Remember NaNoWriMo?
This is Day 28. I did take a couple of days off, because my brain hurt, but this morning I started my next installment. That NaNo deadline, I've decided, is magical. Now that I don't have the 50,000 words in 30 days stick goading me on, I'm finding it much more difficult to write than I did even a week ago. However, I made an effort. Then I went to work. When I got home, not long ago, I remembered suddenly that I had killed one of my main characters this morning. Now I'm a little panicky, and very guilty. I'm not saying who the character is (was!), because I may want to change my mind. Maybe the next chapter will begin with that
character saying "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." 
I rather feared that once I stopped writing, I wouldn't be able to start again at all, that it was only the fact that I was running headlong through the manuscript that was keeping me on my feet. There was some justification for that fear, but after some stumbling and reeling, I did regain my balance and get going again.
Tomorrow, we are off to Vancouver (again) to watch the harness racing. That means I'll have two more ferry rides, and I plan to use that time for writing - and for reading Margaret Atwood's Life Before Man, which somehow I have never read before. I am always of two minds about Atwood's work. I respect it, but I don't always enjoy reading it. It seems to me that she stands back from her characters, carefully moving them around, but doing it with gloves on, so as not to dirty her hands. That can't be a fair judgment, because I know that millions of people have read her books and loved them, so with Life Before Man I am trying once again to feel comfortable in the company of Atwood and of the unhappy people who inhabit her books.
P.S. I posted this, then read it and thought Oy. Look at me. I write 50,000 words, and suddenly I'm the newest literary critic on the block. Somebody peel me a grape. ;>)
6 comments:
We're all literary critics, Sandra! That's what we're doing here!
I agree about Atwood. I have read most of her work. I loved The Handmaid's Tale and read the rest. Finally, I stopped forcing myself to read her. There. I'm sure Margaret won't be upset to hear what these two critics have to say!
LOL! I loved The Handmaid's Tale, too. I should read it again (It's been a long time) to see how it differs from her other books. And no, I doubt that Margaret will mind (or even see!) this, so I'm not worried about offending her.
I must admit I haven't read Margaret Atwood, but there are certainly writers who leave me cold that have enormous readerships (e.g., TS Eliot). Love that pic of Mark Twain, & glad to hear you're keeping up the writing habit after the 50K words!
Harness racing! Sounds fun.
It was fun, T - but not profitable. Mine is to feed the horses.
John, the Twain photo was a reference to the "reports" quote, but I think I forgot to say so.
Keep at the writing,that person can come back any way you like, it's your story! Good luck at the races!
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