Mr. Happy

I have been told that it is prudent not to consider yourself the Happiness Steward for Everyone. Truer words were never spoken. I think with writing that works, too. As a writer, you are only responsible for making yourself happy. You shouldn't write for anyone other than yourself.

Now if I can figure out when I can actually start doing that again, I can start making myself happy. The eternal conundrum, followed by the simple Nike slogan: Just Do It.

I think I'll go get my writing shoes on...

National Novel Writing Month

So November is National Novel Writing Month, and it's already half over. It's a great concept: 50,000 words in thirty days. You pledge to do it at the NaNoWriMo web site,and then crank out the requisite pages (on average, 6 typed pages a day). On November 30, you end up with a 180 page short novel.

It's a fun way to get a novel done. The organization holds no illusions of grandeur, though. On their web site they have, as a statement, the following: "Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together."

That's pretty cool. I think I can accomplish that! I never remember that November is the month, though, so I never get to start on time. Maybe I'll pick an off month- say March- to get my novel done. Hmmm.

RIP Norman Mailer

So another one goes down. First Kurt, now Norman. Alas, the end of the another era. More reading for another day. I never had the opportunity to check out his work, but it seems that any man with an ego this large and the writing resume to back it up seems a good candidate for a reading. More later on what I'll start with.

Check out the NY Times article here.