just my dog and I.

I set the chestnut next to a cinnamon candle on the dining table. I contemplated whether I should break it open or not. That nice smooth brown chestnut was inside afterall, and much more festive than it's prickly covering. But I left it.

I didn't really even think about it until about a week later when I happened to glance at it. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that this was the same one I'd left there. At first I thought that perhaps my son had brought me a "real" chestnut, one of the brown smooth ones. But then I looked closer. That brown chestnut had busted out of the shell, or else the outer shell had dried up and pushed it out; I'm not sure which.

I touched the shell and then the chestnut. And when I did, the chestnut disconnected from it's shell. And that made me think; that beautiful (yes chestnuts can be beautiful) chestnut was just waiting for the perfect time to emerge. It no longer needed the protective layer. If it had stayed in that protective layer, no one and no thing could have gotten close enough to propel it toward what it was meant to be, where it was meant to be. It's growth would have been stunted. It would have been impossible to move forward. It would have been condemned to simply dream of a better future instead of actually living it. I love that.

Karen
nanowrimo word count- 6,665

Self-Portrait

Here's something to try; take a photograph of yourself. You can see my stunning example (left). Put on something interesting or something silly and flash away! Of course you will need to have a camera that has a timer. But just a warning: you will never have enough time to get in position and smile. Since I am up to my eyeballs with writing for National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo), I think my new photo is very appropriate. And if I can figure out how to load it onto some of the programs I use, I'll do so. So how's that for trying something new?

Karen

Sharing My Story

An agent has requested the first 50 pages of my book, Breaking the Code-A Daughter's Journey. You know, writing is a funny thing. You pour your blood, sweat (ok...yuck, not sweat) and tears (definitely tears for this project), into writing with hopes of publication. But then when it comes to letting someone else hold your baby, you get scared, or at least I did. My first order of business was to let my dad read it. You'd think that would be the easy part, I mean, I interviewed my dad for the book; he is at least 50% of it. But somehow this part was super difficult.

I went over to his house with the first 50 pages, handed them to him and ran. Well, not exactly but that is definitely how I felt. What was so difficult about it? I'm not sure I can put it into words, but I'll try because I think I must.

When my father gave me the letters he'd written during WWII more than five years ago, I began transcribing them. The transcription lead to questions so we met every Wednesday so that I could get my questions answered. And as he answered the questions, I began writing the answers and the process into a book. My book is about that journey we took together. Here is a short exerpt from Chapter One;

"I found myself on the other side of the line he'd drawn in the sand. I stepped over cautiously, then looking into his eyes; I backed up in silence, deafening silence. My questions unanswered, I wanted to scream, "What is this? All these years you've had these [letters] and you didn't tell me? Why? Tell me now. Tell me everything." But instead I stood on the other side of that line. He bowed his head and walked away, into a dense ocean fog."

You see, this book is not just me telling a story about my father. It is very personal. It is my story too. And the story I tell is emotional. It's personal. My father and I don't talk that way. I don't share my feelings and he doesn't share his. We talk about "things." We talk about "stuff" but never feelings. It's like after 40+ years, I am opening up my heart and letting him see what's there. We went through this journey together and we are closer for it. But until now, he didn't know how the experience affected me.

So there you have it. You, my blog-readers, forced me to put into words what I barely understood in my head. And I think it helped. Thanks! ~Karen


nanowrimo word count: 5,366

What's Your Motto?

Four years ago, I prayed a simple prayer, "God, give me a word." It was New Years Eve and it had been a particularly difficult year. Physical and financial problems persisted relentlessly. And it seemed that every single member of my family was experiencing some kind of difficulty. So I prayed.

I wasn't asking for much. I was asking for a single word, just one. God could save his books, chapters and paragraphs for someone who had the time to read them. He didn't even have to speak in complete sentences. All he had to do was give me one itsy-bitsy little word. New Years morning I awoke with a word in my head. You know how if you set your clock radio to go off in the morning, then whatever song you wake up to, plays in your head the rest of the day? It was like that. It was as if this word had been rolling around in my little brain all night. And when I awoke, there it was. What was this fabulous word? Do! Yep, that was it. And funny thing is, it actually made sense to me.

After a series of events in my life, my thinking had become limited and so had my actions. I felt limited by my physical problems and limited financially too. The word "Do" helped me jump the hurdle from powerlessness to powerFULness. The following year, I got a new word, and the year after that, I got two words together. But this past New Years...nuthin'. No word came to mind. So I've gone through the year without my motivational words...until yesterday.

