wurdburd

This evening, I began my regular word war - and it was a struggle to get the words out. I had happenings happening all over the place and couldn’t seem to regain any sort of control. Everything was going on in my mind but not flowing through the arms and fingers to the keys, and screen. All day today I have had my family in mind and what stage they are all at, but when I got to do some writing- the words got stuck somewhere.

Then the music changed and so did I.

And I have just reached 40,015 - the goal I had set myself for tomorrow night was 40k. Less than 10k to go, I cant believe it!

please keep coming back - I promise at least 41,500 by the end of tomorrow..

So I have ten days - no sorry nine days left to get the final few thousand words down. I want to go to bed, but my ‘family’ need me - I have stuff going on that needs tying up. It’s actually become really difficult to detach myself from them and remember they are fictitious and not actually friends I know physically, though we have had a few physical moments…..Something I had never written before, but not only that, it is written from a different point of view. And rumour has it that it works - thanks to those whose opinions I sought!

I have to seize each opportunity to write now - I average 1000 words per hour and its all coming off the cuff. I just provide the (wo)manpower and the music…thanks to my Dad mainly for that - hi Dad if you have found this and are wondering what your eldest daughter is up to. My first novel, but no sizzling gypsies here I’m afraid. I leave that for one Mr Edmund Blackadder.

On our terrific site, we have a thread about granting wishes - I want it made public that I wish for tuition from the two gods of comedy writing - Mr Richard Curtis and Mr Ben Elton. What complete heroes in whose footsteps I should love to follow…

By the end of tonight I will have reached at least 35k- aiming for 40k by the weekend. It has gone better than I could ever hoped for - and I do feel just a teensy bit pleased. Bearing lots of other things in mind, work for college, poetry competitions - helping in school, there has certainly been loads going on - and I have to hoik myself back out of cliche land here. Landing back in the real world, its been an unusual experience, but one I would like to repeat.

Earlier in the year, I started subscribing to a newsletter making what seemed like a rash promise that one could write a novel in a month - oh how I laughed at that. If so why weren’t my favourite authors turning out more novels for me to devour? Actually its probably good that this as not happened - There I was slipping the two paperbacks for £7 into the supermarket trolley with the groceries and the kids not moaning once that it was dry crusts again with longlife milk - and that was on a good week.

The inspiration through this year has built to the point that I want to be the writer whose paperbacks are bought and incorporated into a weekly shop - not that I want the children of the world on dry crusts over christmas. Unless they really want curly hair. How wonderful to hear someone say they were waiting for the new Josie Bee to be released..Over the moon? I’ll take a first class ticket to cliche land please, stopping at cheesy phrase island………

Haha - today I have broken the 30,000 mark, word count for The Truth About Shoes, my first novel and first NaNoWriMo attempt is 30068. I have been checking the official site, and updating daily. Reading this months writing mags about character study has made me feel quite positive, much of what the experience authors suggest is what I have been doing anyway.

Thank goodness for that, then. Right now a contender for Lewis Hamilton’s championship has just shot by our living room window, the roar of exhaust loud in the quiet of the road at twenty past midnight. Got to go off to bed, an early start tomorrow, on that mad stretch of road they call the M6. What will almost be as amazing as reaching 30k words half way through the month will be getting back tomorrow evening without going the wrong way. If I don’t appear tomorrow evening, you will probably find me somewhere near Cadbury World - or heading towards Cornwall on the M5
I am sure Truro is lovely at all times of the year, being the popular holiday destination that it is, but I would rather go there when it is part of an organised trip than as the pure accident it would be in my lost and disoriented state. Anyway, the Eden Project would be locked up by the time we got there

Okay, drum roll - I broke 25,000 words tonight. According to NaNoWriMo, I am halfway there. With my ever supportive writing buddies and their encouragement - thanks guys - Casey, Daryl, the word wars are great - friendly fire all the way. I shan’t be withdrawing troops just yet, theres much more to come from this battleship. I have observed two minutes silence whilst at college this morning, then an hour this afternoon and another hour just now. Respect for many who have fought for our future - and some self respect in fighting for my own future as a novelist.

