The Night Before

The time is 8:48p and I'm so anxious to write that I'm checking the clock every few minutes.  Since my post earlier this morning, I went grocery shopping, cooked dinner for an out-of-state guest, took my son trick-or-treating, and am now writing this blog. 

Is writing a gift or a curse?  To me, it's both.  I've been a writer since I was a young child and the desire to write is just as strong now as it was then.  I equate this desire with being hungry...really hungry...like skipped a meal and could eat a horse hungry.  Sometimes I wish this intensity would leave me alone, but then I wouldn't be the real me.  The one who is always creating and thinking and analyzing and observing.  There's always a new song on the tip of my tongue or character dialogue chatting in my head.  Sometimes I wish I could silence this ongoing "possession" of creativity, but again, this is who I am.

Nancy Drew mystery books were my favorite when I was a child.  I remember visiting Woolworth's drug store every week, waiting for the newest chapter in the series to stock the shelves.  One time, when I raced to the book section of the store, I noticed that not only one, but two brand new Nancy Drew books stood next to each other.  Could life have been any sweeter for a twelve-year old?   I awoke the next day to a "headache" and told my mom I was sick and needed to stay in bed.  Sorry, Mom!  By the time my mother returned from work at 4:30p, I had read both books entirely.  As for the headache, well, I really did have one by 4:30p!  So, my love for reading spans my entire life.

As for writing, I won't bore you with the details, but I've written three musicals, an award-winning play, lots of articles and guest columns for newspapers and magazines, and speeches for my husband who is a high school principal.  I've written a Young Adult novel titled "Butterfly" and am pursuing publication.

I consider "Butterfly" to be an important book for young adults, specifically for young women.  The topic of the book is date violence.  The protagonist of the story, Lauren, never thought for a moment that the boy with whom she falls in love could ever hurt her.  The story is very much the "frog in the pot" analogy.  Lauren is slowly lulled into an abusive relationship and does not realize the dangerous situation in which she is living until it's too late.  I worked with at-risk teens and many of the stories I heard contained a similar thread - the girls never saw it coming.  Why do some young women fall prey to date violence?  The statistics are staggering.  Emergency rooms and shelters are filled with victims of physical and emotional abuse.   It is my goal that someone will read this book, recognize her dilemma, and get out before it's too late.  This book is NOT INTENDED FOR YOUNG READERS.  There are scenes and language that are inappropriate for middle grade and younger students.  However, my own daughters have read the book - they are in 10th and 12th grades, and neither of them found the book offensive.

So, back to NaNoWriMo.  The book on which I'll be working is called "A Place or Pamela".  It's a middle grade novel about a 12-year old girl who moves to a new town and finds it difficult to find her niche.  Everyone else in her family is making new friends, starting new jobs and joining activities at school, but Pamela can't seem to find her place despite her best efforts.  She longs for the comfort of her old school and childhood friends, but her father's new job forced the family to start over in a strange new town.

This book is based upon some factual as well as fictitious events.  I was ten years old when my family moved from Massachusetts to Michigan.  I remember feeling out of place and disoriented in Battle Creek.  We arrived a few weeks before school began, and I longed for my old friends and familiar surroundings of Leominster, Massachusetts.

When I write, I always hope someone who reads my work will benefit from knowledge gained, or at least the comfort of knowing they are not alone in their current situations.  There will always be choices to make in life.  The paths we take can set us on a course of failure or success.  My protagonist Pamela must determine the salt from which she is made and stand for her beliefs.

The Day Before

Today is the "Day Before" NaNoWriMo and I'm anxiously awaiting for it to become "The Day"!  I'm itching to begin writing and I feel like a race horse chomping at the bit, ready to break out of the gate. 

In the meantime, I'm working on my storyline.  In my CB05 Animation Studio class, our International Baccalaureate (IB) unit question is "How does planning affect quality?".  So, here I am, answering my own question that I've posed to you.  How will planning my novel affect its quality?  I understand that the purpose of NaNoWriMo is to write "no holds barred" - that is, to write without worrying about the direction of the novel - and to simply see where the creative process will take you when you write without rules.  However, personally, I believe it's important to create a general guideline and direction so I know where the story is headed.

One of my students just sent me her storyline and it looks WONDERFUL!  She's determined the elements of her story, from exposition to denouement, and now she has a general direction of which way to go.  She's off to a great start!

I'll log back in again later tonight to explain my storyline and characterizations.  In the meantime, back to reality.  I need to run to the grocery store! 

Welcome, Everyone!

Welcome, everyone, to my novel writer's blog!  If you are my student, you know I have joined thousands of writers worldwide who are participating in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  The goal - to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days or less!  There will be many winners in this contest, as each person is competing (writing!) against himself/herself, not against each other.  CreateSpace.com has offered to provide each winner with a complimentary printed book of his/her work.  Several of my students have expressed interest in this contest, so I am hopeful they will blog with me as we support each other through this exciting, yet rather crazy, venture!  A novel in 30 days!  Can it be done?  Yes!  Can I do it?  Well, that remains to be seen.  I wrote a book last January titled "Butterfly".  After nine weeks, it was finished at 74,000 words, so I think I can handle 50,000 in thirty days.  I'm pumped up and ready to rumble...

I will update this blog each day to keep you informed of my novel-writing progress.  The contest begins November 1st.  I'm excited to begin writing and wish I could start this very moment, but rules are rules.  It is important to me to finish this manuscript according to the rules.  Where's the joy in winning if you don't play by the rules?

Anyway, I'll blog again tomorrow and will explain the theme of my story.  The working title is "A Place for Pamela".

TTFN

Mrs. P (-: