Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.
– Mark Twain
Dear fellow creatives and writerly types.
A few posts ago, I reached the bottomless pit of despair as Grandma Hyperion slipped the bonds of sanity and became a Tasmanian Devil of Doom. She insisted she was fine after several incidents where I locked myself in the closet with my Armageddon Gear so she couldn’t get to me with the 12 inch kitchen knife I foolishly sharpened for her. I had no idea she could cleave a closet door with it.
I decided I would take a bit of time off from the internet and blogging to focus on de-escalation through medication. She wouldn’t take hers, so I doubled up on mine. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep and three naps a day will do for one’s peace of mind. Since Grandma wanted me to be awake when she stabbed me to death, she eventually got bored and put the knife away.
After weeks of intensive effort, the doctor declared that she had improved far beyond expectations and that we should continue doing what we were doing. So, I sharpened her knife again and took a nap in the closet. Then one day, I decided to brave the face of Satan and the knife of salami slicery and sit in my office and write, and edit, and start over again.
I have a friend who is a published author and a cousin who publishes and edits. I also have you, dear reader, who gently urges improvement and continued effort. Finally, the aha moment came.
I’ve joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to write a fresh 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I’ve always been a pantser, or I write by the seat of my pants, do a bit of editing, and then put it out there. None of my writings over the years have been prime-time manuscripts, so I decided to reinvent myself this time.
I swear by the writing program Scrivner and have created a story arc and character arc with the main plot and subplots outlined. The goal is to follow the writing style of Dan Brown, of The Davinci Code fame, and Earnest Hemingway’s concise sentence structure. I’ll focus on the proper writing metrics and share my journey with you.
While my actual skillset is not writing or editing, as some of you can attest, I plan to change that. My Armageddon gear and closet of solitude are my office of writing tools and my ever-cheerful imagination.
The new book’s title is ‘Whispers of the Desert.’ The protagonist changes from a threatened shepherd to a prophet who unites warring factions to tackle a bigger foe. You have to have some big ole cowabungas to pull that off.
See you next week with the pre-NaNoWriMo pre-writing set-up.
If you want to participate and join forces, I can be found as Hyperionsturm@gmail.com. Just follow the link above and explore everything you can do with NaNoWriMo.
Hyperion Sky 
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