Talking of remembrance - time to go and prepare for a VIP - Very Important Poem.

Peterborough Poet Laureate Competition 2009 - http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-15497

Every soldier needs her rest - is this battle fatigue?

A very valid question. In identifying my immediate ‘family’ then I begin to look at the family members surrounding them. Because after all it is they who shape our main characters - making them real, and reacting in ways that flesh and blood people would. If you have a strong overbearing parent, you surely can remember at some point saying ‘I’ll never be like that with my children’

Then you have little family quirks, and traditions - always doing certain things at certain times of year, a bit like the date you put your christmas decorations up -how many of us do it the way our families do it - or if we have our own families, start our own traditions - and so on.

Brothers and sisters are not main people but their presence makes a difference to the main characters and where they are within their own family. One character may have a big hang up about being the oldest, the baby in their generation or suffer middle child syndrome. So to understand their actions and reactions, we need to have an inkling of their family dynamics.

Planting a family tree is an important part of a storyline - without it you have no characters and without characters you have no story

Tonight has been good- word wise. I have written 1800 words and feel there is more to come this evening. Joining in with a couple of my writing buddies, we have started a regular word war of speed writing or typing, and though I wont win, its not really a problem, its for fun. I want to write, I want to got to bed but won’t be able to sleep because all the words are swimming round in my head. But I have nearly finished the book I am reading.

I hate that feeling - its really good so you read and read. But the more you read the closer you get to the end, then you feel fed up because you read so quick. I want people to feel like that about my book. Today I said something about ‘the book’ and was asked about it. Not sure if I am being taken seriously, but when I can say at the end of November that I am a novelist - well that will be great. and only 24 days to go….

I have written my entry for the poetry competition and am pleased with this also. Whether it gets shortlisted I won’t know
for a while - the closing date is not for a couple of weeks but I think I have plenty to be getting on with until that time…

What do they do, my family? Are belts being tightened or have they just been given a fat cat bonus? Call centre, real estate? shop girl, pen pusher? stay at home parent - career focussed? collar of white or collar of blue? mature student or middle management?

Have they worked since leaving school - the job they want or a way to pay the bills?

At first I wrote this blog for myself, but its getting bigger than that. I have never written anything on this scale - my biggest piece before this was around 19,000 - it still has a lot of potential with the characters, and their lives. Maybe next year, who knows. But the two have something in common - both have evolved from my either hearing a sentence and thinking wouldn’t that be funny, or talking about something completely random, for yes I do this, and take it from there -

Don’t give up the day job - definitely if your aim is for your day job is to be a novelist…….

Where do you live then? is my ‘family’ living in a town near you? the town is not one place but an amalgamation of different places, complete with high street, shopping precinct, wine bar, pubs, restaurants, kebab shops (essential)

My ‘family’ - what sort of homes do they have, do they rent or own? how old are their homes - what part of town? a bus ride from the pub or a short walk from the high street? leafy street or new build apartment? I hope that upon reading everyone will recognise a bit of somewhere they live or once lived. Or somewhere that sounds nice that they might want to live. Is it a home or simply bricks and mortar, a place to lay their head, hang a clock or order a leather corner group in the Boxing Day sale?

Okay - you’re single again. How long til you’re up and at ‘em looking for the next candidate/victim/transitional/lifelong partner? Is a few hours long enough? Does that mean its rebound? And is it then doomed to fail? And is there a man brave enough for me to ask theses questions and even braver to answer them?

So you make the decision you need a night out - whats the key thing here? where you go, who you go with, why you go? No of course not. Its got to be what you wear. So a complete new look, after all you looked one way and were dumped so that obviously didn’t work.

Hair first - or footwear? well to shop it ought to be flatties of some description - after all a lot of ground coverage - or store square footage. so while you are talking footwear why not nip in the shoe shop and see if the Manolos or Jimmy Choos are in? It works for Carrie Bradshaw and co. In the sale? ha, two pairs then - they have them in bright red too? Heels then, open toed or strappy?

Isn’t it a shame that people get upset when you suggest that maybe you ought to get a few more partners in case one doesn’t fit properly or you go off them when you get home. How unreasonable is that?