Busting Out Of The Box

       Happy Boxing Day!

       Today I'd like to celebrate writing outside of the box, which is what I did when I dove into NaNoWriMo at the last minute. I did that when a story idea came to me while driving in the car, listening to NHPR. I came home and started researching immediately, and knew I had come upon a story that would make a great middle grade novel. Since those usually clock in at around 50,000 words I accepted that the universe was telling me to give NaNoWriMo a real try this year. So I dove in. And I did it! A completed first draft novel of 50,000 words written in one month - still surprising to me. It was hard work, but fun, and of course, very rewarding.

      Without those serendipitous inspirations, that I didn't have time to over-think, I am sure that I wouldn't have tried my hand at writing a historical novel for kids about elephants. A subject I knew damn near nothing about before I started. I don't think I would have thought myself capable of writing from an elephant's perspective before I tried it. One just doesn't know what she can do until she gives it a try!

       For a month or two I'll let the first draft sit, before I begin revising it, but I expect to have something worth submitting when the snows melt. Assuming that the snows are coming. 

       Here is an actual broadside about the subject of my story, which turned out to be about slavery as well as elephants, and life in Colonial America, and so it is about freedom and respect for life.