i should really stop giving these entries titles like “Day X,” especially because Dawn suggested to “Treat the deadline as an arbitrary one.” and she’s right.
it was a great reminder of what my personal goal is with this NaNoWriMo/novel writing undertaking. though i may not end up being a winner by NaNoWrimo’s standards, it doesn’t matter because i’ve already won. the whole point was for me to get back into writing, and i’ve done that. my next challenge is to find a way to incorporate it into my daily routine, to make time to write a little bit each day.
in undergrad i became interested in the writing process while taking a course called Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy. when i was teaching, this was something that continued to interest me, so it’s time i examined my own writing process. maybe it’ll help me get to the root of why i’ve had such a tough time of it since defending my thesis; why the words don’t come out as easily as they used to and is more like squeezing water from a stone.
anyway, i’m still working on character sketches. i’m a sucker for backstories. right now i’m figuring out how Marie got her cat Marmaduke. maybe it sounds silly, but i think it’s important.
See more progress on: write a novel
As a reader, I think it would be important to know how Marmaduke came about. Unless when the story starts, Marie already has the cat, then it would’nt be significant.
Glad you realize you’ve aleady won!
Wow, a novel???? I do good just to get my poems and freelance articles published. OMG! I soooooooo envy you. I have not the time nor patience to undertake such an endeavor. I look forward to reading your book one day. Ummmm, will I be able to get my copy autographed woman?????
I agree that you should try to make it a daily routine. My dad, an English professor, once told me that to write really well one must write every day.
jane: hmm. well, she already has the cat when the story begins, but at some point there might be a flashback as to how she got him. or how she named him, since her dog is named Heathcliff. remember the old Marmaduke and Heathcliff comic strips? except that Marmaduke was a dog and Heathcliff was a cat.
Dariana: i’m so lazy when it comes to submitting, or at least i have been the past couple of years. if this particular story ever sees print, of course you’ll get an autographed copy!
Margaret: ack! i wanted to be an English prof, but the jobs are few and far between. anyway, when i was teaching, i couldn’t find the time for my own writing.