3 Day Novel Contest 2012- The Wrap Up

Emerging from the fog of the 3DNC (3 Day Novel Contest) and wanted to send you all a missive about how it went this year.
I’m still processing the whole adventure, but here’s a taste.

As you know, I went into the contest with nary a SNIFF of an outline. With a character who demanded that, this year, I simply trust that she had something to show me and that all would be revealed as the hours progressed.

I did what I could.
I loaded in tasty, healthy food and drink.
I swept out my new WRITER TRAILER.

And cleared my side of the writing table inside, near the fire.

I really DID do some yoga to loosen up and a short meditation – wherein I TRIED to clear my busy MONKEY MIND of thought, and … mostly failed and fretted.
I began writing at 12:01 AM.

I knew that the story started on the Broadway Bridge in Saskatoon SK at 4AM.
I thought it was going to be a quiet little contemplative piece with two characters:

• GAL – who felt like… I dunno… a wise woman? An angel? God? (I STILL don’t know exactly who she is)
• and A WOMAN – late forties, a bit on the sad and lost side… (There’s a recipe for a barrel of laughs.)

I was prepared to dive deep, immerse myself in the BIG QUESTIONS:

Why are we here?

What is our purpose?
Yada…yada..yada…

NUH UH!

My first clue should have been when my lead character/narrator finally got a name and it was… Casey Finnegan.
Turns out her mother had a bit of a crush on Mr. Dressup.

Gal called for back-up pretty early on…
and then there were FIVE.

FOX FORCE FIVE!

… and the whole thing became a road trip.

…avec magick and witchy stuff

…………time shifting
……………..peyote
………………….a long lost grandmother dressed as a pirate, living in an airstream…

I do believe I’m in shock.

I carried on, thought the night…

On Monday, I blinked.

I wasn’t sure that what I had written would…hold together at all.
I had followed along… taking any suggestion a character made, following the “Yes, let’s!!” rule from my old improv days.
Whatever I had written on Saturday night was a great blobby blur in my rear-view mirror.

Nothing to do for it but make up a vat of tea.
Print the thing.
And have a read.

I chose ginger tea – to quell the nausea.

VERDICT?
I didn’t hate it.
It actually isn’t that bad.
It’s sort of… fun actually.
Yeah. That’s it. FUN.

I thought this one was gonna go all dark and twisty and poetic and instead…
my subconscious took me on a road trip with some kick-ass babes.

And I’m totally cool with that.

We still yacked about the big questions, we just did it with a few more sh*ts and giggles than I thought we would.

A few survival tips I learned along the way:

1. When you go blank and need a QUICK boost – click this.
2. And when you REALLY think ALL IS LOST – click this – and dance with wild abandon.

It will help – I swear to GAL.

I’ve sent her off into the world.

The results of the contest won’t be posted til some time in January.
I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for stopping by.

Go easy -p