NaNo 2009: Two Weeks In

I thought I'd get much further last night, but all I ended up doing was starting a new chapter, jotting down a couple scenes, and then quickly outlining some thoughts I'd had throughout the day about where the story needed to go. It got me over the 7,000 word mark, which is less than a third of the way toward the overall goal, but still is farther along than I expected this year.

Of course, the main reasons my bar is set so low were crying much of the day, ill and uncomfortable. As probably any writing parent knows, it's not very easy to write when the kids are sick, especially when one parent is away for a business trip.

Back to the kids and computer, but before I do let me ask: How'd you all do?

I know that several of my NaNo buddies have topped 20,000 words and all I can say is congratulations and keep going!

What Do You Mean You're Not Done Yet?

And so it begins: National Novel Writing Month. I'm about to embark on another writing adventure with the ultimate goal of writing 50,000 words within the month of November. I'm already more than nine hours behind!

I'll keep this post short and sweet. But I look forward to hearing of other people's successes at this wonderful challenge of imagination and dedication. As a writer who's not yet written 50,000 words total toward this project in the two years I've done it, Nano is not about the success as much as it is about the attempt to be more for tomorrow than who you are today.

Have fun, fellow Nanoers. Write well, write often.

2009: Predictions for the Year in Reading

Soon we will turn the page on 2008. To my mind, not a bad year over all, though I know of many people who don't have the same affection for 2008. I have much to be thankful for: a good year at work, though I can do more; the joy of impending fatherhood; I got my novel in shape to be seen by agents. And I read a lot of books.

I'm not quite prepared to go over what I read that most impressed me. (After all, who really cares what someone else has read, unless they can say well why someone else should read it?) But I think I can offer a few thoughts about what I and other hardcore readers will be reading in 2009.

I expect to see lots of Dress for Success and job-search books on the trains this coming year. I don't know whether ye olde What Color Is Your Parachute is still a go-to help book in this Internet, "information era" age, but there's probably something of that ilk that'll be flying off the shelves -- at least at the library, since no one has any money any more.

Other books of choice will be along the lines of "How to do more with less." As someone who grew up with Depression-era parents, I feel well indoctrinated about that sort of lifestyle. I've always been frugal, and with my kids on the way, I'm sure that'll continue.

I suspect that there'll be a renewed interest in stories of the 1970s, because that's the era that will be most similar to what we're embarking on. The Great Depression, with its breadlines and Hoovervilles just doesn't seem quite as likely as the '70s lunchbox, baby-sitting relatives, PBJ sandwiches, TV dinners, and other forms of parsimony. I wonder if That '70s Show will stage a revival...

But I'm a fiction writer. What's in it for me? I honestly don't know. I suspect that fiction could become slightly less popular than it already is — and it's already fairly unpopular. So read up America! Fiction, nonfiction, whatever you enjoy. And keep or gain employment. Keep this country literate and great!