WRITING DOWN THE DAYS

/ janpriddyoregon

Consider this post my attempt to park the bike and watch the water.

I am nearly two thirds through NaNo month, and I have logged 100k words on the site. This was my 7th NaNo reaching fifty thousand words. I have written entire novels of 75k during NaNo in past years, usually beginning with a short story and then forging on.

When I first saw her on our way north, I disapproved. Surely, an electric bike was unnecessary on the flat sand. Surely, this young woman didn’t need electric-powered assistance, and it couldn’t be doing the bike any good. But on our way home there she was watching the waves, her bike parked well up on the shore. The next day, she was walking.

This time is different. I’m writing as a “rebel” this year, mostly focusing on revision and rewriting. Early every morning I write for at least a couple of hours and sometimes for the entire day—stopping to go back to sleep. I had several goals beyond mere wordcount. My first project was to rewrite an old novel, one with a first chapter that earned me a grant and publication.

This novel still needs work. This isn’t a finished or final draft, but it’s better. I cut thousands of words and wrote though sands of new ones. I intended to make it short; it got longer. Later I will go back and update some out-of-date references with SnapChat and Warcraft. I will need readers, and I will revise again.

In the midst of that rewrite, an email announced a call for a Chapbook manuscript, so I spent many hours on that and didn’t even count it in my NaNo word count, though I did a lot of revision on a set of short stories. Then I went back to that novel.

I have finally begun work on the novelette I planned to work on this month. There is a new story too. I am reminded that what we plan and what we do early mesh perfectly. Things happen.

I have been reminded of things lately. Former students, remodeling disaster, The Flight of the Mind, and weather.

Our path down to the shore is entirely washed out, but this happens every winter.

The holidays are charging up on us and we have three events to look forward to on Thanksgiving Day. I need to make fruitcakes—little ones. I have some sewing in mind.

Anyway, with all the writing I’m focusing on for National Novel Writing Month, I haven’t been posting.

I baked rye bread yesterday. We had roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. Today, if the rain lets up long enough, we’ll get our walk, and either way we’ll drive to get our mail.

5 thoughts on “WRITING DOWN THE DAYS”

  2. now that I stink about or upon it, the person who walked across the 101 without looking or caring could have been the same power biker on the beach—what a coin inky dink—white? as ewe can’t sea I have way with worms if only I could smell—whata treat that wool bee—as for differentiating the difference between a cyclists bum and a bum cyclonic well that should be up to the individuals well honed senses—im sure when Novembers over December will prove to have last words—nano or not—and for Christmas future five years from now if we are still here—please make America sane again—kiitos-gary

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Fortunately, I am supposed to receive my line edits for ALL THE DAUGHTERS SING in the next week. I will do that during NaNo too. It’s a good thing. Here’s what will happen at the end of the month: The well will be drained and I will stop writing.

    Regardless of my intentions and whatever I promise myself to do, however much it seems reasonable to continue work on the new story or to revise an older one, it won’t happen. I will not write a word for weeks or months other than here. Maybe. I’ve been down this road before. I might read. I might weave or knit. I might make the gifts I intend to make for the holidays. Might I put a warp on? We’ll see what happens. I have skeins wound off and ready to wind a warp… has that worked before? Making is necessary as breathing. Time will tell.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment