Sometimes Life Says "No"

It's been very very busy around here, and sadly not with writing. I have the worst case of "brain fog" ever (among other things) and it's kind of a miracle I make it through work with my head screwed on straight at the moment. Hopefully we can get the cause figured out soon and I'll be squared away to attack the project full-force.

But until then...when life says "no" to what you want to do, when it simply steps in the way and demands to be recognized, what do you tell it? How do you bring motivation and focus out of their hiding places? I'm curious for your ideas.

Yours Truly,
Mrs. C

First Research = Fail

Well that was inevitable, but exciting while it lasted! The first idea rarely works out to be the one necessary. From what I can tell, schizophrenia is NOT the answer. (haha) I'm still on the hunt for disorders and injuries that could be the culprit of my main character's...condition, but I think I'll let that thought simmer for awhile and move the focus away for a few days.

Ironically this weekend will most likely consist of very little writing. Except thank-you cards. I have a whole host of those to complete. The photographer from our recent wedding finally came through with the box for my final post-wedding task, but before that can happen there's the easter egg hunt that needs to take place for the list my mom wrote while we OPENED all the gifts. Oh dear. I knew we shouldn't have put it in that place we'd never forget where it was.

Still, Mr. C's birthday was yesterday and the party for friends is tomorrow; so between planning that, writing thank you cards, and catching up on all of the housecleaning I didn't do this week, I doubt I'll get much rest in this weekend. Perhaps I need to turn OFF my brain for two days and re-evaluate on Monday.

Merry Weekend everyone.

Yours Truly,
Mrs. C

Research: Day 1

I've been thinking about joining NaNoWriMo 2010 for awhile now, so what exactly was it that prompted me to take the leap yesterday? A revelation. I'd forgotten the joy of learning something new about a character. It isn't a process of creation, but a meeting of two people when I think of my characters. I don't create them; they already exist. My subconscious is simply learning about them. Together they shake hands, sit down over a cup of coffee or soda or a cocktail (it depends who I'm talking to) and get to know one another. Sometimes I think I know certain characters rather well, so the joy of learning something new about them is an incredible rush of adrenaline. A surge of renewing energy. It reminds me they're still there, sitting quietly in the shadows, waiting for their story to be told.

There has always been a glitch in one of the main characters of this story. She's been running through my imagination for 9 years, but somehow certain traits of her character never seemed to be realistic. At first I thought maybe I was too young when we first met, and I was only paying attention to the key elements of the story while overlooking the all-important underlying details. But as I learned more about the other characters, she stayed the same, unchanging. Until yesterday. It finally all makes sense.

So...does anybody know of any good resources on schizophrenia?

Yours Truly,
Mrs. C

The Big Leap

I'll be the first to say it: I'm a blogging virgin. Yes, I've used Xanga in my high school years and a tiny bit of LiveJournal to pass the time since, but I've never truly kept up with any type of blog, let alone one with a purpose. This, is my first. And with a little help from others, I think it may help me complete my "quest".

Many of you visiting here are probably wondering just what exactly is the NaNoWriMo Quest. My sister told me many years ago about the NaNoWriMo organization, or National Novel Writer's Month. Perhaps they describe it the best: "Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!" From November 1st-30th members have the goal of writing a novel at a minimum of 50,000 words (or getting at least 50,000 words into the writing of a novel). I've written ever since I was very young and I've always wanted to write at least one novel in my lifetime; NaNoWriMo seemed like an excellent motivator for that. Yet college always got in the way of the unfortuitous timing of November...mid-terms and final papers abound. There was no time to try to write anything more than research papers on the mythology of Shinto and United States' governmental policies. Finally I'm taking a break from school inbetween degrees and I'm putting my mind to it. This year I will write my 50,000 words.

While there are no hard and fast rules to NaNoWriMo, it is suggested that you don't start writing until the strike of 12:01AM on November 1st. Why? If you're already in the process of writing, what's really going to change for you that month? Nothing. So for the next three months I will be working on the plot, outlines, character development, and more, setting up the stage for the production. I will want to start writing. I will want to give in. But if I wait and allow the excitement to brew then perhaps, just perhaps, this can be the motivation I need to do what I've always wanted.

Why am I writing here? I need to be accountable to more than just myself. I need more than just the wordcount update every night in November. I need an invisible army to hold me to this promise, to make this real. So the question is readers, will you stand behind me?

Yours Truly,
Mrs. C