Nanowrimo Weekend One - The Internet & Waving to Papa!

THE MAKING OF WAVE TO PAPA BY ERIN LEE
NANOWRIMO 2014! IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN ME!
WWW.NANOWRIMO.ORG

The Makings of a Novel: Nanowrimo 2014

With Weekend One of 2014 Nanowrimo under my belt, I’ve learned two very important things about the Internet and writing:  1. The Internet can be your best friend; 2. The Internet can be your worst enemy!

As I struggled to get prison dialogue just right – gorging on a diet of MSNBC’s “Lock-Up Raw” – it occurred to me that there might be an easier, faster way:  Cue the Internet.  A few precise keywords led me to “The Prison Dictionary.”  Who knew?  This page tells a never-been-convicted-of-anything-ever writer everything she needs to know about 38s, The Big House, and skinners.  A quick skim of this helped me to close out a 3,000 word prison scene.  The Internet? Best friend.  Muse.  World’s Greatest Resource.

But, as they say, there are two sides to every story and in my quest to nail the dichotomy of a shank, I also found myself distracted by Facebook, my sons’ half marathon results, and the homeopathic cure for a toothache.  This, in turn, halted my weekend warrior quest to reach 6,000 words.  The Internet?  Rude distraction.  Procrastination Station.  World’s Worst Writing Tool.

For my Nano friends who ran into computer issues (there were several of you), distractions, responsibilities, (even more of you), and way-more-interesting-than-writing websites this weekend, don’t give up! Instead, mix it up.  Put the pen to the page (those words count too) or break it down into chunks.  Fifty-thousand words comes easier than you think if you only keep at it.  Without Nanowrimo and my stubborn spirit, “Crazy Like Me” would still be in my head.  I write these words for myself as much as you.  I’ll refer to them often as I’m being distracted by my best friend and worst enemy with “Lock Up Raw” in the background and the "Prison Dictionary" behind me, waving to Papa.

Catch you in another 5,000 words!!!