NaNo Diaries: Day Thirteen

Evil Eye Tree in Turkey said to ward off harm

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.17am
Word Count: 2454 (Total - 26,250)
Treats: Simon making risotto for lunch, Chestnut and Mushroom
Other Activity: Not a lot, feeling a tad under the weather.
Word of the Day: SAPORIFIC adjective 1. producing or imparting flavour or taste.




Friday the thirteenth. Good job I'm not superstitious and that tree looks scary! My maternal grandmother, Hettie was terribly superstitious. She would allow us to open umbrellas in the house, nor walk on cracks in pavements and even prevented my mother from getting married in May (Marry in May, rue the day). As my parents celebrated fifty years of marriage, maybe she was right. We have lots of black cats here in out feral cat community and the Italians are very wary of them, instead of bringing luck they signify evil. 

Anyway, despite a bit of a stop start to my writing session this morning - where poor Simon got a bit of a roasting for asking me where the sellotape was - I managed to pen a good word count. The trouble is when your concentration is pierced by the slightest thing when your're in mid flow, you can never recover that moment. Still I went on to write and enjoyed the session so maybe not so bad after all. My poor husband will be so glad when November is over... He's a star.

Ciao for Now

WRITING DRAFTS

Painting A Picture
I subscribe to a number of writing newsletters (in fact, far too many) which fall into my in box on a regular basis. I usually skim read them, scanning for market news, latest tips, writing successes and any little nuggets which may just make my writing life easier. It's not often that I find something new or which affects me profoundly, most of it acts like a kind of 'reminder' of what I already know. However this morning was a little different when I came across a piece entitled 'First Drafts' by Naomi Rose. This writer drew (literally speaking) a analogy between a writer and a visual artist in terms of their initial approach to their creative projects. 


As you know, first drafts for this first time novelist, is very pertinent right now and I'm like a sponge when it comes to anything vaguely concerned with this topic. An artist first sketches out a rough drawing, some of which maybe quite detailed, some more general concepts or ideas but all elements of the intended 'whole'. An artist would never put out their first sketch as completed work (unless posthumously by others as an indication of their skill) and always would use it as their reference piece for the completed picture. A blank canvas and a stick of charcoal are the tools used (my kind of artist anyway) and a connection of thoughts, ideas, settings, people and themes which are then tried out, maybe several times as the creative juices take hold. A kind of giving 'birth' to the form that will eventually be the finished painting or picture. Bringing the canvas to life but with parts missing, parts which need a different approach and colour and parts that may just be airbrushed away. So like first drafts in writing, it struck me, yet I never (until today) had seen it as so... magical and sensual. 
It has really struck a chord as you can probably detect and I'm hoping that later on in my 'editing' slot I shall still feel the same way.
Until Friday,

WRITING ANALYSIS

End of Week Report

This will be brief as life here in rural Italy can be relied on provide me with regular 'challenges'. This week it's the electrics - which to be fair are ancient - and we have been relying on battery power. Hats off to one Writers Abroad member who lives 'off the grid' in terms of electricity. 

Anyway I digress when time (and batteries) are short.

This week I have completed a full chapter/scene analysis on All Will Be Well. What does that exactly mean? Well, I've gone through each chapter and recorded in one of my beloved journals the following; current chapter position, scene number, total number of words, setting, characters involved, point of view and then made detailed comments, thoughts and observations on each scene. This has taught me a number of things the most important being:

1. It has been a most valuable way to spend my time on my work in progress. Not only has it refreshed myself with the story and the characters but it has got me back into its 'groove' again, something that I think had been holding me back.
2. It's shown me those scenes which need to be cut without hesitation, those that need a little work and the important (but behind the scenes) backstory that I need to keep safe somewhere.
3. Undertaking the analysis has shown up the yawning holes and great leaps (not of faith that is for sure) and whose story this actually is... something which nearly knocked me out.

So why has it taken me so long to do this? Not sure, not even sure if I've read about doing this kind of navel gazing activity. But it's worked for me and for All Will Be Well. So that's something else that is going in my list of 'must do's ' for future works in progress...