Day Four: JoNoWriMo+1.5

/ Tracy Abell

The work was fine today but not so much in the way I’d anticipated. I ended up adding fewer than my 400-word goal but that’s okay for two reasons: One, my count was more than 400 yesterday and combined with today’s word count I’m still on schedule for my final goal. Two, I figured out all sorts of stuff about the story and wrote three pages of notes.

I finally know the story with G’s mother! She’s not dead! She’s alive, she’s alive!
I understand why Mr. E is such a prickly personality when he’s around T.
I realized which character is the real rat bastard of the story.

Best of all, I found some needed inspiration while reading I’M A LEBOWSKI, YOU’RE A LEBOWSKI: LIFE, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, AND WHAT HAVE YOU (a fan book written for those of us who can’t get enough of the Coen brothers’ movie). It’s not rocket science but it was the perfect time for this particular slap upside my head (plus it came from an interview with the real-life Dude who inspired the character and movie). So what is the Dude’s explanation for the cult success of THE BIG LEBOWSKI? He points out that in all great comedy the situation gets progressively worse for the character(s).

Doh.

Apparently Joel Coen writes a scene and makes it as difficult as he possibly can for the character. Then Ethan Coen rewrites it, making it worse. And then Joel makes it worse again.

Thanks. That had not occurred to me, Dude.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
13,113 / 38,000
(34.5%)

44 thoughts on “Day Four: JoNoWriMo+1.5”

    • We all need a Coen brother for rewrites although I’m getting the sense they’re a package deal and somehow share a brain so we’d need both of them to get the work done.
      Thanks for the cheer, Lorraine.

      Like

    • This is our concern, Dude. That we’re all in our little burrows, tapping out our stories, hoping and praying they’re fresh and original but fighting the fear that they’re derivative and banal. Is this what’s going on?
      Where are our stories intersecting? Or is it that our processes keep crossing paths?

      Like

  8. Congrats on 3 pages of notes!!! And on discovering backstory and character! It frustrates me when characters try to hide themselves from their authors. When I hit a stubborn character, I have him or her write me a letter. It has helped 3/4 times.
    Did you use any specific techniques in your pages of notes that you could share?

    Like

    • I’ve done the letter thing before and it works well. Yesterday I was just brainstorming in terms of ratcheting up the worse and worse elements of the story and realized I needed to once and for all figure out the ending. I already had a pretty strong idea on that but then I solidified some details and then other stuff popped into my head and I kept writing.
      The one technique I used was doing a couple exercises that help stimulate both halves of my brain (this is what my SCBWI article is about). I gave myself a hug and held it for about a minute (right arm over left) then hugged myself again (left over right). Later on I took a break to trace a figure eight in the air with my right hand, then added my left hand to the pattern. After a few of those, I traced a figure eight with my left hand going the opposite direction and then added the right to the pattern. I can actually feel movement in the front of my brain when I do those things. Anyway, that’s how I get the old brain churning. 🙂

      Like

      • Cool. I’m excited to read the whole article!
        I tried it and wow, I can feel brain movement, or perhaps I feel brain wave movement. I need to do this before I write.
        Happy Writing. 🙂

        Like

        • Isn’t that amazing? I’ve had my mate and one of my son’s try some stuff and they insist they can’t feel a difference but I sure can. When it happens it feels as if my hibernating brain is coming to life again.
          Happy writing back atcha!

          Like

  9. Congrats on 3 pages of notes!!! And on discovering backstory and character! It frustrates me when characters try to hide themselves from their authors. When I hit a stubborn character, I have him or her write me a letter. It has helped 3/4 times.
    Did you use any specific techniques in your pages of notes that you could share?

    Like

  10. Congrats on 3 pages of notes!!! And on discovering backstory and character! It frustrates me when characters try to hide themselves from their authors. When I hit a stubborn character, I have him or her write me a letter. It has helped 3/4 times.

    Did you use any specific techniques in your pages of notes that you could share?

    Like

  14. It’s always exciting to be able to stay on track with goals — go, Tracy!!
    I’ve not seen a ton of Coen movies…did they do FARGO? That might be the only one I saw (I really like Francis Mcdormand, though — isn’t she married to one of the Coens?).

    Like

  15. It’s always exciting to be able to stay on track with goals — go, Tracy!!
    I’ve not seen a ton of Coen movies…did they do FARGO? That might be the only one I saw (I really like Francis Mcdormand, though — isn’t she married to one of the Coens?).

