Greetings from my kitchen, where I am finally putting the finishing touches on getting the kids to bed, preparing lunches for tomorrow, baking my granola for this week's breakfast, and medicating my sore throat. And now there is finally time to write!
NaNoWriMo began this week on November 1, and no, you're not too late to give it a shot! I am at 15% of my goal, which isn't too shabby, and frankly I'm amazed at the time I found (*made) this week to write. On Wednesday I went to the public library and banged out a couple of thousand words...this novel has been building up inside of me for a couple of weeks now...on Thursday I wrote at home at the kitchen table, and on Friday I treated myself to a yummy crepe and wrote at my favorite local coffee shop. Whether you like coffee or not, I must recommend your local coffee shop as a haven for inspiration. There's something about being in a space where something else is being created, where conversations surround you and people are gently sipping their comfort. And it smells pretty great too!
I'm working on my novel, tentatively titled Reliance, and I'm realizing that this is the second manuscript where I've worked with a very different process than usual. I've been on a hunt for narrative voices. My friend and fellow writer, Jennie, always says to "steal what you like" from other writers. So I'm stealing a little Faulkner on this one. In the vein of As I Lay Dying (a masterpiece of narrative voice), I'm using multiple narrators to tell the story. The trick here is to get the story out and, in the process, to find their voices. Last week I was drumming along with my main character's daughter's voice as she described the situation surrounding her father's death. Suddenly she received a letter...and the next thing I knew, Daisy Prater had entered my life, and the story, and she was rambling on and on about quite shocking things! I love these moments when a voice forces its way in and hijacks the story.
And so I'm letting the story flow. It's all out of order right now, but the pieces are coming to me that way. Time will tell if they get resorted in the manuscript or if a little time-jumping (not unlike the works of my muse, Faulkner) is the best way to convey the meaning.
What I know for sure is that this story is coming organically. And that's a good thing. Nay, it is a great thing!
Happy writing!
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