Word of the Week - Words

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that words are very important to me. I have loved reading and writing for most of my life and spent many happy hours as a child making up and telling stories. More recently I have begun to take my writing more seriously and even dipped my toe into the dangerous waters of calling myself a writer. So words are the toolkit that I use everyday to tell the stories that crowd my mind. Words are also the vehicles I use to transport myself to other worlds through the writing of others.

I am once again taking part in NaNoWriMo this year and things have been going surprisingly well.
The words are flowing and I am really enjoying telling my story, even though it has sprung from a genre that I don't usually write. It's a bit of a fantasy novel - not The Hobbit but there are bits that have their feet firmly in the fantasy camp. I'm enjoying writing something so different and at times using words in a slightly different way - some of my characters have an idiosyncratic way of speaking!

But today I am thinking about words in the light of the death of Leonard Cohen. He used words in a way that I can only dream of. I was introduced to the music of Leonard Cohen by my friend Alison at college. I was into 1970's pop music and David Bowie, she was into Leonard Cohen and John Martyn, artists I had not heard of or listened to. As our friendship developed we listened to each others music and I learned to love Leonard Cohen for his poetry and the smoky quality of his voice. Today I am sad that he has left us but so happy that I have the wonderful songs and poems he left behind. On the radio someone compared his lyrics to Yeats and that pleased me greatly. I am a huge fan of Yeats and read his words regularly. Both Yeats and Leonard Cohen use language in a way that draws me in, challenges me and sometimes makes me weep.

So today I shed a tear for the passing of a great poet, a weaver of words and a thoughtful human being. The world is a poorer place for his leaving it but there is a wonderful concert starting in heaven as he joins the other legends we lost this year.

Day 5 NaNoWriMo

Just thought I'd check in after a few days silence.

Yesterday I smashed through the 10,000 word barrier! I am so happy. This story is flowing so well that it's scary. I'm pantsing through the story but that isn't holding me back. I did work out the basis of the story, the world it was set in and the main characters so it isn't a total surprise what is happening but the ease with which I'm writing is stunning me.

Here's hoping I've not jinxed the thing and can carry on in this vein!

NaNoWriMo Day 2

Well this is encouraging. I'm pantsing this novel and it's romping along at a giddy pace.
I'm still ahead of the word count which is great and almost unheard of - I'm usually playing catch up even at the beginning of NaNoWriMo!

I'm especially surprised at how well it's all going especially as I'm writing in a different genre to my usual one (whatever that may be) This new NaNo novel is a fantasy type which is something that I rarely write or read. But all is going well so far ...

So onwards and upwards heading for the finish line.

Day 1 NaNoWriMo

I don't usually use text speak, even when texting, but OMG! and WTF?
Day 1 of NaNoWriMo over and I'm 1,000 words ahead of schedule, I am totally rocking this writing thing.

Now I know that there will be tougher days ahead but I'm so chuffed with my progress. I went to Worcester to visit my MIL yesterday and got plenty of writing time on the train. If nothing else it has shown me that I can get a goodly number of words written if I'm away from distractions. So I now need to put that into practice when I'm doing the rest of NaNoWriMo - and that may mean turning the TV off! Which is something I hardly ever do as I'm a self confessed Telly Addict ...

I'm also planning on a trip into Oxford for a writing meeting with fellow NaNoers in a posh library that's part of Balliol College. I'm really excited to meet some fellow writers and seeing a part of the University that is usually closed to the public (must be my nosey gene kicking it!)

I hope I can keep reporting great progress this month and that I get a fully formed first draft out of this - I must confess to feeling rather excited at the moment!