NaNoWriMo Musings

What shall I write for NaNoWriMo? (For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, when eccentric writers attempt to write 50,000 word novels during the 30-day month of November.) November 2004: I wrote "Set to Music," a sequel to my first novel, "Roll Call by the Elephants," but I never felt the urge to revise it--what point polishing a sequel when the original is still unpublished? Still, I enjoyed finding out what happened to Nora, Bart, Clara, and gang. November 2005: I wrote "Journeys," a love story about people who meet on the Metra. I was intrigued with an image of a guy who'd spilled coffee on me while riding the subway; he apologized profusely and said he was on the way to a job interview--as a fellow coffee addict, I said don't worry about it. He was so nervous, and I remember wishing him luck. What if that situation, fictionalized, led to a romance? I was also fascinated by how people who rode the Metra together forged connections. One deaf passenger became friendly with the conductor; they'd stand in the vestibule texting each other back and forth; the passenger invited the conductor to his wedding. I tried to write parallel story lines with different sets of characters, but I don't think it worked. 2006 and 2007: Working on my MFA. November 2008: I wrote a sequel to "Rachel and the Cousins," my middle grade MFA novel, eager to have the kids progress from 6th to 7th grade. But my revision attempts flounder--just like revision of its prequel floundered until I started the MFA program. Do I need the terror of peer critiques for motivation? Or do I just need to keep at it, as I am today, Saturday morning sitting in Delicious Cafe with my decaf Americano and my black-speckled composition book and my Neo meta-laptop?

NaNoWriMo 2009 approaches--it's October, pumpkins and fluorescent Halloween witches decorate doorways. Originally I thought I'd write "Rachel and the Cousins: 8th Grade," but Rachel is stuck in 7th grade, vying with new character Cherie for Bobby, still dealing with 9/11 (this is 2001), not sure how she feels about her dad marrying Debbie, still trying to figure out which science fair project to do...So I thought, not this year.

But I've wanted to write a novel based on the plot I devised for screen writing class. "Homecoming" features siblings Jennifer and Peter, opposite personality types who do not get along, but forced to travel together to their abusive father's funeral. But I'm not sure--won't it be incredibly gloomy? I always feel unqualified to write adult fiction anyway--have I ever really grown up? I've had few healthy romances--so how can I write about my characters' loves? Someone asked me recently why I write for children, and her tone suggested that this was curious--why would someone old as me write for kids? But I may be 54--I don't feel 54--I feel like Dena. All the Denas I've ever been are still very much alive in me--especially the little kid Dena. My almost-eighteen-year-old son has good advice--"You're not any specific age. You're not a label. You're Dena." He's had experience with labels, being biracial, always seen as Black, never as Irish American, although he's being raised by his Irish American mom. When he has to check an ethnicity box, he checks "other." He's not a label, he's T.

Can I inject the Jennifer-Peter story with some humor? Can I use my imagination to write about their romances? The Bronte sisters never married yet wrote classic romances; same goes for Jane Austen. And who knows--by imagining healthy romantic love I might attract some into my own life. I see Jennifer having a worthless boyfriend in the beginning but in the end finding a much better love; not sure about Peter yet. And of course the focus of this book is on the sibling relationship.

So, maybe I will try "The Homecoming." Maybe.