Keep on keepin' on....

OK, so we had a Kick-Off for NaNoWriMo 2009. Zombie Joe secured the use of the Italian Workmen's Club from 9-5 on Sunday, being 1 November; the challenge actually began at midnight but SOME people (not your reporter) live normal lives and sleep at night.

I was interested to see the inside of the Club - I knew it had been a fixture during the 1920s and 1930s when the surrounding neighborhood was called "The Greenbush" and was a rich Italian neighborhood. It proved to be a fairly plain big room now, with lots of long tables and at the head of the room a little counter and sort of kitchen-y bit. When I arrived I wasn't sure I was in the right place, because I heard nothing.........but I discovered some 20 people or so bent over their respective laptops WRITING! There were also some stalwart souls using pens or pencils and notebooks. I do love historical types....

Anyway, not taking much time to write THIS, as I have other writing to do -- not only my NaNo novel but that blasted report on the Metis. I swear, when I say "Thank you - are there any questions?" at the end of my presentation I'm likely to burst into tears of gratitude that it's actually over. (I hope there ARE no questions; I'm threading facts and tales onto a pretty thin cord and any divergence is likely to produce a blank, trance-like stare.)

At this writing I have over 5,000 words; I'm well within where I need to be. Same thing is happening that I experienced last year: I sit reading the text scrolling past on my screen, fascinated with it all....and my busy little fingers are just dancing along on the keyboard all of their own. I have NO connection to them, they're making the thing up as they go along. I'll make occasional reports here but don't expect to post much more. At 3,000 words I had experienced a birth, a death - and a naked Egyptian priest standing before the gold figure of Horus. Who knows where it'll all end? (Not ME, I can tell you that quick enough!)

One change I WILL have to make at some point, but a simple "find-and-replace" will do it. My characters right now are named XX, QQ, TH, RR.....and I want something a tad more creative in the final analysis.

I'm off to work on my report; the NaNo-ing takes place around midnight.

NOTE: I actually DID meet with two fellow local Wrimos at Perkins, at midnight on November 1. They're a young married couple, absolutely delightful! She's a very clever and artistic girl who moved here from Georgia; her husband is a handsome young Norwegian Lutheran Minnesotan-type fella. We had the most enchanting conversation for two hours....and then dutifully wrote a sentence or two each before departing for home. I had a word count of 130 when I left. I have caught up, and it was worth it. FUN meeting new friends.