As a teacher of writing (aka English teacher, but doesn't that sound better?) I think it's important that I write. I never envisioned myself as a novel writer, but when I stumbled upon a site called nanowrimo.org (NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth) that challenged writers to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November, I saw myself as a novelist for the first time.
What I have learned: There's a LOT of words between 1 and 50,000 AND a big difference between someone who simply wants to write a novel and someone who actually does.
Someone who simply wants to write a novel will:
...award herself with a chip and salsa after every 20 words.
...spend more time formatting the titles of her chapters than actually writing the content of the chapters. (okay, honestly, chapter....not chapterS)
...think repeatedly, "The word 'novel' is daunting. Is writing several novellas cheating?"
I'm convinced someone who writes a novel does simply that - forces herself to sit and write.
I'm considering this mission sadly a failure because I sit with a Draft 1 that contains 3,500 words and I have 12 days left in November. I have to write roughly 3900 words each day to make it.
Maybe if I stopped wasting so many words blogging I could get it done...
Or... you can write your memoir, and publish it on this blog.
ReplyDeleteMaybe those who navigates your blog, will come across your memoir and be inspired and have you, novel writer wannabe, write a novel for them!
...J.K. Rowling wrote frequently at local cafes, and she came up with Harry Potter during her trek on train between countries in Europe.
... John was banished in Pomptus island out of Rome, and he was there for while, until he got a REVELATION from God, and wrote a entire complex series of Revelation.
...Lauren Williams Ressler, of Cando, North Dakota, is inspired by nanowrimo.org, is an emerging writer. :)
After all, what can we do during our train rides, local cafes, in the location of our banishment, and our current location of life...
WRITE! :)