#12 Have fun!

I know, cheesy, right? Not so.

There is something completely ludicrous about proposing to write a book at all, let alone writing an entire book with no plan and in 30 days. Embrace that ridiculousness. It is much easier to write something light and fun in a situation like this than War and Peace so keep that in mind. This isn’t to say that you should steer away from high drama or horror or whatever is your bliss. But make sure that you are writing something that you are enjoying writing, not something that you feel like you should be writing because its good for you or whatever. I have a great idea for this really depressing book about child abuse. I am definitely not even considering that as an option for NaNo.

In the end, NaNo is not about producing good fiction (though sometimes it does). It is about proving to yourself that you can do it, that you can write a book. It doesn’t have to be a good book, that will come later in revisions. All that matters is that you set out to do this near impossible task and accomplished it which is something to be totally proud of.

If a book about crime fighting monkeys is what gets you to 50,000 words while your intellectual allegory about rape stalls you at 5,000 words, go with the monkeys. Pulitzer will forgive you.

We start at midnight tonight. So I have to ask. . . are you in?

I have contained myself and not written about the election in many months, so you cannot begrudge me this one little comment.

When this election started, as those of you that read my blog know, I liked McCain and couldn’t stand Obama. But I was still going to vote for Obama, albeit begrudgingly, because I felt like we really needed some serious distance from Bush that McCain couldn’t give us.

Now, here we are a week before the election and McCain has managed to squander all of my goodwill and now I cannot stand him and Obama has managed to raise himself from “eh, I guess he’s OK” to the point where I actually rather like the guy now. I watched him on the Daily Show last night and, even when his jokes were falling flat, I found myself saying, you know, we could do a lot worse than Barry here as president. Do I think he’s the best option we possibly could have had, dear god no, but given the two options we do have, I feel like he’s the better choice. I am not going to get all cult about him and carve a pumpkin but I cannot help but feel like it would be nice to have a president that at least half the country rather likes for a change. I remember that feeling of seeing the president as a little kid and being like “Yay!” instead of “Oh, frigtard’s on the TV again.” Sure, the Republican diehards and the KKK don’t like him, but most of the Republicans are “eh” about McCain anyway because he’s too liberal. And I’m not sure the KKK can be pleased. Unless its with a good rally and lynching with free beer. But how do they drink the beer with those hoods? A question for another day.

Sarah Palin. . . I would prefer if she wasn’t president. I know she isn’t running but since McCain is not exactly a spring chicken, we have to talk about it. I still think that picking her a VP was a really great move on McCain’s part, don’t get me wrong, and I know a lot of Republicans and converted Democrats love her. If nothing else, it got him a ton more media exposure with the SNL routine and other things. But, in the end, she, well, let’s just say I would prefer she wasn’t president and leave it at that. I must say, she really miffed me when she said I’m not a “Real American” because I don’t live in the middle of the country. I know she was just echoing a statement that a lot of people feel but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to kick all of them.

Now I also don’t think its a given Obama is going to win, particularly since I feel like every time the media says he is leading in the polls, one more college aged Democrat says, “Sweet! Then I don’t have to vote now!” and it becomes more likely he’ll lose. I also think that the Bradely effect they keep going on about is true though I suspect it will make more people just not vote rather than vote the other way, but what do I know. My grandparents are not voting at all which, since they were probably going to vote for McCain rather than a black guy, is probably for the best.

Anyway, that is my final thought on the election. I wish we had early voting in NJ so I could get this fool thing over with but, we don’t so I am going to have to do my time on line in the urine smelling elementary school where we do voting on election day which makes me mildly sad but I’ll take it. I can take a little urine smell to exercise my right as an American. Not a “Real American” but, you know, whatever.

Whoever you are voting for, go out and vote!

And I hope wherever you vote it doesn’t smell like pee. . . .

#11 Write what you like.

Forget about writing what you know. Write what you like. No Plot No Problem suggests writing up a list of your favorite things from the very specific (sassy old people who may be wiser than you might think) to the more general (love triangles, kittens) from books, movies, TV whatever. The stuff on this list is what you will be good at writing. If you get stuck, pick something from that list and throw it into the story. Your love for the topic will be like a cheat sheet for writing about it.

By the same token, don’t write in things you hate. I cannot stand movies where the guy falls in love with another girl right before he is about to get married to the first girl and then decided to just marry the original girl because she is the safe choice. I HATE that. Hence, I would be terrible at writing it because, since I don’t like it, I don’t understand it and thus would not be good at writing it.

Writing what you know is also handy. It is much easier to write about a cubicle monkey if you are one but it can also be creatively stifling if you feel like your character cannot do anything you yourself have experienced. Use your personal experience to get in a good paragraph of description of the main character’s room but don’t let it hold you down if you feel like the room should eat him.