Nanowrimo again

No, I don't like it, I think it's a silly idea.  The whole idea of competitive writing, like competitive baking, is symbolic to me of what is wrong with British society!  The idea of 1.9 m people writing a half-formed novel is horrifying.   Of course they won't all finish, of course a few of them will be genuinely good, but those that are completed, how many will be sloshing about in the self-published doldrums.  So why would I possibly want to participate?

The answer is simple, I am very stuck with the new book, and the idea of writing 50,000 words in a month and getting critical mass was appealing... I thought that if I wrote the Bertha strand of the book as a stand alone story I might see where things were going.   It would also force me to write first and research afterwards.  Research is a problem - I wanted to see what happened technically, found a website and was reading about Bertha's children... mistake!  Anyway,  I started on Tuesday, and by yesterday I had 6,500 words, and was well-pleased, some interesting characters and a sex scene...

So it is working, and it's given me a deadline, and I do love a deadline!  Also, I want to get it finished before the 30th November - because there's a lot of Christmas stuff that has to happen just before Advent - not least writing the advent calendar for Facebook.

Now the great new project is starting up - and that's going to keep things interesting, I may even forget about the other lovely book, sitting with an agent.   Sigh.

Ghost in the Machine

Sometimes, you plunge along, rather uninspired, but you do it anyway.   Sometimes you just say something to someone and unleash a deluge.

I've just unleashed a deluge of stories - from a man I know slightly - and now I have undertaken to ghostwrite his book... weird.  I wonder if it will get anywhere.  He is incredibly excited about it, while I am feeling my usual jaded self.  He is 55 and has done a lot of drug-related activities and a lot of illegal stuff.  I foresee problems, but I also am faintly excited, since I think I have a latter day Howard Marks on my hands.

The reason he is excited is because he is currently unemployed and full time carer for his Dad, so his life is pretty dull, and he has been thinking about writing up his adventures for some years, so I seem like a gift from heaven.   I also know that Mark and others will sigh and throw their hands up and say "It's another Tony!" "You and your lame ducks!"

I just hope he's got enough material for a book - we need 50k at least.  I am hoping I can write this alongside my other projects.  I expect so, it's basically editing, so shouldn't interfere.