No NaNo for Me, but….

November 5, 2016 by JoAnna 25 Comments

I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year. I’ve never done it, yet. But one year, I hope to – when I’m writing a novel. I know you don’t have to write a novel, but it is National Novel Writing Month. I’m sort of doing my own intense memoir-that-reads-like-a-novel fix up this month, which means I’m going through my memoir and looking for places to change some of my telling to showing.

It’s harder with a memoir, because I can’t just make stuff up like I could in a novel. But I’m learning to be more creative in adding scenes and dialog even if I don’t remember the exact words that were said, though sometimes I do.

I have been reading more novels lately. I’m a slow reader, but I recently finished Steele Secrets, a young adult novel about a girl who meets a ghost in a slave cemetery. It’s full of compassion and integrity and a great read for any teenager or young adult.

Right after finishing Steele Secrets, I read Linda’s book, All Good Stories. It was great to follow up an emotionally moving novel about saving a slave cemetery with something lighthearted and funny. Linda’s book is technically a novelette. It was fun and easy, but not too easy. Both books were important to read: Steele Secrets, because we need to honor the enslaved people who suffered and died in America, and All Good Stories, because we need fun and delight in our lives. We need balance.

My memoir does sort of read like a novel, I hope. I have work to do, and I’m sure I can set some goals to intensify my efforts. I imagine there’s more thinking going on in revising and editing than the speed writing of NaNoWriMo. I sort of envy all of you doing that. I bet it’s exhilarating. Hopefully next year, I’ll join you! Dang! I wish I could edit out those sort ofs, sort of. No, really.

Okay. I didn’t mean that NaNoWriMo writers are not thinking. But it’s a different kind of thinking. Maybe the characters are thinking for them, which would be cool. Am I in trouble? I worry too much. Sort of. 🙂 Better to stop now. The stream of consciousness is carrying me away.

Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt: “novel” was brought to you by Linda G. Hill.

To find out more, visit Linda at:

https://lindaghill.com/2016/11/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-516/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!