To Lou and the Rest of the Equasion

I've got my five-subject notebook and Dr. Lou Willett Stanek's book, "So You Want to Write a Novel." Yes I have a graduate degree in creative writing, but let's be real. Okay, let me be real. My education is lacking. No fault of my alma mater, just the facts. When I went, the classes were good, but I could have used a lot more! More classes, more training, more push, more information. That said, this little book by Lou is enough because if you are a writer, you simply write and work out the kinks. I have been ultra lazy. "Daydreaming is just a part of the creative process," she says, and I am guilty of only participating in one part of the whole.

So I have my notebook with a section for characters, titles, observations, eavesdropping, borrowed things, and words, words, words. And I've got another writer on the same timeline as me, and we are nudging and pushing each other to make our September deadline.

My novel in waiting has characters who came to me three years ago and are still as alive as ever. They stand (or sit) in my brain, waiting, waiting, patiently waiting for their story to come completely alive on the page. Stephen King calls it "the fossil" found in the ground, waiting to be told. I have found a fossil and need to uncover it.

I am thankful to have found this fossil and I am thankful for Lou. I will carry this notebook with me everywhere and use it. I have vowed to write in chunks everyday, no matter what. And as Lou suggests, will only buy overcoats from now on which can hold my notebook.

And I will write. Daydream and write. What a life. What an existence. If you catch me staring at you, yes, I am observing and you may be the prototype for my protagonist. Take it as a compliment and go on reading your newspaper. I am only doing what I do best.

Finally.