Write Anything NaNoWriMo Forum
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- Image used with kind permission, © 2009 Julia Anderson.
My day job involves a lot of clerical work. I have come to realise that there is a curious assumption made about people who work in clerical roles; that somehow, perhaps through psychic ability or secretive organisations, we all know each other. Therefore, when asked to do something that involves contacting other people outside our own organisations, we don’t need to be told who to contact, or how, or sometimes what organisation they work for. It is assumed we entered the role with that knowledge in place.
A similar assumption operates for writers. We all know each other, and we’ve read everything. In my experience, writers are generally well read. But there are only so many hours in the day. Nobody can read everything, let alone read everything and get on with their own writing.
So you read what you can, and you bluff the rest. And you hope nobody catches you out.
For your delight, edification, and my own embarrassment, here are my embarrassing literary secrets that would shake your faith in me as a writer.
- Despite my deep interest in dystopian societies, I only read 1984 this year, I have just started Brave New World and I have never read Lord of the Flies.
- I list The Three Musketeers as one of my favourite books, even though after six attempts, I’ve still only got half-way through it (the first half is really good…
- Similar to the above, I count myself as a “fan” of Dostoevsky, despite only reading one of his books (and I considered myself “a fan” before that…)
- I am vocally critical of authors and book series that I have never read.
- Thanks to a handful of quotations, pop culture knowledge and BBC adaptations, people assume I’ve read far more Dickens and Shakespeare than I actually have…
- I am extraordinarily ignorant of my own genres, having read little to any of it.
- I have never read Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia.
They say confession is good for soul. So join me, confess your literary secrets, subvert the expectations that people have of us as well-read and of exquisite taste.
Welcome to the November 2009 Creative Carnival edition!
What is this? It’s a chance to compile some great articles around the blog-o-sphere showcasing all sorts of writing. If you need to know more, or would like to submit an article for the next Creative Carnival, read this.
So, without further ado, grab a cup o’ joe, kick off your shoes and sit a spell, there’s lots of interesting reading just a click away.
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Poetry
susan presents the last sugar cookie posted at Patchwork Reflections.
(Editor’s Note: ONE submission?! Come now, we can do better than that! Where are the poets out there?)
Essays
Annmarie presents Up In Arms! posted at meanmarie.com.
Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ms. Legal Person Answers Your Holiday Questions posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
Jason Ward presents Moon landings, dashed dreams, conspiracy idiots. – posted at The Word of Ward.
Roz Morris aka Dirtywhitecandy presents Beginning to write: Helen’s writing journey – lies and twisty ways with words, and the inner child posted at NAIL YOUR NOVEL.
john c erianne presents I’m Busy Writing, So Leave Me Alone, Chris Baty! posted at Diary of a Mad Editor.
Todd Murphy presents Differences Of Opinion – Filmmaking Vs. Film Criticism posted at All About Movies.net.
Erin Straza presents Art’s Recipe: Use Equal Parts Chaos and Serenity, Mix Well posted at Filling My Patch of Sky, saying, “The beauty rich, layered writing requires elements of order and chaos, conflict and resolution. Here’s a look at how these blend together to form written art.”
Jaime Teele presents how to beat obsessive compulsive disorder… posted at Jaime Teele.
Brandon Waite presents Las Vegas Musings posted at LifesPoet, saying, “Sometimes I’ll just walk around a casino and watch the people, listen to their conversations. That is what I find intriguing about casinos and Vegas in general, the people.”
Fiction
Tom Llewellyn presents There are no calendars here. No clocks. No seasons. posted at Letter Off Dead, saying, “A sample post from an ongoing fiction blog”
Lucynda Riley presents My Skirt around my hips and Enikk between them posted at The Alien Princess.
Surbhi Bhatia presents Fiction of a Third Kind posted at The Viewspaper.
ndrea presents Day 12 posted at Sinister Tales, saying, “An excerpt from my Nano project Sinister Tales.”
Toni presents Beautiful Weed posted at What’s your story?, saying, “Because sometimes the what-if’s and what-could-have-been’s just enter your mind in the wee hours of the morning.”
Karen presents The Ultimate Sacrifice posted at Fiction Fix saying, “What would it take for you to freely give your life away?”
Nonfiction
Glenn Arseneau presents Screenwriting 101: Ideas are Half (Okay, Most of) the Battle… posted at SCRIBEalism, saying, “An essay on story archetypes. Aimed at beginning screenwriters but applicable to all writing genres!”
Shannon Wills presents 50 Must-Read Novels from the 20th Century posted at Online Accredited Degrees, saying, “Literature, as with all forms of creative expression, is a highly subjective art. This list intends to blend highly recognized and celebrated works with those that may have gone overlooked by those outside the literary community and deserve more mainstream attention.”
