Countdown to NaNo2015: 15 days to go

17 October 
Today's Tarot: The queen of pentacles, reminds us to nurture ourselves by cleaning our homes, eating nutritious and delicious food, and enjoying gorgeous exercise.

I just finished reading Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande.  Too bad it's out of print.  It is available on Amazon, though.  I do have a good pdf copy as well.  Miss Brande talks about two key exercises for a priori writing, before you write that novel.  Which is great because we have about fifteen days to go before NaNo starts.  I try to do these exercises.  First is early morning writing.  Second is writing on schedule.

After her two key exercises, she has a five-finger exercise of actually writing the novel.  It is a natural progression from those above.  You have (1) the story in embryo, (2) the preparatory period, (3) writing confidently, (4) time for detachment, and finally, (5) the critical reading.

I have color-coded my calendar with these five-finger period.  I am so looking forward to happily writing this November!

Countdown to #NaNoWriMo2015: 16 days to go!

16 October
today's key thought: Metabolize pain, disappointment and injury into creative energy.  Let go, move on.  Focus on the good things you still have.

And I might add, do not let anyone stop you from writing!

A few days ago I intimated to a close friend that I am participating again in NaNo.  His reaction was one of dismay: "But you were such a bad person last year when you joined NaNo."  There it was, in one summary sentence, a judgment on my person for writing, for doing what I believe I was put on this planet to do, for making what I believe to be my best contribution to this world.  You were such a bad person.

A bad person because I wasn't so congenial?  Because I didn't hang out with him much?  Because I'd rather take to my notebook and write?  Because I go incognito, unreachable, my head deep into the plotting of my next thread?

I said, "Wait!  You are judging me as a person for who I was over a year ago and at the same time for who you are sure I will be in the future?  You are telling me I am a bad person when I write?  That is incredibly damaging to a writer, you know."

If you have ever been creatively injured, it's not something to sweep under the rug.  I heartfully recommend The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.

My friend's comment stung.

The next day he issued an apology via sms.  "You are a good person.  You are a good writer.  You are self-taught.  You do wonderful things on paper."  That patched things up, but the pain was still there.  What if I get writer's block?  I can't afford that weeks before NaNo!

So what do I do?  I go ahead and write this.  I write at that something that bugs me.  This is metabolizing pain/injury/loss into creative energy.  And it is also making sure that I protect my inner writer, my storyteller, from such attacks.  While we can't control other people, we can control our responses to them.  So that "You are a bad person if you choose to write" is counteracted with "I am a good person.  I make worthwhile contributions.  I am doing what God created me to do."  And doing that write on paper.  As Julia Cameron said, "Writing rights things."

Do not let anyone keep you from writing!

Countdown to NaNo2015: 17 Days to go

 15 Octobertoday's thought: There's a reason 'men' is how the word 'menial' begins, and that's the extent of my sexism.

If you're in danger of hurtling into November plotless, and if you're one of those persons who would not want to go into battle unarmed, then I have two (or three) exercises for you.  I might only get to describing two in this entry.  I didn't invent these exercises.  I read about them and practice them.

1. You'll need: pen, paper or notebook, and an alarm clock.
First, early morning writing.  Set your alarm earlier than usual, and while still groggy, write.  Before you pee, talk to anyone, check your mobile for Facebook updates, pick up a pen and write.  Write until you 'wake up.'  Julia Cameron, an Alcoholics Anonymous alumna, prescribes three pages.  That's up to you, but write whatever crosses your mind during this sleepy state: memories of your dream, what you plan to do today, what bugs you, what your hopes and dreams are.  No set theme but just write stream-of-consciousness.  Let the pages accumulate.  Don't reread these morning's pages until the eve of 30th October.  In recurring complaints, gripes, themes, you'll find a germ idea that's personal to you that you can turn into a plot/storyline.

2. You'll need: rubber gloves, brush, detergent of choice
Second exercise.  Get down on all fours and scrub your floor clean.  If your living room is already spotless do the bathroom, the bedroom, the windows.  Any repetitive activity can become a meditative activity, and may induce a state where a plot may arise from your creative mind.

I did this this morning and found a plot idea already.  It's quite different from what I plan for NaNo 2015, so I am reserving it for later writing.

Prepping for NaNo2015 part 1

14 October

today's virtue: Noble Speech, consciously slowing down so I can say what I mean and mean what I say

I decided, since a similar thread that I started last year had helped me a lot, to create this thread for my 2015 NaNoWriMo journey.  As I write and discover things along, I shall post insights here, and hopefully help newbies.

It is a few weeks before 1st November, and I am reviewing Becoming A Writer by Dorothea Brande. I do already have a germ idea for this year's novel, something I have been carrying for the past fifteen years.  I have lots of novel ideas at the moment, but being human, can only write one at a time, so let me use the earliest ideas I had which, at the time, I was too timid to write.  I am older now, but I write not because I feel I am wiser, but because NaNoWriMo gives me the opportunity now to write those stories which I never had the courage to do so in the past.

I sat meditation for one hour today, and I think I shall continue that practice throughout writing this novel.  I shall refrain from titling or providing a synopsis of my novel until I finish it.  Last year I had the unfortunate experience of receiving unsolicited advice from "seasoned" NaNoWriters about my novel based solely on the synopsis I provided.  It was not helpful, so I won't do that now.

These few weeks before the actual writing period are important.  They are gestation, conception, feeding the Unconscious with images, ideas, historical research.  I specifically enjoyed Crash Course on youtube, particularly their 42-episode World History Series.  I am deepening what I learned from there via ancient-origins.net, another wonderful resource.

I actually had the temerity this year to volunteer myself as a Mentor.  I do feel that having a companion in writing might help spur me on to 50,000 words.  If anyone, that is, besides myself, finds this blog useful and would want to interact with me, feel free to "Reply" and add your comments to this thread.  I invite and appreciate healthy discussion.

My pseudo-goals before actual writing on November 1st: re-visit the vipassana videos on youtube, and finish reading Beauty's Kingdom by A.N. Roquelaure.