Just got back from the Baton Rouge Kickoff Party, and I'm so glad I went. Everyone else has viable plots at this point, so it's encouraging to hear of their planning progress--especially since I'm no better off this week than I was last week. It struck me--in the middle of the Baton Rouge meeting--this time last year, I was reading The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath); I'm certain this is why inspiration was so high, why I was able to spin that story with relative ease. This is why 2003's narrative was so self-absorbed and dark. Nanowrimo 2001, I was reading House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski), and my Nano-novel mimicked Danielewski's form, digressing footnotes and visual text effects. Nanowrimo 2002, I was reading my old journals, back in the VW camper days, and the plot took on a road-trip flavor. I'm thinking maybe I should find the time to pick up a short, intense book before Kickoff. Plath-esque narrative came so naturally and comfortably to me. I'd like to weave the words of this year's novel in the same way. But the sum of Plath's life was never repeated in her other works the way it was in The Bell Jar, and the heart of my 2003 novel, Six Seeds to Sabbath, cannot be effectively repeated. --Not that anything Nanowrimo should be effective; and of this, I must continually remind myself. I'd rather go in uninfluenced, but this is such a dry spell this year. I'm really, really afraid to wing it. And I know whatever book I pick up at this point will have some influence on the voice and style for Nanowrimo. Which is important to me, because this voice and style will be the ones which I'll be tethered to (technically, that's inaccurate, because with Nanowrimo, you're tethered to nothing but word count) for the entire month. In any case, it's 12:22 AM. I still haven't wound down from the Baton Rouge meeting. There is still makeup on my face, and I'm jonesin' like anything for a cup of coffee that I will not grant myself because tomorrow is a big day for Lafayette Nanowrimo. BUT...the dishes are humming away in the dishwasher, the kids are all asleep, and there is money in my pocket for Forest's acting lessons. Troupe performance is done, college newspaper interview is done, Baton Rouge meeting is done. I do feel a considerable amount of satisfaction in accomplishment. ~~~~~ Lafayette Nanowrimo Coffee & Pep Talk Date: October 25 (Monday) Time: 7 PM - ??? What: Lafayette Nanowrimo Coffee & Pep Talk Where: CC's Coffee, 340 Kaliste Saloom Road Location: Lafayette Hosted by: A'ilina The Lafayette Daily Advertiser will be present with photographers to cover the event. The Vermilion college newspaper will be present to cover our event. Our contact has suggested a word count "experiment" to see how many words a participant can write within a 15-minute period. If you'd like to participate, bring your pen and paper or laptop. An outlet will be available for our use.