Old Work, New Work, HO-O-OWL!

Williamsburg, Brooklyn; A Journey/Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Altered Book, Mixed media
2003

So I was off line for a while and did some moving. We are still in transition, planning the move to California, but delayed due to situations that did not pan out as they should have. Now, the kids and I are living with my mom and they will have some good fun before we go off across the country.

I however, am completely off my feed and no amount of Nick Jr can make it right.

I haven't written in a couple of weeks, nor have I painted. But I have been doing some thinking.

What I am posting here today, in the way of art is actually an altered book I created in the fall of 2003. Oh so long ago. A whole lifetime ago. The year I quit teaching and went back to waitressing and bartending, but before I met Sean and had kids. And certainly before our lovely recession.

It was the first time I really went deep into art, into one specific project instead of jumping around. I was given this book and then decided to alter it. I was guided only by trying to find a way to fit the chapter headings into my life as it was. Everything else was pretty intuitive and when I started out, I had no idea what I would be doing.

This is the first chapter. There are quite a few other chapters. I don't know if this is my favorite chapter, but it is where I started so I thought maybe I'd just show it in order. It's called "The Book of the Grotesque." Don't ask me. I just went with it and don't know if it makes sense. It's not really supposed to make sense, I guess. Or perhaps it's about making sense of things.

Maybe it's a good thing for me to post about, as I am in a period of trying to make sense of things. What with the transition and the uncertainty about the future. I've been wondering how I was going to focus on certain projects.

For one, my 100 day project of writing 100 hours in the last 100 days of 2009. Well, I meant to do it for my current novel that needs to be rewritten, but I don't really feel like I have the focus and extended time to really craft a finely tuned draft. So you know what I've decided? I'm going to do nanowrimo and write myself a whole new novel. Yup. It's going to have NOTHING to do with my current book. I need something right now that doesn't demand something of me. Something to just for fun.

Yes. I like to speed write novels for fun. I may be weird, but there it is. Rewriting is so much more difficult for me.

So I'm going to start outlining and brainstorm this werewolf novel in my head. Yes I am.

Sometimes I feel like I have a deadline to rush to get certain projects done, when the only one giving me a deadline is me.

When nanowrimo is over, I'll want to get away from the new novel and can go back to revision of number one.

Screw it. I'm going to do what I want to do instead of what I "should" do.

Woohoo.

Howl.

Now, what shall I do with my werewolf girl?

Hey. If you want to do nanowrimo, too, sign up and write 50 thousand words towards your new novel in November. It's fun, and no matter how far you get in your goal, you'll be farther along than you would have if you hadn't tried. There's still time to brainstorm and outline that fantastic idea that's been in your head for so long... and not too much time to think about what it all means before you enter into the thick of the furious writing. Come and play. And thank Marta for helping me to decide.