    Like

  16. It’s always exciting to be able to stay on track with goals — go, Tracy!!

    I’ve not seen a ton of Coen movies…did they do FARGO? That might be the only one I saw (I really like Francis Mcdormand, though — isn’t she married to one of the Coens?).

    Like

  18. We all need a Coen brother for rewrites although I’m getting the sense they’re a package deal and somehow share a brain so we’d need both of them to get the work done.
    Thanks for the cheer, Lorraine.

    Like

  19. We all need a Coen brother for rewrites although I’m getting the sense they’re a package deal and somehow share a brain so we’d need both of them to get the work done.

    Thanks for the cheer, Lorraine.

    Like

  20. This is our concern, Dude. That we’re all in our little burrows, tapping out our stories, hoping and praying they’re fresh and original but fighting the fear that they’re derivative and banal. Is this what’s going on?
    Where are our stories intersecting? Or is it that our processes keep crossing paths?

    Like

  21. This is our concern, Dude. That we’re all in our little burrows, tapping out our stories, hoping and praying they’re fresh and original but fighting the fear that they’re derivative and banal. Is this what’s going on?

    Where are our stories intersecting? Or is it that our processes keep crossing paths?

    Like

  22. I’ve done the letter thing before and it works well. Yesterday I was just brainstorming in terms of ratcheting up the worse and worse elements of the story and realized I needed to once and for all figure out the ending. I already had a pretty strong idea on that but then I solidified some details and then other stuff popped into my head and I kept writing.
    The one technique I used was doing a couple exercises that help stimulate both halves of my brain (this is what my SCBWI article is about). I gave myself a hug and held it for about a minute (right arm over left) then hugged myself again (left over right). Later on I took a break to trace a figure eight in the air with my right hand, then added my left hand to the pattern. After a few of those, I traced a figure eight with my left hand going the opposite direction and then added the right to the pattern. I can actually feel movement in the front of my brain when I do those things. Anyway, that’s how I get the old brain churning. 🙂

    Like

  23. I’ve done the letter thing before and it works well. Yesterday I was just brainstorming in terms of ratcheting up the worse and worse elements of the story and realized I needed to once and for all figure out the ending. I already had a pretty strong idea on that but then I solidified some details and then other stuff popped into my head and I kept writing.

    The one technique I used was doing a couple exercises that help stimulate both halves of my brain (this is what my SCBWI article is about). I gave myself a hug and held it for about a minute (right arm over left) then hugged myself again (left over right). Later on I took a break to trace a figure eight in the air with my right hand, then added my left hand to the pattern. After a few of those, I traced a figure eight with my left hand going the opposite direction and then added the right to the pattern. I can actually feel movement in the front of my brain when I do those things. Anyway, that’s how I get the old brain churning. 🙂

    Like

  29. Oops. Wasn’t trying for over-all cosmic, just the first paragraph.
    I meant to ask “Do you think we’re writing our stories because our stories are intersecting (per character insights I posted) or because our processes for these books keep crossing paths?”
    Maybe I should lay off the White Russians for a while.

    Like

  30. Oops. Wasn’t trying for over-all cosmic, just the first paragraph.

    I meant to ask “Do you think we’re writing our stories because our stories are intersecting (per character insights I posted) or because our processes for these books keep crossing paths?”

    Maybe I should lay off the White Russians for a while.

    Like

  31. Cool. I’m excited to read the whole article!
    I tried it and wow, I can feel brain movement, or perhaps I feel brain wave movement. I need to do this before I write.
    Happy Writing. 🙂

    Like

  32. Cool. I’m excited to read the whole article!
    I tried it and wow, I can feel brain movement, or perhaps I feel brain wave movement. I need to do this before I write.

    Happy Writing. 🙂

    Like

  33. Isn’t that amazing? I’ve had my mate and one of my son’s try some stuff and they insist they can’t feel a difference but I sure can. When it happens it feels as if my hibernating brain is coming to life again.
    Happy writing back atcha!

    Like

  34. Isn’t that amazing? I’ve had my mate and one of my son’s try some stuff and they insist they can’t feel a difference but I sure can. When it happens it feels as if my hibernating brain is coming to life again.

    Happy writing back atcha!

    Like

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