The Introvert's Party

I'm tired and grumpy.  My hair is atrocious, my apartment full of feasting fruit flies, and dog hair is literally everywhere.  Also, the Giants are currently losing to the Reds, but that is another story.

Session 1 of Camp Nanowrimo is over and 63,166 words have been regurgitated into Scrivner to be edited at a later time.  I am going to treat myself to something absurd and unnecessary and watch The Newsroom (again).

For now, I do have this to say.  Whatever your thoughts on NaNo, pro or otherwise, I am ever thankful for it.  Navigating the waters of writing largely on my own (I had a post-college career realization), I rely heavily on the advice of professionals.

Outline, outline, outline.  That is the mantra of film and TV.  Those damned flashcards never worked for me and only cataloged odd words and phrases that confused and slowed my creative process.  For those of you utterly constricted by the "right way to write," NaNo is like washing your feet in the Dan Spring.  Somehow, whenever I think of icy, fresh water imagery, I think of my trip to Jordan and the glorious water of the River Dan.  That's NaNo to this weary writer.

Trust your instincts.  That has been the theme of the month.  Trust your instincts.  I had an idea (actually, my husband had an idea), a few characters in mind, some memories to draw from, and somewhat of a road map.  That is what you take to NaNo.  The rest is a wonderful adventure.

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.  –E. L. Doctorow

I am easily bogged down by pre-production; I could dwell in that state of writing for years.  When I write and just trust my instincts, I am always surprised by what flows out onto the paper.  We are told that writing is drama and drama is conflict.  One of my favorite bits of writing advice comes from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who surprised an NYU writing class for an impromptu lecture. Video via BuzzFeed.


They said that if the words "and then" appear between their story beats, it's going to be boring and predictable so instead opt for the words "therefore" and "but," the conflict and the (attempts at) resolution.   _____ happens therefore ______ BUT ______ happens, therefore ______.

So pair the therefore/but advice with traditional scriptwriters encouragement to place ordinary scenes in unusual/surprising circumstances (suddenly a pig runs out of the kitchen and into the restaurant where HIPSTER BOY and HIPSTERER GIRL are drinking their bottomless coffees and arguing about that Wes Anderson film but really they're talking about themselves).  I think the element of unusual in a story comes from our every day lives; the break-up of the writing pattern to go to work or answer your phone or watch that stupid cat on BuzzFeed, dammit!  Sit down at your computer with no road map and a time crunch and you might find yourself wandering into a circle of penguins.  In Little Rock.  And you better figure out how to fly that helicopter or the Yankees will win the World Series.

That is NaNoWriMo.  And by God, I love it.

Editing may be more hellish, but I never play with fiction better than when I'm writing by the seat of my pants!  Have a great weekend, friends!

Kris

UPDATE:  The Giants just lost.  For the second game in a row, they broke up the SP's shutout in the ninth inning.  At least, I still have the great coverage by the McCovey Chronicles to look forward too.  I swear, it really takes the sting out of consecutive losses.