Victory is Mine, Victory is Mine…
“I have drunk from the keg of glory, Donna. Bring me all the finest muffins and bagels in the land.”
–Just a little West-Wing-age for those fans among you.
I am so happy this week. Sometimes when I can’t find time to blog, it’s because I’m in a funk. This week, it’s because I’m so busy being on top of the world.
I started Nanowrimo this last Wednesday. At the end of my first week, I’m still ahead of schedule. And I realized something new. I finally like writing. I like it. I love it.
I’m enjoying more than just the feeling of having written. I’m enjoying putting the words down and exploring characters and crafting sentences. I feel like a writer. And while for a month I am hardly a blogger, at the end of that month I will have a novel. My main character is a blast. I love her voice. I love writing in first person. I love it love it love it.
I have also discovered my niche, I think, in YA fiction. I really struggled through my NaNoWriMo fantasy novel from last year. It is just so darn much harder to have to imagine the foods people would eat . . . and when you realize that their breakfast is a kind of porridge, then you wonder what grain they’re eating. Is it a grain that exists on earth as we know it, or should you name it. And what kind of basin or bowl do they use to consume it. WAY too hard for a one-month novel.
So this year I’m writing about teens who go to the high school where I was a teacher. Not teens I knew, mind you, or even teachers I knew. All the characters are purely fictitious, but let me just say that writing about teenagers in high school in Utah is a LOT easier. When it’s time for breakfast, I can have them grab the cheerios and milk. Aaaaaah.
And in Bean news: In the last month Bean has started quoting movies a lot more. Like the other day in the car she asked me to shake her hand, and then witheld a handshake from me, saying “Don’t shake, unless you mean it.” — Emperor’s New Groove.
And like when she walks around shaking her head and repeating, “Not Happy, Bob. Not Happy.” — The Incredibles
Or when she raises anything that might possibly pass as a goblet and shouting, “To Kuzco!” — Groove again
Or when she crawls around on all fours growling and saying, “Alex eat. Alex HUNgry!” — Madagascar
Just in case you wondered where I was, or what had happened to me. I’m still sane. I’m still alive. I’m having a blast. I’ll be back to more posting in December.
Until next time,
Hasta.
Heh! My LaLa now calls all tiger’s “Wajah’s” (Rajah the tiger from Alladin).
Go Nanowrimo!
Comment by bon — November 9, 2006 @ 11:37 pm
Quoi? Décembre? I hope you are still going to put a post or two before December, girl:-)
Comment by Gwennaëlle — November 10, 2006 @ 2:16 am
I am so happy that your writing experience has turned out to be such a rewarding one this time! I am enjoying it as well, but this being my first experience, I really am just putting words down on paper to make my 50,000 word goal. I have a simple plot with simple characters but I think if I stick with it and do some good re-editing afterwards, I may have something! Yay for us, Heather!
And Bean is so funny!
Comment by Regina Clare Jane — November 10, 2006 @ 6:40 am
Heather, I am so proud of you and THRILLED for you!! Way to have the courage to try again even when you didn’t LOVE it last year. You have seriously given me hope - about things that I WANT to love and know that I CAN love and know that I WILL love someday - maybe the first time around is NOT what I should judge by.
Comment by Margaret — November 10, 2006 @ 10:12 am
I am so glad everything is going well! SO…. do I get read this book when it is complete, last year I heard about the nanorimo writing but was never given the opportunity to read anything! Can I please read your book when you’re done! I like to read!
Can’t wait to see you in a week or so! Love ya!
Comment by Lisa — November 10, 2006 @ 12:42 pm
Hi Heather, sounds like things are going great for you. Yay! I want to meet your main character.
I’ll email you about the dates we will be in UT. We can come to Provo. We will include the required brainwashing trip to BYU in our day.
Comment by Gabriela — November 10, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
Glad to hear it’s going well. Keep up the good work!
Comment by Goslyn — November 11, 2006 @ 11:06 am
Hey! I think that’s great that you tried again this year with NaNoWriMo - I’d love to write a YA novel, and one of these days I will do it.. but not this month
Good luck!
Comment by Michelle — November 11, 2006 @ 1:33 pm
NaNoWriMo! I have never heard of that before now, but it sounds really cool. Good for you on feeling good about it.
Comment by Nicole — November 12, 2006 @ 3:38 pm
I always thought it was funny when Engineer would say, “Trot out the ladies.”
Comment by Stephanie — November 13, 2006 @ 9:19 pm
So happy for you!! So great to be on top of the world.
Comment by RGLHM — November 13, 2006 @ 9:56 pm
New to your site…stumbled upon it from another stumbled-upon…I just have to say: LOVE the Josh quote from West Wing! LOVED West Wing!
Comment by Lisa — November 17, 2006 @ 12:44 pm