I am a writer.
Technically, all those who blog are writers. But I'm not sure my sporadic blog posts would qualify my bold statement. I AM a writer.
I'm still on the fence about what to do about it. I participate in NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) and have "won" almost every time (there was one year that I did not, but I won't make my excuses here). I have several unfinished books because of these ventures and it bothers me, not that I have so many stories to tell, but that I have not been diligent enough to finish any but one.
Writing is a discipline. It takes time and effort to write well. And there are seasons when writing comes more easily than others. Two of my earlier posts were about seasons of life. I wrote a bit about what is in this season of my life, how busy I am and why I have blogged so little in the last 2 years. But...
I feel transition coming.
I'm not sure what that transition is. It could be a move or a job change or just a new season of parenting. It could mean a new focus or new goals. But whatever the change is, I want to be prepared. It may be that I will have time to focus on writing again. So, I'm working on making a writing schedule and on keeping up with this blog, for starters.
You can help me with this!
To follow is a list of books that I have been working on over the past decade or so. I need some focus, so I'm asking you to tell me which appeals to you most. What would you read?
1. A Good Read
I know, this is a bold title. This was my first NANO book and the only one I have "finished." I wrote it in November 2010 and edited it in February 2011 to enter into a contest. I did not win. I didn't even make it past the pitch stage and no one actually got to read the book. I did hand it out to a few friends and a professional author. She gave me no feedback at all (probably didn't want me to feel bad) and my best friend said that she could hear my voice some of the time and some of the time forgot that I was the writer because she was so into the story! That was a compliment for sure!
But this book is still really a rough draft. Although I self-published it and could probably get some copies if I wanted to, it is still not "good." It isn't what I want it to be. It needs a good edit.
The premise of the story is that a young teacher plans to skip school the day after the newest book by her favorite author is released. She stands in line at midnight, when she gets a call from her mother asking her to dog-sit. No problem! She can dog-sit and read at the same time. But life has a funny way of throwing off your plans. For this one, who wants her reading life to be full of adventure but her real life to be quiet and normal, she is about to find that you can't always get what you want- nor should you.
2. The duAler Mysteries
I began writing this book the summer I got married. It began as an interesting thought exercise about the mystery of marriage itself and quickly turned into a corny sci-fi. If I have enough material (and after 10 years, I probably do), I will make it into a series.
This book is set in Muskegon, MI. Dr. duAler is a physics teacher at the community college there. His wife, Beatrice, works from home. They have a nice little property that is based on a real property my husband and I scoped out when we were interviewing at a college in that area. But there is a very odd connection between them. Within a few weeks of marriage, they discovered this connection but after 2 decades of marriage, they still don't know what it means. I'm not sure how much I want to give away, but it turns out this connection is something that others want and are willing to do maniacal things to get. Kidnap, rescue, "chases, escapes, true love!"
I have worked on this story sporadically over the course of my marriage but it isn't fully fleshed out yet, nor is it anywhere near fully written. This is kind of an effort of love, though, as I feel very connected to the semi-autobiographical characters.
3. May Flowers
This is a story that I began writing after my last break up (I started dating my future husband later that year, so no more break ups for me! Or is it "breaks up"?). That was 2003 and the story came to me fully formed. May is an only child but has a huge extended family. There are traditions and norms but each household is unique and hard to navigate if you are not an insider. After an accident in which May loses both her parents, she moves in with each of her extended family for awhile. Do you remember the first time when you realized that not everyone believes the same thing? That not everyone has the same dinnertime or does chores the same way? That even if you are related to them, people can be entirely different? May discovers this and more.
This story is special to me because it speaks of insecurities that all young girls have, even those like me who can hide them well. It was also formed in a time of mourning and self-doubt. I have worked on this for 2 NANOs and am still only partially finished. And a student told me last year that she has read a book similar to this one before. Still, I think May has some universal truths that I hope to address in a unique way- in my own voice.
4. Yarn Over
I live in the south now and I have noticed that there are a lot more people who do yarn crafts down here than most other places I have lived. I mean people of all ages. But this story came to me when I gave my daughter a baby blanket made by my grandmother.
In Yarn Over, there are many different characters but they all have one thing in common- they are all over 50. I won't call them old, as I find 50 to be younger and younger the closer I get to it, but they are definitely on the other side of the "hill." It is not a coming of age story, but it is a story of never being too old to learn new things and to change your life for the better. ______ is in her 70s, set in her ways, quiet, shy, avoids strangers, and loves to crochet. She discovers that friendships can be found in odd places and can be forged with people with whom she had no idea she has so much in common.
I have to put on my best Louisiana old lady hat while writing this, but one of the main characters is modeled after my best friend.
5. Women Rising
I was talking to a young man at school today about NANO and a story I started about 2/3 of the way through November last year. After reading a three sentence description, he said he thought a good title would be "Women Rising." My working title was Levitating Rocks, just because I couldn't think of anything better, but his title was extremely appropriate.
Kira lives in a harsh world where men can take what they want and women are only useful for bearing sons and giving pleasure. This world is not bound to one planet or even one star system. But not matter how far it has spread, she can bring a stop to it. From the first woman she remembers, who is not her mother, she has gained a strength that will drive her on, through years of living a secret life to seeking a past she cannot find in her mind. Kira is strong, inside and out, and she finds that when she combines forces with other women, she can do almost anything.
This story was inspired by a dream. There are bits of ideas of Firefly, Thor Dark World, and friends from Michigan in it. My husband read the first two chapters and commented that it was dark. Interesting, as I was not feeling "dark" at the time. This year I am, so perhaps I should pick it back up.
6. Secret Sauce
I'm actually cheating a bit here, because this story is a new one that I have not actually started. But when I did my first NANO, I planned to work on May Flowers or the duAuler's series, as those were stories I had already begun. I ended up doing A Good Read because it was a story that came to me almost fully formed one night. This one is kind of like that (although, I took notes about it in my book ideas list in 2010, so maybe it counts).
Think "National Treasure" meets "Fan Boys" meets "Oceans 11."
This story is just a funny gag after another and came to me while I was desperately searching for a lost recipe of dressing from a now closed down restaurant chain. Four college friends decide to become master thieves in order to unearth the secret recipes of popular foods. One is an idealist who thinks that nothing should be secret. One is a foodie who wants to make the recipes. One is a nutritionist student who argues that he cannot do his job well without knowing what is in our food. And one is along for the ride because why the hell not.
These boys take a road trip, break into vaults, discover interesting characters, and bond. It's something light and fun like my first NANO novel and would work well as a screenplay.
So, I need feedback! Comment below or on the Facebook post. Which would you read? Which sounds unique to you? Which is something close to your heart? If none of these sounds great, I'd love that feedback, too.
And then take another step. Everyone has stories to tell! NANOWRIMO is a great time to think about your stories. You can write anything- fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, anything! If you do decide to do NANO this year, look me up! I'll be your writing buddy. And go ahead an steal this pic for your own status.
