NaNoWriMo Pep Talk with Lizzie Gudkov

Storybrooke Grove © Lizzie Gudkov

Look. Right there… See?

That’s where you’ll be at the end of November, smiling, happy with everything you’ve accomplished. Whether you’ve written 50,000 words or not, whether you have reached your rebel goals or not, you’ll be there, smiling.

Do you know why? Because you’ve worked hard. And that’s reason enough to smile.

If you’re ahead of the game, congratulations. You are doing a great job. You’ve managed not only to keep up with the amount of words needed for each day, but you’ve also succeeded in going beyond what was expected of you.

If you are behind, don’t panic. You still have five days left and I’ll give you a few ideas on how to survive the rest of the month.

So, did you know Milk Wood keeps a lot of hidden secrets that will help you boost your word count? You didn’t know?! Oh, yes, it does.

Come closer. Listen. On the main table, there are four books, neatly piled up. Floral Therapy, All About Roses, Women’s Power and Fashion. They look like pretty regular books, right? Well, in fact, they are code books for highly sensitive documents. Ssh. It’s a secret.

Also, someone is Storing Memories in a scrapbook. Oak and chestnut. A heart and a branch.

Next to that scrapbook, there’s a recipe on a notebook. I can’t read it though. The notebook has a few markers sticking out. What’s so special about that one marker with an arrow? I feel tempted to open the notebook and snoop, but the table is packed with people. Perhaps you can come over and check it out yourself.

Oh, oh… And look at the planner:

584 Linden Lane

SL, 90210

They are sending something to this address, a mail package. Deadline at 3:30pm. What could that be? And who is this “they”? Perhaps it’s a “she”. Why does she have a deadline? Tricky.

And did you know there are some people in the Chapel? They are whispering something. Can you hear them? I wonder what they are talking about. I think it’s something about the old cemetery.

Farther away, a lonely sailor is drinking too much by an old wooden boat. Who is he waiting for? Is he sad? I wonder… And why is he sad?

At the beach, the picnic blanket is set. A fruit board, croissant sandwiches, and a cooler packed with drinks. Everything is ready for… Lovers perhaps? Oh, but wait! A thief! A thief is stealing the hot dogs. I can see a chase coming.

In the meantime, the radio plays a soft tune. At Last. Is that Etta James?

Walk around Milk Wood and you’ll be surprised with the number of ideas you can get just from taking a stroll through the sim.

People, objects, colors and sounds, these are only a few examples that might trigger questions. Questions trigger ideas. Ideas trigger words and words boost your word count.

Look. Right there. See? That’s where you’ll be at the end of November, smiling.

Lizzie Gudkov

November 2019