The Madness Begins
by Lynn Daniels on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 3:57 pm
~.~
After my success with NaNoWriMo last year, I’ve decided to take the plunge yet again. Especially since my writing bone hasn’t been working much lately. This time, I’m not going completely off the chain like I did last year with a story written entirely for fun and nothing else (remember Chester & Rube?). I’m taking an idea I’d started and stalled on, and reworking it.
The concept is this:
Dianna Brockton (still a placeholder name — I don’t have her permanent name yet) is overworked, unappreciated, and completely taken for granted by her family. When her husband Russell tells her to quit complaining, that anybody could do what she does, she decides to go on strike. She aims to teach him a lesson — if he thinks anybody can do it, let him do it. Except her family gives her strike the same degree of respect they give her. Strike day arrives, and each family member wants something from her and they want it now.
When Russell demands she drop everything to plan a dinner party for his boss, it’s the last straw. Dianna stands up to him (something she’s never done before), tells him he’ll have to do it himself because she’s leaving town for a while, then hangs up on him. She makes arrangements for her children, packs her things, and leaves.
Now here’s where my current NaNoWriMo concept for the story diverges from my original concept. Originally, she went to an Asheville, NC-like place, indulges herself, finds her self-worth, and returns to her family a stronger woman who demands — and gets — the same respect she’s expected to give. While that concept is great, I started really losing interest in the story once I got her to the day spa and the transformation began. I’m not sure what the problem was, but it completely stopped flowing. So I’m changing it. I’m scrapping everything I wrote and starting all over again.
And I’m adding a magical/fantasy element.
NaNoWriMo (and another visit to the NaNo Dares thread) has given me fresh ideas and newfound enthusiasm for this story. I can’t wait to write it. Because now, instead of going to Asheville, Dianna doesn’t make it to her planned destination (RATS! I suppose I should come up with a planned destination, shouldn’t I?). She stops at a little hotel/motel for a night’s sleep. While she’s checking in, the clerk asks her a few questions that seem innocent, but change everything. The clerk gives her the key to a “perfect room for her”. When Dianna asks about check-out time, the clerk tells her she’ll return when she’s ready. Dianna doesn’t understand that, but too tired to worry about it, she gathers her things and leaves the office anyway.
Once in her room, she drops her suitcase on the bed and does what everybody does when they first walk into their hotel room after a long day of driving. She heads for the bathroom. But when she flips the light on, something’s not right. Something’s just…off. She closes the bathroom door, turns to investigate, and is transported to Wonderland, a world filled with oddities and fantasies fulfilled.
At this point, the story becomes a little Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and The 10th Kingdom. She sees things that her mind knows are impossible. She experiences things that make no sense. She goes from searching for a way back home to wondering why she even wants to go back home to never wanting to go back home to figuring out her place & role in the world, understanding how to exact what she needs and deserves, and being ready to go back home. And along the way, she’s mentored by a black & blue striped zebra named Zippo.
I’m planning to work in a few homages to the stories from which I drew my inspiration, with my own odd twists, of course. But those are still in the planning stages.
So when I’m asked Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? my answer is a resounding YES, I AM! And I’m really looking forward to it.
Next post: I’ll introduce the cover I made for my story and show you how I made it!
Just Like Her … But Not
by Lynn Daniels on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Kids say funny things sometimes, without even trying to be funny.
I’ve had the pleasure of my son’s company all week; he was diagnosed this past Friday with pneumonia, and today has (so far) been his first fever-free day. That means he could possibly go back to school on Friday! I think he’s ready, even though he won’t admit it. He’s acting like he’s got cabin fever, and I know he misses his friends.
But I digress. On to the funny.
Today, we were coming out of the grocery store. “What color is Philippines?” he asked.
What color? Where? On a map? In real life (probably brown & green)? “What do you mean? I don’t understand your question,” I said. I truly was baffled.
“Skin color,” he said. “What color skin do Philippines people have?”
“Brown,” I said. “Like Lola.” Lola is what my kids call my mother, who is a Filipina.
My son looked up at me (he won’t be doing that for much longer — gor, he’s getting tall!). “You look like Lola,” he said.
I was about to point out that my mother’s skin is a little darker than mine, but he didn’t give me a chance. He finished his thought.
“Yeah, you look like her. But without all the wrinkles.”
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