"The Unintended Mongrel" is born

I've launched into National Novel Writing Month. It's been difficult to be fast and creative after work, but I'm making pretty good progress this weekend. I've posted the beginning of the first chapter of "The Unintended Mongrel" on the National Novel Writing Month page, and I thought I'd also post it here. Keep in mind that this is a draft, written quickly.

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I've built the spine of "The Unintended Mongrel," and I'm working on fleshing out the story as much as possible in anticipation of my Nov. 1 start date for writing. Add some ribs, a tail, a wet nose. I also need to develop character names. That has been a sticking point for me for writing before, as I want the names to mean something. I've been happily writing along and gotten to a point where I realize I don't have a name for a character, and it stops the flow. So, I want to get the names out of the way before I start writing. I plan to come up with names for the main characters and a list of possible names for other characters that pop up along the way, in the process of writing.

While walking down the street the other day, I thought of an ending to "The Unintended Mongrel," and I started to cry. It was embarrassing. I hope I'm able to write the story well enough that others can feel that reaction. It feels good to have an end in mind, although it's kind of strange to think that my goal is to make people cry.

Commitment

On Saturday, I heard author Laura Whitcomb speak at a Willamette Writers meeting. I found her perseverance and openness inspirational, and she just seems like an enthusiastic and interesting person, in general. I find that it encouraging to be around others who are excited.

I’ve decided to participate in the National Novel Writing Month. It’s intimidating to commit to writing 50,000 words in the month of November, especially not knowing my schedule, but I’m also inspired by the challenge. Novels offer a different and more in-depth exploration and enjoyment of language and character, and I’ve missed that. I also like the idea of bringing something to completion on my own.

I plan to work on a literary fiction novel tentatively titled “The Unintended Mongrel.” In it, a 33-year-old single woman finally meets the man she believes is her true love, but when he is killed, it causes her to question her understanding of love and faith. I intend it to be an exploration of big questions like “Is there such a thing as true love?” and “Is there someone for everyone and, if so, why are people alone?” I hope can I write up to the expectations of my vision. I’ve been working on scene cards and pondering the who of my main character and the whys of her world.

NaNoWriMo or NoNoWriMo?

I’m debating whether to participate in National Novel Writing Month. I’ve never done it, although I did do the short-lived Screenplay In A Month. The idea is to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. It’s a pretty short novel, but the emphasis is simply on completing it, not on quality. That works out to nearly 1,700 words a day, a fair chunk of time. Part of me wants to do it simply to have the experience. I’ve been working on and off on a novel, in between screenplays, and it would be nice to pour some effort into book writing again. I’d have to work on an entirely new one, per the rules, but I do have a basic idea and a month to work on an outline. On the other hand, I don’t know what the horror script production schedule might be like. I don’t want to start something I would have to strain myself to finish because of other obligations. I have a month before the contest with myself starts, but I’d like to choose sooner rather than later and dedicate myself to the project or to something else.

Sixes at Secret City

"Sixes and the One Eyed King" is scheduled to show at the
Secret City Film Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Oct. 13 at 10:15 p.m.

I'm so glad we've been accepted into another film festival. I wish I could attend.

The long, slow march of progress

Scene cards for the horror script I’m working on are done, and I’ve typed each scene into the computer with a description of what is done and said. I used this process with the based-on-a-true-story screenplay, my most recently completed script, and it seemed to work fairly well. It helps me to think through the story without a waste of time on crafted dialogue and action descriptions that change when I alter the story as the process of writing reveals insights. Writing basic descriptions also helps me to explore motivation and theme. I’m looking forward to getting some feedback on the story, especially its viability as ultra-low-budget horror. I’ve been operating under the advice that writers should ignore the budget and write what they want, then try to sell it, so I haven’t developed a good sense of what is possible in relation to the budget.

I think it’s important to try different writing techniques and discover what is both efficient and supportive of creativity. I’ve read debates, such as the effectiveness of freewriting vs. detailed outlining, and I think each writer should explore what methods produce the best results. Since I view writing as a long-term pursuit, I feel comfortable that I have the time to develop my craft so that it suits my own personality and style. I’m discovering strengths and weaknesses as I go along. For example, having to prepare this horror story on a timeline, for production, has shown me that I need to do more script writing to deadline. It’s easy to linger over spec scripts because I‘m not facing a pressing demand, but I think that doesn’t teach the ability to quickly develop characters and solve problems. It’s sort of like practicing math problems, only more fun.

I finally have my car back, with a new tie rod and various other parts, and a lighter wallet thanks to the driver’s lack of insurance. My mouth is healing nicely, too. I got “The Little Shop of Horrors” in honor of it. I haven’t yet found a way to make my recent experiences serve my writing, but I’m sure I will. I can feel them simmering in my subconscious.