Ta ta da, ta ta da, ta da da da.

Ta ta da, ta ta da, ta da da da.

(Think horns at a race track announcing the beginning of the race.)

And we’re off!

I’ve been typing for two hours and I have a hefty 936 words. I actually had a few more this morning but I changed my story and started again. To tell the truth I have four story lines I could go with. Lots of creativity – little solid direction. Sounds like more than a few areas in my life. Starting things doesn’t seem to be a problem; it’s all those cardinal planets in my chart. But alas no earth signs to keep me on track.

At least, I was able to turn the TV off and present myself to the keyboard. Showing up at the canvas. That’s what Robert Glenn says in the painter’s keys twice weekly letter about creativity and painting. If you want to produce art, your job is to first show up at the canvas. Even if you can’t think of anything to paint, you need to be there, you need to make a tiny start. One line, one brush stroke, it all starts there. Matisse would only have been great in his own imagination if he didn’t show up to do the work everyday. It’s not easy, maybe it’s not even supposed to be easy, but it’s essential. There is no other way to get there.

I remember reading Twyla Tharp’s book on creativity where she tells about getting up at 5:30 am every morning, donning her cloths and getting into a taxi to go to her studio to work out. She never considered not going; she never even thought about it, she just went.

Nike built a billion dollar business around it. Just do it.

So is this story line the best one. I don’t know. But I have the feeling that it doesn’t matter. I need to show up at the keyboard. It isn’t going to happen in the shower or over coffee in Starbucks with friends or even dreaming up plots sitting on my beautiful back porch. The only way it will happen is if I show up at the keyboard.

Thanks for the pep talk, Cat. Now back to work…

Less than 2 hours to go!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Only an hour and forty minutes left to go! I’m working on a plot outline. It’s a bit sparse at the moment.

“A reluctant hero sets out on a journey to save his friend and winds up saving the universe.”

I guess it will take some fleshing out but even Tolkien had to start somewhere.

We can work on the outline but can’t start the actual writing till midnight. I might manage a few words after 12:00 but writing will start in earnest in the morning. Until then I’m making tea and working on the outline.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

NaNoWriMo - 2006 - Here we go again!

NaNoWriMo - 2006 - Here we go again!

OK, its time again and here I am thinking what the hell am I doing? What am I talking about? NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words in 30 days. What was I thinking?!

So here’s the deal. For the next month I will be attached to the keyboard pounding out a novel that probably has no hope of being published and might even bore me, not to mention you but there is a mission and it has grabbed me.

Ever say “someday I’m going to write a novel?” I have. Lots of times and (unfortunately) to lots of people. Probably, I even said it to you. So it’s time to pony up for another try. I didn’t finish last year but I wrote a lot more than I would have if I didn’t try. It’s a story that I am still working on.

This year I’m going in a different direction. I’m jumping into the middle of a kid’s story that has been running around in my brain for years. We’ll see where it goes.

Your part? Make coffee, deliver pizza, and massage my aching shoulders? All of those are good ideas (and I might take you up on it) but I what I really need is for you to ask me “how is the novel coming?” when you see me. It will keep me on track. It will remind me to focus. It will embarrass me if I haven’t been writing.

Can I do it? Maybe – if you help.

I’ll post this to my NaNo blog. I might even post a few excerpts. Write back, encourage me. I’m gonna need it.