Come Here, Baby!

I spent a great deal of time yesterday--the entirety of Edythe's miraculous 2.5 hour nap--noting and abandoning various plots for my NaNo novel. I was trying to use the Snowflake Method to give me a sense of order, of direction and purpose. To outline where I am going, how to get there, and exactly what scenes I will need to write. It didn't work. I still didn't know what to write about. I grumbled that I should have spent the time cleaning, instead.

I took Edythe for a walk, hoping inspiration would strike. It was late afternoon, a cool, crisp autumn day. We saw a lot of red and gold-leafed trees. We swung in the swings at the park. We played peek-a-boo and giggled at dogs. We had a lovely time. I still had no clue what to write about.

Hours later, after I put Edythe to bed, I took a bath and read Of Mice and Men. It's around 50,000 words. It's very good. But I still don't know what to write about.

Today I'm re-reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, and No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. The latter is by Chris Baty, who founded NaNo. Both authors say it is okay not to know where you're going. Lamott recommends focusing on short assignments. Just describe the porch. And write a bad first draft. Baty says enlightenment is overrated, and to just keep going, without worrying whether it's good.

This is very hard for me. I don't work this way. I am a planner. I need to know what will happen next. And I need to know that all the effort and sacrifice--not just mine, but my family's--will be worth it.

On the other hand, it's not as if I have an idea, unless a magical plot outline appears on my nightstand tomorrow morning. Or Edythe crawls in, clutching one in her hand.