One day till NaNoWriMo…
It’s October 31st, my last day of sanity for the next thirty days.
My project is on a roll. I’ve had great conversations with friends and teachers about the April Novel in the last week. I’m super excited to work through the latest developments.
Every day I will post how many words I wrote and the length of my writing session. And since I write pretty much anywhere, I’ll also tell you if I used a computer or wrote by hand. Anything else will be extra.
I hope you join this adventure with me, but even if you don’t, please cheer me on. It’s difficult to work on a long project without encouragement, especially when the writing gets tough, which happens at times.
If you would like to join in, visit www.nanowrimo.org to get started.
And if you’re in the Black Swamp area, there are write-ins hosted by me every Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. outside of the Union Theater at Bowling Green State University. There will also be write-ins at Grounds for Thought on Saturdays at 7 p.m.
Prompt–Monday, October 31
Take a book you’ve read recently that you underlined like crazy because you liked the language so much. Now create a found poem with your favorite lines. Feel free to break for lines and whatnot. Name the title and author.
Cane by Jean Toomer
Over the crest of the hill
he couldn’t sing to them.
Where’s th beauty in that?
When you had eyes, did
you ever see th beauty
of th world? Her face
is pale–worlds of shadow
planes and solids.
He is a candle that dances
in a grove swung with pale
balloons…in swift shadow.
You came just a month too late.
The Letter Project–Letter to Theresa
Check out my latest letter to Theresa about pumpkins. Discover what I kind of bread I like to make.
Preparing for NaNoWriMo
November is only days away. I’m going to participate this year, and until Tuesday I considered working on two projects (for a total of 100,000 words? Nah. Then I would consider myself insane.) But I will continue to work on my April novel, mostly expanding scenes from her backstory and exploring her present adventure.
Brian Klems shares his NaNo experiences. You can find the original article here: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-prepare-for-national-novel-writing-month-nanowrimo?et_mid=523564&rid=230060189.
What I found fascinating was what he gained from the experience. I agree that NaNo is fun and made me productive. I also participated twice, and both times I ended up with material I couldn’t really use, even though I hope to return to those projects some day. This November feels like it will be different–because this project is different from the previous two.
So we’ll see how November pans out. I’ll update my word count for you and keep you updated with NaNo events in Bowling Green.
Prompt–Sunday, October 23
Describe your favorite homemade meal. Mine’s below.
I don’t think many cooks can beat the hot and soft texture of mashed potatoes with butter on top, steaming green beans and slices of chicken breast. All on a blue-rimmed plate ready to travel to your stomach. Accompanied by a glass of water. But you can try.
Winter Wheat
Every year “Mid-American Review” hosts a writing festival at Bowling Green State University. This year Winter Wheat is November 17 to 19.
I’ve attended the last two years and really enjoyed it. You meet fellow writers and get time to write! The sessions have led me to discover more about topics like memoir, cut and paste poetry, etc. For more information and to sign up (it’s free, but donations are encouraged), go to http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/organizations/midamericanreview/wwhome08.html
There will be readings by Kyle Minor, Ann Townsend, and Seth Fried.
And guess what? Yours truly will be giving a session on prompts. Mine is first thing Saturday morning, but it’ll be fun to see what you can do with prompts. In the session I’ll focus on how to create your own. Stay tuned–there will be sneak peeks.
Prompt–Wednesday, October 12
Find a favorite image from a poem or a piece of fiction that strikes you. Write about it, expand it, use the structure to create something of your own.
For mine, one of Jack Kerouac’s haikus.
The tree
looks like a dog,
Barking at heaven.
My poem.
The blanket
is a crown
for the cold.
Halfway there…
The semester is nearly half over already. But some exciting things have happened.
My contest with a writing friend to see who could write the most short stories resulted in her finishing one and me starting two. We decided to revise our contest for October with the goal to finish the most short stories. Then National Novel Writing Month in November for me. (www.nanowrimo.org)
And one of the best parts? I got a typewriter.
The portable typewriter case.
The actual typewriter.
The booklet that was included.
A closer look at the keys.
I only need to clean it and find ribbon that fits. Then I can type away!
In the last week I finished reading “Tobacco Road” by Erskine Caldwell and worked on other projects.
I picked up a copy of “Book of Haikus” by Jack Kerouac. I’m very pleased with what I’ve read so far. One haiku that struck me is:
The windmills of
Oklahoma look
In every direction
The image does a lot for me. I can see the windmill and the flat terrain. And Don Quixote comes to mind. Maybe he’s fighting giants in Oklahoma. What do you think? What’s your favorite haiku?
Prompt–Saturday, September 24
Make a list of your favorite short stories, poems, and/or novels, whatever you want. Add to it as you discover new ones.
Short Stories:
A Good Man is Hard to Find–Flannery O’Connor
Porque no Tiene, Porque le Falta–Robert Stone
The Oldest Story–Emilia Pardo Bazan
Barn Burning–William Faulkner
Poems:
When I have fears–John Keats
Fire and Ice–Robert Frost
This Be the Verse–Philip Larkin
Susana Soca–Jorge Luis Borges
Suzanna and Writing 