Post November Novel

For the third year in a row I managed to squeak past the 50,000 word count by the end of November. This year's exploration was a dystopian venture of scattered proportions. I am left pondering the words of another Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) participant, Gayle Brandeis, who happens to be a professional (and therefore published) writer. Here are her thoughts on first drafts:

"It all comes down to love, really. You have to learn to love your sticky, bloody, misshapen novel. Even if a lot of it makes you cringe; even if much of it feels monstrous, find something in it to love. It could be one sentence. It could be one image. It could be one plot twist. It could be one character. Whatever it is, start from there. Love it with all your heart. And with this love, plus a lot of attention and patience, you will give your novel the care it needs to grow into itself, to learn to walk and talk and carry its own weight. Love it, even when it makes you crazy, and one day, it will make you proud."

Wise words. I find that is the point where I become stuck. I find the prospect of writing something that most people will likely never read to be, well, futile. But then one could argue that all creative endeavours are by definition futile, if one took that point of view. The truth is it is just a cop out not to complete things and do the tough work of making stuff up.

So now is time to lighten up and toughen up and knuckle down to nurturing my little montrous newborn, which is tentatively entitled, 'Before the World Ends'. Inspiring, no?