Fine, GEEZ, I'll Tell You.

I think I'm going to have to pop the cork on November a little early, because our November project requires a lot of upfront planning.  I'm already spending a couple hours a night on it, and it's only mid-October.

November is National Novel Writing Month.  Complete morons  Adventurous souls like me and my cousin Queenie sign up to write a fictional novel in 30 days.  That's 50,000 words, folks.  50 big ones.  5-0.

My original intent, back around June or so, was to take my RDJR blog book project and "do" it during November.  However, the rules state that the work must be FICTION, and the RDJR blog was a memoir...so it doesn't qualify.  And we ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES, do we not?

My novel is about a 40-something divorcee' blogger who enters the dating world.  I know - amazing.  Where does she get these ideas FROM, anyway?  It's so out there, I might be the next undiscovered sci fi writer.

Back to the question on the tip of your tongue - where's the RDJR book that you were so hot and heavy on back in May?  Well, it's still in my little pea brain, getting more and more locked down as each day passes.  You may recall that I met (briefly) with a publisher about the project last May.  He was very encouraging, even offered to read my manuscript when I had it done.  But his enthusiasm was tempered with realism...and I just hate realism, don't you?  Anyway, his point was (and I'm paraphrasing, but not by much because he only talked to me for like 10 minutes) when you write a memoir about a really painful part of your life, you handle it much better if you allow some time to pass between the "event" and the writing.  You would think it would be better to write it while it's fresh, right?  So much more bold and brilliant in your mind and all? Well, in some ways it might be.  But in other ways, it's much more raw and dark, like a constant series of lacerations...Mr. Publisher equated it to "running naked down the street."  I've made several false starts on RDJR, thinking that it's finally "time", and I can handle it...but when I go back to that place in my mind, it's much darker than I expected..anticipated...remembered.

Kind of like that scene in Titanic, when the old lady drops the Heart of the Ocean over the railing - only it's more like I just want to jump instead of drop my laptop.

Will I ever be in a place to write it?  Probably.  But not now.  Too raw, to fresh, too bloody.  I need some more scabbing, I guess.  And we'll always have  the the most awesome blog ever  that we can read whenever we want.

So anyhow, I'm busy developing characters for my 30-day novel.  Gawd help us all.