Monday, November 21, 2011

The Plunge

Mark this in history as the first official book post for this blog. We had the obligatory “hello” post and the unexpected birthday post (thank you to my gurrrls by the way. My birthday was wonderful J) but it is now time to get down to the nitty gritty business that this blog was created for. To me, this blog represents inspiration, motivation, imagination, and all those other cliché –ation words. It’s a place created for those who need help in their writing, including the bloggers ourselves. Somewhere we can help and be helped when we get stuck in those muddy ruts and our tires are spinning. This blog will hopefully be the wrench we need to get back on the road.
However, as this is the first blog, I feel that it is only appropriate that we begin where people normally like to start: the beginning. Where do you begin this book you have thought about writing so many times before but never had the idea for it? This was my problem. Then, that bright white light showed up to help me on my way. I like to call that light the transcribing team from Hogwarts Radio. It is a relatively new team created for a dearly loved podcast nearing the end of its time. To use a very overused idea, its end is my beginning. I created some friends who then persuaded (or perhaps peer-pressured is a better term) me to start NaNoWriMo. Even though I will never finish on time to win this year (I think I have about 5000 words) I am glad that I began. That is the point of this post. I BEGAN!
I have always thought about writing a book. However, every time I began to write it always ended up with some unloved child in a cupboard type room whose life was a big secret that would soon be revealed. Sound familiar? It should. And if it doesn’t then you have about seven books to get caught up on. Anyway, this cupboard child never went away. So I gave up on ever writing a book.
But then I found friends. That is my first advice to anyone. Get friends. They really do help. But you have to find the ones who will support and motivate you even when you feel stuck in a cupboard with no space to move. Friends will get you to do things that you would have never thought was possible. Obviously, don’t do the things that make you go against your morals (like drugs, sex, Twilight, ect.) but do take the opportunity to try some things. It might make all the difference. For example, I have some great stories on jumping into a freezing swimming pool in the middle of January when the temperature is in the teens and twenties (Fahrenheit). I did that for three years in a row. It started a tradition in my youth group that is carried on to this day. It even expanded to my youth minister and pastor jumping in one year with a crowd of excited church members standing with video cameras ready for the big splash. And it all started with a friend of mine saying, “Hey, let’s go jump in the pool!” Yes, it was terrifying. Yes, it caused a heart-racing adrenaline rush. Yes, it did hurt for a bit. But, that one or two minutes of fear, anxiety, and pain caused memories that would last a lifetime and a crazy feeling of satisfaction. Had I simply watched my friends jump in I would probably regret it. I would constantly wonder how it was, what it felt like, and why they wanted to do it again the next year.
With my novel, I just began to write. I took the first jump and discovered that cupboard kid again. But, slowly, as I kept going farther and farther into the story’s development that cupboard room began to expand into a regular sized room with one wall made of glass so that my character could see the sky at night. I learned to just let my imagination take over and to record all of my brain-rambles. There are some good ideas that come from nowhere sometimes. My biggest break through idea came when I was sitting in a macroeconomics lecture. I wrote it down in my notes, took it to a computer after class, and let my fingers fly over the keyboard to develop the idea further.
The point of this post is to just start. When I jumped in the pool the first time, I was bundled up in layers of clothes. From that I learned that it was better to wear shorts and a t-shirt because the less fabric meant a quicker dry-off and a quicker recovery. The same goes with my story. I just jumped into writing and let it take me where I needed to go. I learned more about my characters the more I thought or wrote about them. I discovered their secrets, their desires, and their personalities more as I just kept writing. That cupboard kid became a 17 year old orphan girl with long, bright red hair, a passion for painting, a love of literature, and a family secret to discover. Now I just have to find out that secret. Time to plunge a little further.


Author: Cody Doctorow

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