I am struggling this nano, so I'm just writing whatever comes into my head. I don't know why I thought about this story, but it's enough to fill twenty minutes while everyone else is down to the serious business of writing.
Jonah
The story goes a man is out fishing and a strong wind picks up. Suddenly, his little row boat is overturned and quickly fills with water. A man treading water out in the ocean now that his rowboat has sunk is a desperate man. He is a man so at a loss that he will pray to a god he has never believed was up there, until now, and now he believes god lives up just beyond the clouds, and when he squints against the glare, he believes it is possible to see the long white beard of god. The man prays and suddenly from beneath him a large whale lurches forward and swallows him. The man thinks to himself, I know this story! My name must be Jonah, and indeed it is, but with no affiliation to the Bible, being that this is modern times and this modern Jonah is a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company that sells pills to calm people's nerves. He could really go for one of them right now, is exactly what he's thinking when the whale pushes out a river of brill riddled salt water and ocean detritus. Jonah realizes that he is not in the official belly of the whale, but situated right under its thumderous heart. He thinks about making an escape plan, pushing up and out of the whale, but the gentle pressing of the mammal lumbering through water lulls him into complacency. Jonah realizes living inside the belly of the whale is like life. You get a new situation foisted on you and have to adapt. He likes it inside the whale even though it's a little damp and smelly. The whale doesn't seem to mind.
Showing posts with label nanowrimo2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nanowrimo2010. Show all posts
Nanoing A Novel in Thirty Days: November 3 - The Abracadabra Girl
I finally, finally have an idea! It started with the title of a Sandberg poem, The Abracadabra Boys, which I cannibalized, and no, the story I'm writing will bear no resemblance to the poem, although I'd really, really like allude to or use,They knoweth not how the kumquat cometh.
As I said before, I will be posting excerpts and entire sections of my nano daily writing, and I anticipate that there will be punctuation running amuck, dangling metaphors, tense and point of view confusion, and much, much worse. This process is messy, ugly, and gritty, (and some fun), and it will be okay, because they will be my messes, (which I will clean up. Later!).
If you're interested in learning nanowrimo, here's the site.
Here's goes.
The Abracadabra Girl
Danna
He is here, inside me. Can't you understand? He is small as a twist of twine. That is why you can't see him, but I feel him moving here under my left rib. He want's something, I can feel it, the young girl said.
No. No one is here. Antoinette, there is nothing inside you but your blood. I only want you to eat, the man said.
He sat across the dented wooden table from her, buttering one half of a hard roll. He slid it toward her.
Eat, he said.
No, we're not hungry, she said and stretched backward, presenting the sharp outline of her ribcage through her thin cotton dress.
Right here, she said, rubbing the bone. Look. Anyone can see. Even you.
The man pulled a thinly rolled cigarette from a worn leather case, struck a match on the table's underside and lit it, inhaling deeply then let the smoke out slowly as if he were whistling. He reached across the table and the girl took it from him.
Thank you, papa, she said.
As I said before, I will be posting excerpts and entire sections of my nano daily writing, and I anticipate that there will be punctuation running amuck, dangling metaphors, tense and point of view confusion, and much, much worse. This process is messy, ugly, and gritty, (and some fun), and it will be okay, because they will be my messes, (which I will clean up. Later!).
If you're interested in learning nanowrimo, here's the site.
Here's goes.
The Abracadabra Girl
Danna
He is here, inside me. Can't you understand? He is small as a twist of twine. That is why you can't see him, but I feel him moving here under my left rib. He want's something, I can feel it, the young girl said.
No. No one is here. Antoinette, there is nothing inside you but your blood. I only want you to eat, the man said.
He sat across the dented wooden table from her, buttering one half of a hard roll. He slid it toward her.
Eat, he said.
No, we're not hungry, she said and stretched backward, presenting the sharp outline of her ribcage through her thin cotton dress.
Right here, she said, rubbing the bone. Look. Anyone can see. Even you.
The man pulled a thinly rolled cigarette from a worn leather case, struck a match on the table's underside and lit it, inhaling deeply then let the smoke out slowly as if he were whistling. He reached across the table and the girl took it from him.
Thank you, papa, she said.
Nanoing A Novel in Thirty Days: Subject & Prompts
I really haven't been able to settle on a subject for this year's nano marathon, so I decided to let chance decide. You too may be desperate to come up with an idea you can commit the month to, and then also the following months of revising and rewriting.
I've included directions to the process I call Random Words, but you can call it whatever you like. Hope it works for you.
Directions:
a. cut and paste a section from an online newspaper or magazine.
b. enlarge the words and cut them out.
c. ask a question.
d. pull 2-7 words and tape them under your question.
e. respond to the answer.
f. ask another question.
For the prompts I used the same process for all thirty days of November. I'm a little behind nanoing already, but I should have my idea figured out tomorrow.
Random Words
Prompts:
I've included directions to the process I call Random Words, but you can call it whatever you like. Hope it works for you.
Directions:
a. cut and paste a section from an online newspaper or magazine.
b. enlarge the words and cut them out.
c. ask a question.
d. pull 2-7 words and tape them under your question.
e. respond to the answer.
f. ask another question.
For the prompts I used the same process for all thirty days of November. I'm a little behind nanoing already, but I should have my idea figured out tomorrow.
Random Words
Prompts:
NaNoing A Novel in Thirty Days: Year Five - NaNoWriMo 2010
If you've been reading this blog, you may remember that last year I posted a poem a day, thirty poems in all in my Thirty Poems in Thirty Days, for National Poetry Month 2010. I have a few Poem Therapy poems and random posts scattered in with my original poems as well.
Although I've been nanoing for the last five years, I've never posted anything I've written for the nanoing month of writing. That's about to change. (I know you're sitting on proverbial pins and needles waiting for the first post).
Nanoing is short for nanowrimo - National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 1,667 words for a grand total of 50 K words. So far, I've reached that goal only once. Regardless, nanowrimo has served as a kick start to stalled writing projects.
The first day of nanoing is here and I'm still unsure as to what I will write. The important thing is that I'll be writing. What you need to know is that I plan to post messy, unedited, wandering around the trees lost and blind, possibly incomprehensible, shitty rough draft posts. You are welcome to comment, but at some point, probably in December, I will revise them into some type of comprehension. What I'm saying is that I retain all rights to my writing. Just saying.
If you're interested in learning nanowrimo, here's the site.
It's not to late to get nanoing. Join me!
Although I've been nanoing for the last five years, I've never posted anything I've written for the nanoing month of writing. That's about to change. (I know you're sitting on proverbial pins and needles waiting for the first post).
Nanoing is short for nanowrimo - National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 1,667 words for a grand total of 50 K words. So far, I've reached that goal only once. Regardless, nanowrimo has served as a kick start to stalled writing projects.
The first day of nanoing is here and I'm still unsure as to what I will write. The important thing is that I'll be writing. What you need to know is that I plan to post messy, unedited, wandering around the trees lost and blind, possibly incomprehensible, shitty rough draft posts. You are welcome to comment, but at some point, probably in December, I will revise them into some type of comprehension. What I'm saying is that I retain all rights to my writing. Just saying.
If you're interested in learning nanowrimo, here's the site.
It's not to late to get nanoing. Join me!
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