My daughter came by and gave me the words. She didn't know I'd been searching for them. She had made me a burlap bag lined with recycled fabric. But the best part was that it had words stitched on it. (see photo) On one side in swooping letters was the word, "Live" and on the other side, in the same swooping letters was the word, "Life."

Live life! Could it be more perfect? It's time to live a little...no wait...it's time to live alot.

So what's your motto?

~Karen

nanowrimo word count- 2,200

Let the Writing Begin!

Wow. Has it really been that long since I posted here? I guess so. Shame on me.

Today is the first day of National Novel Writing Month. I got crazy and signed up. I haven't written a word yet, but here's my idea for the novel; It's about a worldly girl. She is fifteen and has grown up with her mother in the city (not sure about siblings yet). When her mother dies of a drug overdose, the state begins a search for relatives. Somehow they eventually find an aunt. And here's the hitch- the aunt is Amish and lives in an Amish community. So the girl is sent to live with her aunt and as you can imagine it's a culture shock to say the least...for both of them. Before the end of the story, the girl will have to decide whether to stay with her aunt or go back to the world as some Amish teenagers choose to do (it's called Rumspringa).

So that's the novel in a nutshell. What are your thoughts? Any ideas? I'm up for any and all suggestions.

Write on...because what you have to say matters!

Armpit-to-Armpit

Do I write about stupid things? Yeah...don't answer that. It's one of those questions. Well, here's what I'm thinking today, and this is a terribly important philosophical question. And I really need help with it.

What does armpit-to-armpit mean? No really. That is my honest to god...need an answer right now...question. I signed up for Nanowrimo, right? Yeah. So the last time I did nanowrimo, I wanted to order the t-shirt but half-way through the month they sold out. Bummer. I wanted that shirt. So this year, I was not going to be taken by surprise. I ordered early.

Now first of all, you have to know something about me. I don't order clothing by mail. I'm terrible at sending things back if they don't fit so I just don't order stuff. (Books are another story...love Powells!) But this nanowrimo 2007 t-shirt isn't available at K-Mart, so I had no choice.

The measurements said "armpit to armpit." So I measured, armpit-to-armpit. I put the measuring tape at the front edge of my armpit (stop here if this is too graphic) and stretched it to the other front edge of armpit. Then I looked on the little chart and found my size. I fit perfectly to one of them. It was a one size larger than my usual size, but then they mentioned shrinkage so I figured it was right.

Well, apparently I was wrong. I need to go back to math class or seamstress class or something. The t-shirt was more than just a tad big. It was huge, and now remember that I am terrible at sending things back. Plus, if I send it back there is the possiblity they'll be out of the size that will fit me. So back to the armpit question.

Was I supposed to measure from the middle of my armpits? From the back of my armpits? The only thing that would make sense is if I were to start at one armpit, pass the second one, go around my back and back to where I started. Then the measurements would fit. There just has to be a better way to do this. There are just too many variables.

So here I am...stuck with a really cool, and motivational t-shirt that is very, very large. Hey...just like my dreams. What's the difference between a very large nanowrimo t-shirt and your dreams? One you hope to grow into and one you pray you won't.

Karen

nanowrimo

If you're looking at that title and thinking that I must have spelled something terribly wrong, then you haven't lived. Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing Month. The premise is simple, you sign up and then write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. OK, so it's not so simple. It's a lot of work. But the idea of this novel-in-a-month thing is that you just write it. You don't worry about plot or punctuation or any of those pesky details that publishers make such a big stinkin' deal about. You just write. And I like that idea.

Several years ago I joined the challenge and even finished my novel within the 30 days. For me, however, it's not possible to write without plot or setting or even without automatically correcting gramatical errors. But it was fun and it was a wonderful story too. Later I edited it and sent it out to a few publishers, but I didn't know nuthin' back then. I know so much more now. I understand the business side of writing so much better. I should probably get it out and give it another go. But in the meantime, I took the plunge and signed up for this years nanowrimo.

See what I do to myself? I complain about not being able to balance it all, and then add another major weight to the scale. Life is crazy that way. I guess this will qualify as meeting one of my goals this month though. I vowed to jump out of my comfortable little life, four times. If I do it five times, I'm pretty sure the world would tip on its axis, and we don't want that. So four it is. Three to go!

Karen