Novel in a month. NaNoWriMo

Hardly news but November is the month in which writers can join an international event that involves writing a 50,000 word novel. It's a tough call but thousands of people do it.

I have an idea that I'd like to work on and I'm going to give it a try. My life is busy enough and I don't know how I can write almost 2000 words a day but if other busy people are doing it I'm going to try.

For much more information go to nanowrimo.org where you'll find all the help and support you need.

Get that novel written. You know you want to.

Mystery and perspectives

Look at the untrimmed hedge in the above photograph. It is at the back door of a house owned by a man who teaches languages at a college.

Write a short story from three perspectives about this situation.

The first perspective could be that of a neighbour, the second from the man who owns the house and the third, a person of your choosing. 

What message does the untrimmed hedge give to the people involved? 
How does it affect them?

It should be interesting to write. Think of a few plot ideas before you start.

You can write each perspective in a first or third person voice, You can choose to write each perspective as

1. A short story in its own right with  a structure, start, middle and end.

or

2. Each story can follow on from the last to build up the whole. 


Have fun.

NAWE National Association for Writers in Education.

NAWE is the National Association for Writers in Education. 

Their remit is quite broad and they offer a lot of services to writers who work in education and welfare. Subscribers can receive newsletters, job information, details of courses and up to date industry views and insights from people who are prominent and informed. At the moment they are taking bookings for a large annual conference. They offer a really good mix of stuff - more than I've mentioned.

I'm not advertising for them but I find what they do useful and interesting and subscribe to a monthly e-bulletin that tells me about opportunities in the world of writing, some of which I can tell others about.

You can visit their website for an idea of what they do at nawe.co.uk

Confucius Quotation

'Have no friends not equal to yourself'

Confucius.

An interesting quotation. Are the friends in your circle your equals? What does this make you, and them? 

Drama isn't made when things are equal and the same. Is there anyone in your circle who doesn't fit because at some level they aren't equal? Have you ever not fitted because you weren't equal? It's uncomfortable to think about but isolate a person, or a time in your own life and write about it.

In order to fictionalize something real you could write in the third person. Try to create a sense of structure by framing an incident with a 

start  - when did the situation arise and what was it like? 
middle - what happened to the people involved? 
end - how did things turn out?

First sentence story prompt.

Write a short story of no more than 2000 words beginning with the opening sentence


They ordered coffee and while they waited for it to arrive, sat awkwardly, wondering what to say.

In the story, in any order, include the words jewelled, interruptions and ring.


Have lots of fun.

Working without inspiration. Good or bad idea?

Sitzfleisch is a German word that means the power to endure or to persevere in an activity: stamina. 

The word sitz  means buttocks and the idea is that your bum sticks to the chair for the duration of the task in hand. It can be applied to all tasks but when applied to writing it refers to the business of writing through those periods when imagination seems to have dried up rather than putting your work down until you feel inspired.

I've experienced the need to stick to the chair on many occasions, for example, as a deadline approaches or when writing time is limited.

When inspiration has dried up I write lists, I revisit characters at different times of the day on in different places, I change names or find an ending and write backwards.

What other things can be done to trigger an imaginative response when you want to stay in your chair and finish a writing task?


Do you think carrying out this idea of sticking to your chair while you write through a dry patch leads to inferior work?

What other words, from any language, do you think need more appreciation and use?

Megaliths: Mystical or mundane?

carnacmegaliths.com

This (not very good) photo is of a field in Carnac in Southern Brittany, France. It contains some of the hundreds of megaliths that exist in the area. They are scattered in many cases but also can be found in very organised groups. Although they are not like Stonehenge, there are some resemblances. 

Many theories exist about the possible origins of these stones. They could be:-

A pre - historic grid reference for people whose advanced mathematical and astrological knowledge was then lost for thousands of years.

The  remains of communities in which the ceremonies connected with birth, death, marriage, fertility, retribution and sacrifice were carried out publicly and relied on symbolism.

Connections with aliens or other-worldly beings.

Rocks thrust up through the ground as the earth's surface changed, oceans realigned and land masses separated.

I'm very pragmatic and although I haven't researched the area and don't have access to the research of others, I'm inclined to believe that these stones, however amazing, could have been forced through the earth's surface during times of climate change or movement.

For untold years they lay untouched in the fields of farmers. 
  
What must the farming families and agricultural workers of other times have made of them?
Is it possible that people once knew the origins of the stones but that knowledge was lost?
How did the farmers of old and their families feel about the stones?
Were they believed to be mystical, benevolent, religious?

Write about a person who lived by the stones in another century. Show how they feel about them and what locals believe about them. Consider the theories that exist about these stones now, but try to imagine one of your own.

Do you live near an ancient monument or structure?