1. I hit 40,000 words on my novel this weekend, which is
the official halfway point. Rather than making me elated, all it did was fill
me with soul-sucking darkness at the
thought of all that still needs to be done.
2. But there is hope! I found Absolute Write, a great
online discussion board for writers—I have no idea how I missed it before—and signed
up for an account and posted of my despair. I got 20 responses right off the bat
from a great group of supportive writers who assured me that the halfway point
of a novel is notoriously the worst, and to hang in there because it gets
better. I’ve been posting on the board like a fiend and reading it obsessively.
It makes me feel a lot less alone in in the process of writing a whole entire
book.
3. I heard two great podcasts over this weekend:
Psychiatrist Phil Stutz on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, and the short story, “Secret Santa” by Jonathan Goldstein on the CBC’s Wiretap Radio. Choice quotes:
“For
after all his years of giving, Santa knew better than anyone that we don’t
always receive what we want, nor even what we deserve. We receive what life
brings us. And when it comes to life, we haven’t a choice but to open our arms.” -–Secret Santa, by Jonathan Goldstein
“The
force that accepts what is, is love.”—Phil Stutz
4. I haven’t killed my new Beta fish yet.
5. Mr. Typist got all sullen yesterday because he said
that I never read books he recommends for me. So to appease him, I agreed to
read R.A. Salvatore’s “Homeland”, Book One in the Legend of Drizzle series
about the Drow—the Dark Elves of Menzobarranzan. So far so good—the women are
in charge of warfare and wield whips with live snake heads attached to them,
something called “faery dust” creates all the color in the land, and the
scheming Dinin rides into the elf university on a giant lizard mount. What’s
not to love?
6. Christmas isn’t annoying me as much as it normally does
this year. I think I’ve just come to accept it. Or maybe it feels less real because
it's shoved into the middle of the week on a Tuesday and Wednesday.
7. The video below demonstrates why it’s
important in storytelling to have characters who make frequent ill-advised decisions:
1 comment:
Yes, it's important to have characters who make poor decisions and also make mistakes and have flaws that need correcting. Lots of conflict is integral, especially to a novel more than the short story. Conflict and resolution is the rule of thumb, as I'm sure you know.
Anyway, great video and great post, as always!
Merry Christmas to you. And don't forget to enjoy the creative process and the formidable task you have undertaken: the writing of a novel. Nothing harder to write than it. And you should be proud!
Patrick
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