New directions

I got stuck in such a rut when I sat down to write today. Looking back, it seems like I hit a lot of those. I guess it is just part of the process. But I kept hearing the voice of my inner editor going off, telling me my novel doesn't make any sense and that I really need to find a way to explain a few things first. However, I have a deep aversion for explaining things. One of the things that has kept me from getting through many a novel is the author's need to sit down and explain a bunch of stuff, in big, chunky paragraphs, in a very abstract way. I don't want to be told these things. I want you, the author, to show them to me. If it's so important, then it shouldn't be dully recited across 5 pages of backstory. Novel-ize the backstory! Have one of your characters be a storyteller, and have them novelize the backstory! Something! Just don't backstory at me til it makes me want to put your book down and go read something else!

Harry Potter is a good example of how I like a backstory presented to me. J.K. Rowling does not go on for 8 pages explaining about how there are these wizards in the world, and then a bad wizard named Voldemort came along and started killing people, and then some people tried to stop him, and then Harry's parents got killed, and then Voldemort was vanquished while trying to kill Harry. No. We all know that's what happened, but why? Because it was revealed to us in bits and pieces - first with a little bit of prologue that gives us a tantalizing glimpse, then through Hagrid, and then through various other characters and events throughout the book. Even Snape's backstory is given to us in a "show-don't-tell" fashion.

So, needless to say, I started going around in circles about how to get this important information out there in a way that is not confusing but doesn't involve a bunch of backstory recitation. And I ended up with something of a prologue, that might grow into a prequel novella. I like the direction it's going so far, just need to see how long it ends up being before I decide how to incorporate it in my overarching story. It's also revealing some incredibly interesting things about the world I've started to develop, so I can't wait to keep going on it and see where it leads.

Today I managed to log over 1200 words by adding this prologue/prequel, so I'm considering it a success. Time for a celebratory glass of wine!

Favorite Words

I've been receiving the Dictionary.com Word of the Day everyday since my freshman year of college (which was back in 2001... wow, now I feel old). One of my favorite challenges for NaNoWriMo is incorporating the Word of the Day into my writing for each day of November, no matter how odd the word. Now, I'm not saying I'm particularly great about reading the words each day - many times they end up getting glossed over and filed away in my NaNoWriMo mail folder (yes, I do save each one) but every so often I'll learn a delightful new word and stow it away in my brain's filing cabinet for an opportune moment to use it.

I've been a particular slacker lately, with everything going on with my work and my freelancing, and have not been giving my Word of the Day subscription quite the attention it deserves. I think it must have realized this, for today it gave me pause - the word of the day was my all-time favorite word, "persnickety."

When you learn the definition (which I'm not going to tell you - look it up!), you'll find it's not as if it is a particularly positive word. It does describe my personality in some respects - the way I was about my school work, for example, or grammar (learn the difference between your and you're, dammit). However, if you take a moment to say it out loud, you'll find it trips rather delightfully along the tongue, a perfect combination of simple phonetic sounds. I think the only thing more pleasant to read aloud is Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky.

In other news, I've made it past the scene that was giving me such pause in my novel. I've been moping along, word by word, not getting more than 50 words per day for the past few days, when finally I just decided what needed to happen: time to blow some crap up. It was just what I needed, and I managed to crank out a not-too-shabby 1000 words yesterday. Still less than I'd like, but this isn't NaNoWriMo - I need to focus just a little bit on quality over quantity, even if much of it will end up re-written during the editing process.

Well, time for that bane of my existence - the ever-present day job. Sally forth and whatnot.