Okay, now I just got done with grad school. It was horrible. I mean it. Two years of self inflicted pain. It took me six months just to write my MA thesis. And yet, this intrigues me. (What can I say, I’m apparently a sadist.) I wrote when I was a child, these fantastic stories that were influenced by whatever I was writing at the time. (Which meant there were a lot of quests, for various magical items, to save various magical kingdoms.)
But now, I’m thinking, “Hey, I just spent two years in hell. Why not get something out of it? Besides the diploma, of course. Why don’t I try writing a story about grad school?”
for those of you who are signing up and feel a huge sense of Doom, don’t despair. There is less than a week left before opening kickoff and I haven’t a clue of what I will write about, what the characters names are or anything.
And I am not worried at all.
( I will probably end up winning this thing and going on to write the Greatest Book Evar!!11!!! because of this strategy of mine. Look for me in the best sellers!)
I have a character, a theme, and an appropriately awful opening sentence in my head. Though right now, an email exchange is making me think about a western with a short hero.
I’m all signed up. I realized a while back that I could turn a quick joke about my roommate’s name into a story, so that’s what I’m doing. I actually already have about 1500 words written - I couldn’t think of any good reason to wait, and I never finish major projects, so got moving. I’m particularly pleased with the opening bit, but I’m trying to plan more details so I can get it all the way to 50,000 and make a full story out of it. Some outlining is a good idea.
I’m kind of anti-theme myself, at least for WriMo. It’s when I’ve got the first draft done that I can look back and go, “Oh, so that’s what this is all about.” Then I can rewrite the story with that in mind later on. But I don’t want to get so caught up in what I want the story to say that I interfere with with the story is trying to say.
I tried this last year and got stuck after 17,000 words (I’ve worked on that story on and off and it’s now about 90% done after having been abandoned for months, so there is a silver lining.) But maybe this year is the year that I can do it… but which of two ideas I have? I guess I’d better figure it out by tomorrow!
Which would you rather read about? a. supernatural beings who are assigned to catolog human behavior for an anthropology/field guide project, but end up embroiled in a plot to steal a human toddler to exploit. or b. A doctor figures out a way to save aborted babies, but when the project is discovered some people think the kids ought to be destroyed because they weren’t born and therefore can’t have souls?
The first idea is meant to be sort of funny, the second decidedly not.
The closest I’ve come was when these pranksters told me I’ve won a Pull-it-sir prize, but that was obviously a hoax. I mean, look at the name. They were quite insistent that it was a legitimate prize, but I eventually turned them down.
This made me smile and remember something kind of nice. Once I was up in the middle of the night pulling an all-nighter writing a short story. I was in a really neat writing mode when it’s all just “happening.” I typed the words:
“Margaret died that fall.” and burst out crying. I mean, tears really flowing. Had to get up and get a box of kleenex.
Margaret was the central character’s mother and I didn’t know she was going to die until those words just fell out onto the screen
Nice.
Hope I can get 50,00 words to just fall out onto the screen this month. I’m excited. Worked until 8pm most nights last week trying to clear my desk at work. What have I done?
A few minutes to midnight here… I’ve been moving on mine for a few days and I’ve got some ideas, I think it’s coming together somewhat. I have a clearer idea of the beginning than I did, that’s for sure. But my brain has yet to fill in some big chunks in the middle. I have no idea how I’ll get that done. Oh well.
