Zombie-Land (aka ‘NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul’)
There’s something easy about ignoring homework for the sake of NaNoWriMo. Priority is a no-brainer–I’m a writer!–and studying for finals is unimportant (note: it actually is, so disregard this if you can’t see the sarcasm)
But I didn’t ditch homework this year, because I’m a ‘College Graduate.’ Instead of homework and finals, I have work, which is a lot harder to flake on, especially when you depend on that weekly cheque for food and gasoline.
A fine line exists among priorities for a writer. On the one hand, work is crucial–any work, as long as it pays the bills. On the other hand, for careerist writers like myself, lack of sufficient time to focus on the craft is one of the biggest stressors imaginable. Writing consumes my mind to a point where I break down if I don’t get in a daily or weekly quota.
The result? November has come and gone, but I don’t feel recovered. The balance between work and craft still fights to be found. It’s tough to have writing as a priority when it’s not a reliable source of income.
Plot-Planning For Memoirists
One week till National Novel Writing Month–regretting your participation yet?
I don’t, despite the insanity, because it’s the one time a year when I get any real work accomplished [or so it seems]. But this year differs because I’ve gone the rebellious route–in lieu of a novel, my 2010 project will link several short memoir pieces under a common theme: Side Effects. It will represent the ripples created throughout my life and how they shape who I’ve become, where I’m headed, etc.
Preparation is hailed as the most important factor in achieving NaNoWriMo success. Not the biggest problem for folks venturing a fictitious realm, but what of us memoir rebels? Memoir is [based on] fact. Tales of a person’s life, told as truthfully as memory allows. Preparation, then, is an effortless task. It’s all stored in the mind for easy access and has limited possibilities.
Wrong.
Preparation for memoir, I find, requires more time than fiction. Fiction opens opportunity to go somewhere unexpected with the story. Non-fiction has its foundation in reality, yet anyone could easily write on forever without a guide. That’s the goal of free-association. But each of my stories should have a purpose. A direction and theme toward which they must drive. That deems it necessary to plan what to include.
So when I sat down [yesterday] to begin my preparation, my first step was relevancy. Would I like to write about how I had a blast getting lost at Blizzard Beach? Of course! So much potential. Is it relevant to my ‘ripples’ theme? Maaaybe if I stretched it far and wide. With 30 days to answer to, I’d rather not waste my time cherishing something that is sure to get cut by the next draft.
The brilliant thing about memoir, though, is if there are tiny bits here and there that fit the larger theme, the Judgment of Creativity law states a writer can merge those ideas into one. Did I have many people throughout my childhood actively supporting my writer-career decision?
…actually, no. 
We’re all equally poor. 
But if I did, I could merge those names into one character, et voilà! Magical miracle: a montage-esque memoir.
Another benefit of the creativity license is changing names, switching traits for certain characters. Simple ways to avoid that always-dreadful comment from rellies–you know, the one that resembles “This is how you think I am?!” and is unfortunately harder to avoid answering excuse in memoir v. fiction.
It’s important to stay true to a story and not fixate on how readers will take it. Some will love it, others resent it. As with everything else in the world.
If you’re like me, you’ll milk creativity dry. It’s memoir, not biography. It’s my POV, no one else’s. I can refer to my characters however I want because it’s my story to tell.
BUT, for sanity’s sake, names will stay as is until after November. No use making a list of changes from [my] reality now, after all. November is challenging enough!
On that note, guess what: We’ve made it! One year of [almost] consistent blogging and still alive. A milestone worthy of celebration, especially given how difficult it is to maintain a routine writing schedule. But where to go from here? With so many ways to handle a blog, I’m only starting to get a feel for what works on my end. One thing I have planned is more analysis-type posts. They’re enjoyable, interactive, and essentially required when studying the craft of writing (regardless of genre).
Send along your ideas, too–what “new” blogging stuff should I venture now that I’ve mastered the art of discipline?
Mind-Invasion: The Creative Approach
INT. PRODUCTION ROOM – MORNING
Close-up side-shot of a woman’s face, focused on the cheek and lips. A cigarette rests in her mouth. She inhales. Ashes wither away the white stem as the orange tip burns.
A slow pan-out reveals the woman outfitted in business attire. Clipped to the left side of her chest is a photo ID badge. The name reads “BETTINA.” She pulls the cigarette away from her mouth, releases a puff of smoke. The hand holding the cigarette gestures through the smoky air.
BETTINA
Unacceptable!
Bettina’s voice is hoarse, resembles that of Estelle Leonard, as impersonated by Phoebe Buffay (FRIENDS).
BETTINA (cont.)
It’s been months. What have we got here?
A bunch of nonsense from the mouth of a creative
writer? Psh! Where’s the creativity?
Where’s the originality? The excitement?
The juicy fuel powering the creative mind?
Bettina paces the room, circle a large conference table. Several characters listen from their chairs. A few look human, but most exhibit extraterrestrial features, if corporeal at all.
BETTINA (cont.)
It doesn’t exist!
One thing, and one thing only will remedy
our future. Does anyone know what that
remedy is?
A scrawny young man raises a shaky hand, but Bettina ignores it. She takes another whiff of the cigarette.
BETTINA (cont.)
Mind-invasion! We’re taking over.
Eyes dart around the room, terrified. They know where Bettina’s thought trail ends, but they’re hesitant to agree.
BETTINA (cont.)
I’ve let this dren continue long enough,
but now it’s time to take control.
Spice this place up with what it needs.
What it craves.
What it deserves!
Creative writers have an obligation
to exercise their creativity. Doing so requires
the production of creative writing.
I have three dozen shelves sitting in this mind
full of ideas waiting to be dusted off.
No more! Our decree until we all die–
which, heed, will happen by unnatural
causes–is to toss these ideas into the
blood stream without pause.
Bettina plops into the high-backed leather chair at the head of the table. She crushes her cigarette in the small tray, leans back with a sigh. She grabs the pack on the table, pulls out another cigarette, lights it.
BETTINA
What are you all waiting for?
The group scrambles from the table. Each races down the hall, gathers supplies off the wall’s shelves. They toss files through the filter. No one stops to watch each one seep through the skin.
Evolution Of A Niche
Being somewhat new to the concept of blogs, I’ve spent time researching the benefits they bring to writers. Results concur that successful blog management is difficult and time-consuming, but the potential it donates to a writer’s career may be worth the effort.
So hi!
My biggest concern is choosing a focus–a niche with enough influence to fuel motivation. True to the writing process, the most important thing is to get start. Let things flow; the niche will evolve with time.
Still, I struggle with how best to start, bogged down by the stress of everything going on right now.
That’s when it hit me: I’m a 20+ want-to-be-published writer who is graduating university in approximately two months. Years of loan debts await repayment. I join the ranks of homeless graduates seeking any and every way to save money. My focus is writing, but my responsibility is winning a job. In this economy, that spells stress-overdose.
The unknown fills me with anxiety. The world holds many opportunities, however, and I’m going to do what I can to handle the stress in a positive way. After all, freedom from the classroom = freedom to fill the days with writing. Résumés, cover letters, general fiction. At least writing removes some stress from my life.
