ROW80 11/13 check-in

Ah, yes, a day late and a dollar short. Well, since I last posted not a lot has gone on and this is mainly due to my battling the beginnings of a cold or sinus infection or somedamnthing. But. Just because one hasn't written doesn't mean one has not been working on writing.

I'm now calling my novel a book because at this point I'm shaping it into either a novel-in-stories or a collection of linked stories or a big damn mess, take your pick. My idea is to work up a group of stories all revolving around the same location with a number of recurring characters and try to sell the stories individually. Then if there's enough interest I can maybe sell the whole thing as one of the above, though hopefully not "a big damn mess."

My first love has always been the short story, but I've also had this nagging idea to write a book about--no groans, please--where I work, (I've spent 16 years with this organization, so why the hell not). And since this whole writing thing is a process this is where I am right now. I'm using as my models many novels-in-stories, namely Winesburg, Ohio by Anderson, The Martian Chronicles by Bradbury--he said that Winesburg was his model for Martian--334 by Disch and Catacomb Years by Bishop among others--and I've looked up lots and lots of others to get an idea about how best to put things together.

Stylistically, I'm using two of my favorites, Kurt Vonnegut--namely Breakfast of Champions--and Douglas Adams' whole Hitchhiker "trilogy" as models of...ahem, well, style. Yep, I'm going absurd. Join me!

I did do some actual writing today, though it was mostly note-taking, so it was not part of my goal and thus, no Oreos, alas.

By the bye, thanks to everyone who's commented on my previous posts. It's nice to know I'm not alone--as so many of us poor scribblers seem to feel--and I promise to make comments right back atcha!