The numbers aren’t looking good. Having only produced 6,489 words so far, I’ll never get to 50,000 by midnight tomorrow. Nevertheless …
I did get another 6,489 words closer to a working first draft.
Plus, I spent time revisiting the earlier work, seeing with fresh eyes what did and didn’t work, and got the creative juices flowing again on that particular story. I certainly do not regret, not for one minute, participating in NaNo this year even if I fell far short of “winning.”
My game plan is to complete the first draft for this particular novel before November 2013 — and use next year’s event to jump-start a new book.
For me, at least, NaNo isn’t the best approach to a project that’s well underway. I simply found myself too tangled up in needing to do serious research and rewriting of last year’s work, needing to get things in order before I could add more to mix. There were just too many loose threads, scattered scenes, jumbled characterizations, shifting settings … The energy generated by this great November event might best be used on a new project each year.
Huge cheers to the many writers who made their 50K this year, and a toast to all of participants. See you all next year!
“The Confessional” 2008
by Talia Liccardello
for Chatterbox Audio Theater
As previously mentioned, this year’s Halloween broadcast from Chatterbox Audio Theater is going to include a look back “at some of the creepiest stories from the past four years.” As it turns out, that includes “Burning Cold,” which I wrote for the 2010 show!
Several other favorites from 2008, 2009 and 2011 will be featured — along with an all-new work by Chatterbox’s Executive Director Robert Arnold. I’m thrilled to be part of the Halloween Show for the 4th year in a row!
Read all about it — and listen Halloween Night 7pm Central Time on 91.1 WKNO-FM (in the Memphis area) or online at wknofm.org.
Yes, my lovelies, it’s almost time for this year’s feast of delightfully horrifying Halloween treats from Chatterbox Audio Theater:
Join us on 91.1 WKNO FM (or streaming through www.wknofm.org) for Chatterbox’s fifth consecutive Halloween broadcast! To celebrate this milestone, we’ll be looking back at some of the creepiest stories from the past four years, then concluding with an all-new story performed live on the air …”
There’s nobody better at brewing up a bubbling mixture of horror and fun than the demented minds of Chatterbox. Make plans now to listen this Wednesday October 31 at 7 pm Central Time.
“Master Zacharius #1″ by Erica McCarrens – Commissioned by Chatterbox Audio Theater
This is a must-hear event, so mark your calendars and bookmark the Sound Stages Radio site!
Chatterbox’s “Master Zacharius” will air as part of this year’s Transcontinental Terror Halloween event! Check it out, along with offerings from Wireless Theatre Company, Electric Vicuna Productions, FinalRune Productions, The Icebox Radio Theater, and 19 Nocturne Boulevard. The spooky fun kicks off at 6 pm CDT on Halloween night. Listen through Sound Stages Radio at the link below.
Sound Stages Radio “
To keep up with Chatterbox news, visit their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @chatterboxaudio.
I hope you’re make strides in preparing for National Novel Writing Month — whether that means learning the awesome new software Aeon Timeline (which syncs with Scrivener!), or hitting the grocery store for coffee, chocolate and fixin’s for quick and easy meals, or scribbling frantically in your novel-planning notebook.
Having been a bit mired in a client job — no complaints ’cause getting paid to write is always awesome — I hope to catch up on all of that and more in the next two weeks as we run headlong, ready or not, into November 1!
photo by Double–M
If you’re female, under 32 and a would-be novelist … and most especially if you’ve been working some crazy jobs to make ends meet:
Check out McSweeney’s Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award!
They’ll be bestowing a no-strings-attached $2,500 award to a struggling word-gal. So you can keep doing that highwire thing you do.
“Writing Santa” by timlewisnw, used with permission.
Saturday October 20 is the National Writing Project‘s National Day on Writing (say that three times fast!).
To join in, simply blog, post, etc. whatever you want to say about whatever it is you write on Oct. 19 … and, if you’re on Twitter, tweet it to #whatiwrite.
With everyone from NaNo to the New York Times collaborating with NPW to support the event, I figure there will be, oh, eleventy-gazillion #whatiwrite tweets in a 48-hour period.
And you’ll read every last one until you find mine … Right?
