--Managing pain is an art
--Writing 50,000 words in one month is easy
--Writing 50,000 words worth their paper is not
--Eating meatballs and spaghetti on Thanksgiving Day is amazingly satisfying
--Most of my greatest friends I have never met
--My children are capable of accepting sadness and death
--My father is the strongest person I have ever met, aside from my mother.
***
The Writing... I 'won' NaNoWriMo on Day 29. This year, I was fussier with my words, not satisfied with 'filler'. I'll detail the process later, and how I dealt with slow periods (I refuse to call them blocks), but first I want to read through the 152 pages (!) I wrote these past 30 days. Now, Clayton Pettigrew calls me, perhaps because North Carolina inspired this particular character and I have spent so much time in that state. Several contests and submissions to send in, after receiving my fair share of rejections...The Reading... I've given up on GRAVITY'S RAINBOW, it's just too intense for me to read right now. I'll return to it after the New Year. Now, in the thick of PEOPLE OF THE BOOK which is stunning in its structure and evocative retelling of history.
Peace, Linda
Posts
Sounds like you had an enlightening week. I won't say anymore since you said it all, pretty much.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes.
Jai
I thought about you over Thanksgiving, Linda. You are pretty strong yourself, keeping your chin up through all this.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed with how you tackle everything with such grace and determination. It shows in your words.
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the best.
Congrats on finishing and winning NANO. I didn't even come close.
ReplyDelete131 pages is nothing to sneeze at -- I've said it many times and I'll say it again --
you, my friend, are a dynamo!!
TY Jai.
ReplyDeleteMoonie, thank you for thinking of me -- this has been an amazingly long year. As you know.
Laurita, my friend Kim (see below your comment) has this saying: "keep on keeping on." What else to do? Live. Love. Write.
Kim. You are so dear to me.
And um, I have 152 pages -- the printer ran out of paper, hee-hee.
Peace, Linda
Linda - Great lessons. I'm so sorry to hear of your father's illness. I am praying for peace, comfort, wisdom, grace and God's unmistakeable presence for your father, your family and all his care givers. Congrats on winning NaNo!
ReplyDeletePeace,
Cindy.
Dear lovely Linda ~
ReplyDeleteYou actually LIVE life with such a thanks of giving that good gentle strong grace becomes you and your world. Your beloved father and mother and those loved ones fortunate to know you ... know all this. Those friends who you have not met - well, heaven's sake - they know that intrinsically of you too.
Namiste dear one,
~ Kate
(who actually started Gravity's Rainbow 3-times on the Prof dare that I couldn't finish it (hah!) - am in agreedom with you though on the intensity of taking it slow - would love to 'read it with you' in the brave new year if you'll say that's so. - OK? ~ A*K)
Hey Linda,
ReplyDeleteI went to peek at the Amazon reviews after you brought your struggles with story. First reviewer: "Gravity's Rainbow is a book you either love or hate, and if you hate it it's probably because you couldn't finish the thing." LOL.
It runs about 1:4 negative-to-positive reviews, whereas Slaughterhouse 5 (which it seemed to get a lot of comparisons to), goes about 1:20.
Not one I'll be delving into anytime soon, but if you get back into it, I'm always interested in your opinion.
Grats on your NaNo accomplishment. Look forward to more Clayton.
--John
You never cease to amaze me Linda. Really, you are an inspiration! I am thrilled to hear about your 152 pages and want to hear more about your process (and the books you're reading) when you get a chance.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on NaNoWriMo!
Chrys