I’ll be writing and posting Personal Essays on the last Tuesday of every month. They will be honest, sometimes vivid explorations of my life.
I’m writing them for two reasons: to help put my experiences in perspective and to purge myself of any residual compost.
Since it is good therapy, you are invited to join me, post your link in comments and I’ll be sure to drop by.
Let it begin:
NaNoWriMo was an especially fine journey for me this year. It wasn’t the writing everyday that was hard; it was the words coming out of my fingertips. I was prepared and started off with most of the story mapped out, thinking I knew what my story would be about. Surprise, surprise when it turned out that two women became each others antagonists. There was no typical bad guy; just a teenage granddaughter wanting a full live too young and her terrified grandmother realizing too late she had spoiled the girl too much.
So no didn’t mean no to my young protag/antagonist. She wanted to do what she saw everyone was doing and was too sheltered to know what she was asking for, or what it would mean. Her grandparents had lost her mother to a drug overdose. They both would have died to avoid facing another death as tragic. The conflict came; they went toe to toe, nose to nose, face to face; shouting, crying, sneaking out, grounding, lying and then someone does die.
Where the hell did that come from? I know some of it is me reading too much or feeling too much for the frustrated teens I see in town. I see life sparkle in their eyes. I see them dying of envy, or admiration, or insecurity. I know, we all know, that these beautiful children will grow up and take over where we left off. How we let them face their lives is very important to all of us.
They think they know what they’re in for, but only experience can prepare them for what lies before them. How they struggle with being held back when they are sure they are ready, and how the parents struggle with letting go when they know they are not. I put my finger on that pulse. Found the beat and tried to keep up with the chaos that Ena, and Marnie faced each day. Everyone had their expectations of how a woman of a certain age should behave.
There was judgment, condemnation, misunderstands and stubbornness that pulled both of them in two directions. Through it all I knew one thing. They loved each other and hated, absolutely hated disappointing the other. Knowing all this, doesn’t mean I caught it all and wrote it down. I’ll need to go back over and over again until I get right. It is a story for anyone who is brave enough to acknowledge that some teens, lost teens trying to find their way, swear, do drugs, drink, and fumble along, making mistakes; and these teens have families that love them and all they want to do is save their lives
Congrats on finishing Nanowrimo. Your story sounds really emotionally intense and awesome. It’s funny how stories take on lives of their own, just like teenagers do.
Both amaze me 🙂
Yikes! I love it when a story totally takes you by surprise, but wow. That sounds like a spiral. Down, down, down. I suppose there maybe a great lesson to be learned, eh?
Unleashing the Dreamworld
I’m sure something will come of it. I just wonder who the lesson is for.
Sounds like it will be an inspirational story once you’re done.
I’m hoping so. Not many families face chaos to the degree, but we are all tested once in a while. 🙂
It sounds like an emotional and relevant story. Congratulations on finishing NaNo!
It’s relevant to me on so many levels, and thanks for noticing the win. 🙂
Congrats on finishing and surviving! 😀
Yay me “\o/” 🙂
You’ve done so well, Anna. I hope you’re patting yourself on the back right now. I think you know your story has legs when it ‘takes on a life of its own’ – sounds to me like your story is alive and well!
Now all I have to do is capture it without doing it any harm 🙂
Ha ha! Indeed. Happy care-taking!
Sometimes the story has the final word. Congrats on doing so well with NaNo.
Thanks, Lyn. I’m happy it’s over 🙂
Congratulations on your NaNo win, Anna! 😀
The story sounds hectic…and after all that turmoil “…then someone does die.”
Sounds like you’ve captured the essence of your novel.
Yes, that and it scares me a little. 🙂
With me, I can write and write to my hearts content but it’s hard to do it every day.
Exactly. Tough and character building, as my parents used to say. 🙂
Congrats on finishing. It sounds like the characters took over and wrote the story for you. 🙂
And that’s exactly what if felt like too. 🙂
Congratulations on finishing the challenge! I love it when characters take over like that. 🙂
Thanks. Characters can be amazing. 🙂
Congratulations Anna. It must be such a grand experience to be a writer. To have your characters come to life and tell you their story!
Should I say that there are no words? It was a wonderful moment 🙂
Wahoo…congrats and I love that the story surprised you
Thanks, Kim. It gave me a thrill 🙂
wow, sounds like your story is very emotional and powerful! best way to captivate your readers 🙂
Thanks. I think I’ll need it. 🙂
I don’t think you can ever fully plan writing like you can plan life. To me it sounds like you might have liked it better the way it came out.
Is this something you want to publish or is it just for fun?
Congrats on completing a book for NaNoWriMo!
It will take a bit , but I’ll be submitting it. 🙂