Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Boo!
Bear with me, faithful reader! I have been overrun with other work the past couple of weeks (Actual writing work, among other things!) and haven't done any blogging. In lieu of an actual blog of substance, let me direct your attention to NaNoWriMo. Just as last year, my days are far too packed to devote to something as irreverent and inspirational as this, but I sure wish I could. And remember writers, as my dear friend Ginger believes, there's always room for Zombies! Happy Halloween.
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Be there Wednesday! Getting all prepped for the Nanowrimo! I have a new story idea (inspired at the last minute) and I'm limbering my fingers up!
Ooooh! We didn't get to talk about your story idea last night! What are you doing?
MOBI Clique = a dramedy for YA
National Novel Writers month may not be the inspirational moment you think it is.
Why? What do you mean? I mean, I agree, but what prompts you to say so?
(p.s. Sorry I haven't really gotten back to Zoetrope lately, I did see your response!)
Well, there are three things I've noticed about Nanowrimo every year that it comes up.
1. There are a lot of cheats.
2. If you've never written anything in your life, writing a novel in thirty days probably isn't a great place to start.
3. Forty thousand words only constitutes a novel if you're in the fifth grade.
Every year I manage to find one of these people asking some sort of question like "Can I use a character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my novel?" It's left me a little cynical.
I think the cheating element is kind of fun though. We all tend to take our writing so damn seriously. Like Ginger says -- if you need to -- add some Zombies. You can always use zombies. Or Buffy. (Or Spike, as my preference leans. Sigh.)
Anyway -- I totally agree about the qualitative issue, though. The idea that something publishable could come out of an exercise (because frankly that's all it is) is kind of ludicrous. Some people DO take it too seriously, and then are brokenhearted when no one wants to read their crap.
I tend to be annoyed by the opposite camp, though. The people who spend one straight week doing nothing but typing nonsense into their computer for 22 hours a day and then claim to have written a novel, bragging about their speed and efficiency. Grrr.
It sounds like you're assuming that the people who write pages and pages of drivel don't ever cheat. I'd be willing to bet that there's a fair amount of overlap in that area.
Two years ago someone posted a message on Zoetrope asking about Nation Novel Writer's Month, and I mentioned about how everybody tends to cheat, and some guy got very defensive, went on about what a great excercise it was.
Then, he promptly admitted he was cheating.
I ran into some guy who begged me to look at the novel that he written one November. He'd included soundtrack selections, and listed his choices to play the main characters. One of them was Jennifer Lover Hewitt, who I think was going to need to wave the no nudity clause in her contract.
I have to say I've gotten a little old to write about Vampires. Gibby does show up in my work from time to time though.
GIBBY!!!! ::laughs:: Oh my god! Yes!
I can't manage the vamp thing anymore either. Kind of wish I could.
You're right about the cheating. I hadn't thought of it that way. Typing my name 50,000 times is one way to get a certificate, but WHY? (Naive me, assuming everyone's actually writing goofy stories about vampires and zombies...)
Tom, a guy in my writing group, actually did finish his NaNoWriMo book last week. He spent piles of time preparing and planning and plotting and then wrote a book. He didn't bring it to share, though, and he was saying last night that he doesn't think he'll have anything he'll feel comfortable shopping around for years. (Feel free to weigh in, if you're out there, Tom.)
Dave: what kinds of projects are you working on now?
Megan: Spike is in this one?
Me: unnggh
Spike (making fun of Angel): Quick! I smell evil afoot! to the Angelmobile! Plus, I'm out of that Nancy boy hairgel I like so very much...
Megan: oohh, He has nice cheekbones.
Me: It's all about the cute boys with you, isn't it?
Spike (still making fun of Angel): I also enjoy working up a boatload of sexual tension, then riding away like a giant magnificent pouffe.
I'm working on an adventure novel, I'm ninety thousand words in.
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