Lisa Taylor presents 10 Places to Help Find a Home for Your Writing posted at Accredited Online Degrees.
Rose King presents Top 10 Plagiarism Scandals of All Time posted at Online Classes.org.
Rod presents Writing Characters posted at Creative Writing Course, saying, “Believable, well-rounded characters are vital for your reader to develop an emotional bond with your book. Here are some ideas and exercises to help you develop yours.”
Ralph Jean-Paul presents The Know It All: My Interview With Bestselling Author A.J. Jacobs posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, “He has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and now, Potential 2 Success. Read my interview with one of the funniest non fiction writers today and Editor-at-Large at Esquire Magazine AJ, Jacobs”
Jody T Fransch presents Unleash Your Creativity posted at jody fransch.
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This concludes the November 2009 edition of the Creative Carnival. THANK YOU for submitting your links! If you would like to see your work showcased in the December 2009 edition, please submit your links here. (Please, one link per blog. If you submit more than one link per blog, I will only use the first link submitted.)
If you submitted your link and don’t see it here, that probably means I received it after the deadline.
Thanks for visiting the carnival participants and don’t forget to check back December 12th for the next Creative Carnival.
[Fiction] Friday Challenge for November 20th, 2009:
A woman who’s constantly quoting classic novels meets a literature professor at a holiday cocktail party. (Feel free to incorporate this prompt into your NaNoWriMo project!!)
How Fiction Friday works
Fiction Friday is easy to do.
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Every Thursday, just check this page for this week’s theme or challenge.
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Spend at least 5 minutes composing something original based on the theme or challenge.
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But, remember, no editing. This is to inspire creativity not stifle it.
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On Friday, simply post what you wrote to your own blog.
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Then come back to Write Anything and leave the link in the comment section below.
If you’re participating in the Write Anything meme, please leave a link to your entry below. (If you’re not participating, please don’t leave a link. People who aren’t playing will be removed). Please don’t forget to leave us a comment in addition to leaving a link!
You might also like to Tweet links from this site as they are posted.
If you’d like to participate further, just go visit some of the other links left by other participants, read what they wrote, and leave a comment. Just be sure that your comment is constructive—this is, after all, a meme to give us all a little writing practice.
Want more information? Visit the Fiction Friday page.
Technorati tags: 
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An excerpt from my 2009 Nano project:
Was it the ghosts? Or perhaps Simon found an entrance after all. Either way the noise rendered me frozen. No sound proceeded it at first. Then furniture tumbled over, sending a candle in a glass container rolling in to the hallway. The evidence mounted in Simon’s favor. Another crashing sound. Why was he in a spare bedroom? If the book was anywhere it was in Aunt Lilian’s room. He had been in this house numerous times. He should know which room was which. In effort to identify the intruder, I slowly sulked to their location.
Avoided spots I know creaked with age. Articles of clothing flew in to the hallway followed by a few mumbles. As I approached the doorway, I listened for the familiar identification. A sample of their voice. A familiar saying. Something. The person remained eerily quiet as they tore the room apart. I had to see who it was. Leaning towards the entrance, I gradually peered through. The man’s back was to me but I knew it wasn’t Simon. This man appeared inches taller and was wearing an onyx suit. Simon had blue jeans on. Not many people in this town opts for a suit, especially in this heat. Who could the man be? I looked on as he dumped the contents of drawers on to the flower. He sifted through the stuff with his foot. Disappointed, he pulled out another drawer and repeated the process.
The man refused to turn in my direction. What was he looking for? The book? If only he would show his face. I could toss something. Cause some kind of noise and get his attention. However, that would bring attention to my own location. Where were the ghosts when I needed them? I wouldn’t have to wait long. A door from below slammed shut, echoing throughout the house. The man twisted in my direction. My eyes grew wide. It was the last person I ever expected to see.
Its week three of NaNo. By now no doubt things are getting a little tetchy around the home and workplace, your eyes are dragging downwards and the feverish twitching of your fingers as they tap away on the computer are giving others in the house a nervous disposition.
Especially given two of this weeks posts, I thought I’d post something a little lighter today and perhaps something aimed at your loved one (or potential one). Enjoy!
What are the top reasons someone might consider dating or marrying a writer?
Writers write.
Goes without saying really. However if you date a writer, they are very likely to write about you in their blog, or you take a place in their latest novel or short story. Be prepared to be showered with compliments and flattering descriptive verse.
All the interesting places you’ll get taken.
