Halfway House
National Novel Writing Month continues. Yesterday, the 15th, I posted on Facebook the following cryptic (but obvious) status update: “Linda M. Au is halfway.” A friend commented underneath: “They make houses for people like that, you know.”
Everybody’s a comedian. And I hate playing straight-man.
Ignoring snide, sarcastic, rude comments from otherwise loving, caring, nurturing friends, I have forged ahead into the second half of the murky waters of National Novel Writing Month. The novel is progressing nicely. Characters are divulging secrets to each other. Some are finding dead animals in the trash. One completely disappeared into thin air. Yet another made a second pot of coffee.
Yessir, things are really flying now. I can’t wait to see what happens in the second half of the month. Why, some of them might accidentally order a steak medium-well, or forget to add fabric softener to the rinse cycle! The mind reels with possibilities! No wonder I look forward to November each year—when the creative juices are flowing like, well, like sludge. Yes, that’s it: glacial floes of marvelous literary sludge, direct from my over-caffeinated brain into my fingertips and out the keyboard of choice for the day.
The good news is that Café Kolache gets more business from me during November than they do the whole rest of the year. So, that’s good news for them, at least.
On a Side Note: I’m writing in the afternoons this year, and saving late evenings for reading instead. I was chugging along steadily reading through Diana Gabaldon’s newest in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone: A Novel (Outlander)
What are you reading? I have an idea: Instead of giving me recommendations for reading material (I have plenty to read!), give me recommendations of books to AVOID. That way, I won’t waste my precious reading time.
And Now, Back to Our Originally Scheduled Program, Already in Progress: I may be behind on my personal word count goals, but I am doing just fine by NaNoWriMo standards. See?
November 17th, 2009 at 3:08 am
I can’t wait to read King’s new novel. It’s among my holiday reading, which I’m allowed to read only after I finish my current manuscript. I have a couple other things piling on my night table. They include The Universe in a Nutshell and A Brief History of time by Stephen Hawkins. Don’t worry, I’m just having a casual tryst with physics-for-the-masses. I also have Elantris by Brandon Sanderson on my night table, Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen, and three National Geographic magazines waiting.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:14 am
My, I loved Water for Elephants. It’ll be one of my re-reads one of these days (which I rarely do). I didn’t get to read last night after all, and now I’m fighting the urge to go read now over the morning coffee! It’s just been fun, and even though he’s doing what no new writer should do (it starts to seem as if every chapter is from a different character’s point of view!), he pulls it off because it’s so much fun to watch him draw out characters. A few seem a teeny bit stereotyped (the pastor, for one–boy, I hate that), but all is forgiven. King is just too much fun. Didn’t care for The Cell, so I am happy to be enjoying this new one.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
In the interest of stirring up controversy, I’ll contribute my own suggestions for the What Not to Read pile: Twilight and New Moon. There! Let the protests begin…
November 17th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I am so jealous of you right now. I have 2 copies of Echo in the Bone and we cant wait for the store to open to buy any Stephen King so we ran out and bought the “collectors edition”….but do I have time to read?? Noooooo…..I was stupid enough to say “Ok, I will”. As in…Okay, I will be a boy scout den leader. Little did I know that meant that every spare moment is “scouts” and every creative bit of juice is “how can I turn this into a scout activity or badge?”
I havent crocheted or read or anything for a long while and then I thought “oooh…I want to make a quilt!”
So, now I have actually 3 quilts to make….one for the tiger cubs…one for the wolf cubs…one for the bears.
Arrrgh
November 17th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Heather, I think what I enjoyed about the Twilight series was that I was reading them along with my teen (youngest) daughter, and it is always fun to be sharing reading experiences with her. But, I think both she and I far preferred Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy that starts with the book A Great and Terrible Beauty. Far better writing, much cleverer story–just more interesting all the way around. Check it out if you like YA fiction.
And don’t get me started about the Twilight movie….
Deb … Oh ha ha haaa… That’ll teach ya. I’m still learning to say no too, but I’m MUCH better at it than I used to be. And, I’m crocheting like crazy right now. Have to get my current project done in time for Christmas, and obviously November is NOT a good month for me to be sitting and crocheting happily by the fire or anything… Arrgh is right.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Interesting that you mention Libba Bray; I’ve heard good things about Going Bovine and was looking for that at the library this week.
I too have had some great experiences reading with my daughter. I couldn’t wait for her to be old enough to share the Harry Potter series; we’ve read those multiple times together and separately. And she has introduced me to the Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale, which is also good.
What’s in your What Not to Read pile???