October Update
September was different for me. While I did a bit of work on personal essays, most of my time was spent working on fiction. While I've written much of my life, it has all been non-fiction. The more I write personal essays, however, the more I see it is closer to fiction than I realized. Once I had the idea for a story, I could not stop thinking about it. True to the researcher in me, I'm spending a lot of time getting the backstory correct, but that is what I love doing.
To help me get the writing done, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. I spent much of September working on the outline and actually started writing it this week. Yes, I am a month early. No, I don't care. The goal of NaNoWriMo is 50,000 words, and I anticipate my adventure/thriller novel to be much longer than that. What little bit I've written so far has shown me where I have gaps in my plot, what research I still need to do, and areas of the craft I need to work on this month.
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For Reading
Below are a few of the interesting articles and stories I found last month.
The Wild Alaskan Island That Inspired a Lost Classic
One hundred years ago, Rockwell Kent and his son arrived in Alaska and settled in a cabin on a small, wooded island near Seward. A painter, Kent spent his nights writing letters that eventually become a book. If you are fascinated with life in the wilderness, take a look at the drawings and read the article. FYI – the island is still wooded but is partially owned by a tourism company that charges over $1200 for a night’s stay.
Nine “Striking” Facts About The History of The Typewriter
I learned to type on a manual Underwood typewriter my mom had, then used electric typewriters for typing class in high school and a variety of jobs until personal computers took over. Though I’m quite happy to work on my laptop keyboard, there is nothing like typing on a typewriter keyboard. Here are some interesting facts about the history of the typewriter. I especially liked #4 – Mark Twain was the first writer to submit a manuscript that had been typed.
The Adventures of America’s Most Well-Traveled Bookstore
Not only do I think this is a wonderful idea to have a traveling library, but I may have added an item to my bucket list!
Why You Should Read This Article Slowly
While I love to get lost in a book, taking in every word on the pages, I also skim a lot. It can be helpful to quickly look at something and see if we want to engage with it further. However, how often do we really take the time to read slowly, to be sure we are getting all of the story?
I am always looking for interesting and unusual things to read. Have you read something interesting lately? Reply to this email and let me know, and I'll include it in next month's update!
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Until next month,
Gladys
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