When they aren’t writing, writers like to indulge in humanity, infuse their soul into whatever is going on around them; which means they seek out interesting or quirky events, performances, bars and places to go; seeking a storyline, character or setting.
Being acknowledged
All your narcissistic needs will be met with the showering of acknowledgment you will receive when the writer publishes something; from acceptance speeches to dedications in the front of their book or website.
Writers explore themes and areas of their lives in minute detail.
By reading their work, you will be privy to a deeper understanding of them as people, than you ever might hope in a ‘normal’ relationship.
Writers are intelligent.
Generally speaking, writers are a clever bunch, well read and educated and not shy of speaking about their passions and interests. Depth in a relationship is more likely to keep it together than the shallowness of trivial interests. You’ll have a great partner for playing scrabble and be able to debate semantics for hours.
Writers can express themselves in a variety of ways.
Being wordy, a writer can express their feelings toward you in 100s of ways. They are also fairly flexible in the methods they use to communicate, so get used to emails late at night, SMS’s at all times of the day, IM chat, Skype and occasionally a phone call.
Money doesn’t matter.
With only a small percentage of writers who get published and go on to earning a living, dating or marrying a writer will remind you that money isn’t everything. They will remind you of how important it is to follow your dreams and passions.
Some Reasons why marrying or dating a writer is not such a great idea
NaNo WriMo.
I don’t think there needs to be anymore said on this subject.
Personal Details
Dating a writer means that personal details about you are more than likely to be included in blogs and within the manuscripts they are working on. Its possible the writer may write much less flattering things about you if you break up. Sometimes this can go as far as that character based on you being tortured or killed in hideous ways.
Interesting places
might mean completely different things to you and the writer. Another weekend huddled up in an underground earthern mound being smoked out by a manure fire might form an excellent base for the writers next historical novel, but begin to wear thin on you.
An insight into their soul.
This can be disturbing, especially if the writer focuses on horror.
Writers are intelligent,
…..and sometimes can bore others to tears with their passions. They often need reining in at specific social functions, especially when their passions lie in religious or political stances.
100s of ways to tell you like it is.
Being wordy, a writer is also able to give you minute description of your faults and the things you need to improve upon. An SMS at 2 am on how you ca improve your sock draw may not be received in the same manner it was intended when it was sent.
Being a Patron of the Arts.
Realistically, not a great deal of writers make a decent living from their work. If you date or marry a writer, be prepared to become a patron of the arts.
I hope this brought a smile to your face. Now.. back to your NaNo – unless of course you’d like to add some more reasons in the comment box? I am planning to hand over my Wednesday spot sometime in Dec for my partner to write his views on having a writer in the house…..
Image by mozzercork via Flickr
A couple of days ago Paul’s wife wrote a very good—and somewhat cheeky—post about living with a writer during NaNoWriMo. It was my fiancée’s intent to follow up today with an equally irreverent look at living with an struggling author. Alas…the best laid plans and all that. Instead after our H1N1 vaccinations yesterday, she’s not feeling very good (neither am I, but she feels worse) so I’ve let her off the hook for now. Truth be told she’s a bit more anxious to write her post that I am to let her—because I’m quite certain she plans to take a few digs at me.
Paul’s wife danced around the edges of a critical element to a writer’s success. Support.
As a writer I have plenty of friends who are writers. And as most of them have spouses—or potential spouses—I have plenty of examples to see how relationships can sour the act of writing, and vice versa.
I’ve actually experienced the conflict from both sides of the coin. My ex-wife was very supportive of my writing habit. As long as it didn’t take time away from her. She held the odd assumption that I could limit my writing to the hours when we were apart. My fiancée on the other hand is more than accepting that writing takes time, and as it is something I love, allowing me some time to indulge is a healthy thing.
But in all the writing-afflicted relationships I have observed close up I have noticed a common problem that seems to crop up and cause no end of trouble:
I’m not sure why, but many—if not most—non-writers assume that a writer isn’t a “success” unless they have not only been published, but have managed to make a living at their art. I’ve never understood this. I think most writers would tell you—no matter how reluctantly—that their writing is a hobby that they wish could be more. But why do others assume that if we don’t make it big that we’ve failed?
If your wife liked to paint, would you constantly remind her that she wasn’t hanging in the Louvre? If your son enjoyed tinkering with his car, would you be disappointed if he didn’t wind up in someone’s pit crew?
And this is where Paul’s wife’s post touched a nerve. You can tell she gets it. She understands that Paul has a love of writing, and she knows that to keep him happy sometimes she just has to live with the fact that he goes off the deep end for a while. And if he can manage to be supportive of that, so much the better for their long-term outlook.
