Research

So today was a good day for research for my novel! I think I found some helpful things in creating to world of my story. I watched a special feature of the first series of Doctor Who last night. Russel T. Davies, who helped revive Doctor Who, was making a video diary of the first few weeks of the series. He spoke about writing the show. He talked about how you have of to own the world you are writing about. He said how intimidating that is for Doctor Who. It gave me some confidence that even the pros have difficulty conquering. Though I don't have to work within the confines of a preset world, I do have pretty wide possibilities like Doctor Who. I just need just enough fact to make it real but enough confidence in the story that I don't need to rely on that fact to make it work.

Woohoo to writing!

Wandering Thoughts

Hello again. I am not quite sure what I want to write about today. I am glad I am staying motivated to write thus far. A whole three days! That's longer than other ventures I've had. I've also been super diligent about increasing my water intake. The last two weeks I had slowly been increasing and now I've had my full 64 oz. a day since Monday (and Saturday I had about 50 so that almost counts too). Water and blogging, maybe that's my magical combination. Who would have guessed?

I have been thinking about my novel idea (I love the pun in there). I've got some key points; character ideas, an extremely loose conflict, the beginnings of the environment, but no resolution. I've never been good at those. That's usually the reason I shelf things. I don't know how to end it. I know the problem or the inspiration for the problem and I just can't decide how to wrap it up. I had another idea for a play that maybe I'll get to someday. I wanted to base it around a portion of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde is pretty much my favorite and his novel is close to the top of my favorite novels as well. I am so intrigued by the portion about Sibyl Vane. This woman is a talented actress because she has to be. She has nothing else in the world (besides her brother) so this talent is born out of that nothingness. Once she has something, a love for Dorian, that talent is no longer needed. It wilts and disappears back into the nothingness from which it sprung. In the novel, Dorian is rejects this and leaves her defeated. Though he realized he was wrong, Sibyl already committed suicide, the burden to large to take.

I wanted to modernize this idea. I wanted to un-romanticize it in a way. I wanted a strong, modern New York actress who, while successful, was still struggling to hold on to her chosen career. I wanted her talent to disappear because of love. I thought of maybe using a love triangle. The safe guy she should be with and the irresistible one she'd lose herself and everything else with. None of it ever quite fit. I had no idea how to get the conflict moving or how to end it.

I'll get there. This is was it is all about! I started out not knowing what I wanted to write about and found something to fill an entry with! Go Day Three!

Dipping my toe into the water....

Well, I've tried before but never get very far. I'm telling myself it will be different this time. But what makes it different this time? Is it that I have a long term goal in mind now? Or I finally am drinking more water like I've told myself I must do for five years now, so I must be ready for this?

 For whatever reason, I am here and I am committing. I am going to start my writing blog. For real this time. No foolin'. Here's the catalyst, I have an idea for a novel. It is the first time I have a concise idea for a writing project to date. I know I need to take advantage of it and not let it slip through my fingers. I am still gaining the momentum and courage to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard to write the beginnings of the novel so I thought I should at least be writing every day. Or so famous writers have said I should. Not directly to me, but in their recommendations for other aspiring writers.

So I aim to write something, everyday while I work towards and eventually while I write my novel. I will write about creative things and ideas, but mainly I think I'll end up writing my observations of my world. That is something mildly uncomfortable since I can't imagine who would be interested, but I must remember, that isn't the point. The point is to get me writing. It doesn't matter about what.

I haven't decided how I will handle the blog vs. the novel. I am already brainstorming for it and I am definitely not ready to beginning writing yet. I think I want to keep it private until I decide if I am going to pursue publishing. I might give little tidbits to try out if I get an audience on here. I still am aiming to write something on the blog once a day, even if is to report I did my daily writing on the novel instead.

I know I will miss days and I have to be okay with that too. I think if I can maintain a healthy diligence about this, that is reasonable to start. I read a quote today: "If you want something you've never had before, you've got to do something you've never done before." -Drina Reed. I have never written a novel before. And it is something I truly want.

Here goes nothing!