More from "Talon Tales"

An excerpt from "Zoe and Toby's Adventure". A second narrator gives his POV of our heroes, picking up from the last installment.

Like a slight tingle one feels in cold air announcing snow, I knew the portal was ready to bring forth a offworlder again and there they were. 
I spotted them first, a short woman, petite but muscled, someone who was physical and a big man with hair the color of old copper. They seemed oblivious to the stares they got as they sat down at a table in the local tavern.
Then palace guards showed up and everything went wrong. The two managed to escape the melee. I finally untangled myself from the mess of angry tavern customers but it was to late. By the time I caught up with them, they were being lead away to the town garrison. She was unconscious and the big man was thrashing about wildly.

Private Audience

What is it like to write a 50,000 word novel in a month? Time consuming, brain numbing and distracting. I put everything on hold and spent 2 to 4 hours a day writing in long hand. The rest of the time was spent getting errands done- you know boring stuff like paying bills and doing laundry- and thinking. To most people it might look like goofing off but even while doing the dishes, stretching, or raking leaves I was composing. I took breaks to do something physical so I didn’t turn into a complete slug. It was time needed to download ideas about plot, dialogue, narrative, sequence of events essential to writing.

Or avoiding writing. Like many writers, I normally spend as much time and energy avoiding writing as doing it. While the characters have something new to say, my ego is all too predictable. “This sucks. It’s not good enough. I have no idea what I’m doing. Nobody will like it. Why bother.” Having a tight deadline like the NaNoWriMo contest is a good way to get that inner critic to SHUT UP.

I learned more about writing in the last month than any class or book. I learned that I could discipline myself to write every day when I had a specific goal to reach. When caught up in the frenzy of the hunt, there’s no stopping me. I learned that writing truly makes me happy and my depression appeared as only a small dark cloud on the distant horizon during the project. It was liberating, exciting and hard work. I loved every minute of it.

What made this story more accessible to me was that the characters were based, very loosely, on people I knew. In the process I discovered things about them and myself I never knew before. When I first conceived of the novel twenty five years ago I knew I couldn’t write it then because I was too close to the subject. It’s time has come, now that I have gained enough distance and maturity to view that history without getting emotionally tangled up in it.

Writing a novel is like building a house. The story idea is the foundation and the 50,000 words are the building material used for the foundation and rough framing. Of course I’m building from scratch with a blueprint roughed out on a dinner napkin but hey, if I can build a tea house by making it up as I go along, a novel is easy by comparison.

I want to thank everyone who encouraged me to keep going and especially to KC Anton for suggesting I enter it in the first place. Please feel free to help me continue my happiness with more writing suggestions.

It's official!! We have a winner

It's official. After 27 days of toiling I have written a 50,471 word novel in the National Write a Novel in a Month Competition. I did it in long hand filling up 2 and a half spiral notebooks, used 7 pens and I did it with 3 days to spare. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll get drunk and collapse. A full report will come when I recover.

Everything I need to know as a writer I learned in aikido

This writing project has taken some interesting turns. Ok I can deal with that. I've learned to roll with it, always be proactive and stay calm. We are taught that in aikido all the time. Who would ever think martial arts would prepare me for life as a writer.

I have learned more about novel writing with this project than I have ever learned from any book or class. Telling is easier and faster than showing, I really need to increase my vocabulary, I can only use "she said calmly" so many times and it's not very descriptive. It's ok to change your mind about the character/action/ sequence of events- it can always be changed later thanks to the magic of word processing. Always stock up on pens and paper ( I write first drafts long hand).

When I started writing on November 1 I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish in time now I worry I won't have enough material to make it to 50,000 words. I'm normally a wordy person but that's a lot of words. I intend to get to the finish line come hell or high water or if the pens hold out.

Stay tuned.

What time is it? What day is it? What Century?

I'm supposed to be going to aikido fall camp this weekend. I'm supposed to be doing volunteer work at the library. I'm supposed to be having a life. None of it is possible while trying to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It has consumed all my time. Even if I'm not actually sitting at the desk writing, every moment I'm running errands or taking care of all the little matters of life I am composing in my head. I lie in bed and can't sleep because that part of my brain that writes is distracting me.

"You know you could move that characters speech to the-"

"Shhh, I'm trying to sleep." Is say as I adjust the pillow.

"Oh sorry, right. Before you fall off to slumber land what about the conflict between Big Joe and his son on page-"

"Yeah I'll deal with it tomorrow." I say as I turn on my right side.

"This will only take a minute." the writer insists.

"Will you shut the fuck up and let me sleep." I snarl as fatigue overtakes me.

This is what it is like inside a writer's head aren't you glad you didn't ask?

I thought this would be easy. Knock out 2,000 words in two or three hours and have the rest of the day free. Not a chance and it's driving me crazy. When I started I worried there wasn't enough time. Now I can't wait until the time is up like a convict marking off the days until he's released. If I can remember what day it is.

and so it goes on

Yesterday was a writing slog but I got over it today when I realized I just wanted to jump ahead and get to another scene. I have to remind myself that like Billy Pilgrim in the Kurt Vonnegut novel, it's ok to experience things in random order. They can be rearranged later, that's what a text program is for-hello?

So I relaxed and nailed down another seventeen pages in long hand. whew. I alternate writing with physical activity to get me out of the house and get exercise- the weather has been lovely the last few days. I can compose while I do physical stuff as well. It's that or play shanghai mahjong on the computer. It's a great way to get my brain to work on ideas while keeping the inner critic busy. The ways of writers can be mysterious.

Stay tuned.

Writing is easy. . .

. . . All you have to do is stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood fall on it. Sometimes it is easy and sometimes, like today it's a slog.

I ended up with far too much exposition which really slows down a story and not enough action. Not car chase action but move the story along verbage. For me novel writing consists of answering the question "Ok what happens next?" That can be difficult when I'm in the process of figuring it out and is subject to change without warning. Characters have been known to wander off and do their own thing too.

Some of you may be wondering what this novel is about. It's about 150 pages that's what. It's kinda hard to explain since I'm not sure how it's going to end. My elevator pitch ( tell the plot in 30 seconds) is that it's an autobiography of what might have been that takes place in my home town during a high school reunion. Ding! Oh this is where I get off.

Stay tuned.