Loveday Writing

I haven’t made much progress over the last five days, this is due to the fact that I work full-time and have to commute three hours a day to get to and from work, so at the end of each day, I’m too tired to make any progress.

Due to my current working situation, the way that the story of How We Got Here is going to be told and the fact that this is my first attempt at NaNoWriMo, I’ve decided that instead of writing a novel, I will be writing a novella.

In all honesty, I’ve always like the idea of a novella and it’s a shame that there are not more of them out there and that writers aren’t encouraged to give writing a novella a go. The only reason I can think of why this is, is due to the fact that most publishers don’t desire novellas, as they most likely won’t bring in as much of a profit as a novel will, but I don’t think that this is enough of a reason. I’m kicking myself a little for not thinking of writing a novella before the start of the month. Luckily since we’re at day 12 and there’s 18 days left and I’ve already written 2,179 words, if I set my target at 20,000 to 25,000 words, if I write at least 1,000 words each day, I can achieve this new goal.

In terms of where I’m at with How We Got Here, I’ve progressed a little further with writing Lucas’ letter to Lorraine. Lucas’ letter at the moment is 681 words and I’ve still got a way to go before it’s finished.

Although all of the letters are being written in the present day, each child tells their own story relating to crucial moments in their past. With Michael’s letter, he tells his story of coping with the loss of his father when he is between the ages of 16 to 20 (1992-1996), but in the present day he is 32. With Lucas’ letter, he tells his story of coming to terms with his homosexuality and coming out to his family at the age of 19 (1996). Chronologically, the oldest daughter, Gwendolyn (Gwen), is next to tell her story about falling in love with her uni lecturer and what they had to face as she was 18 and he was 29 when they met in 1996 (married in 1997).

Lucas’ letter isn’t just about his story of coming out, it’s all about him and his place in the family. Michael had to take on the fatherly role but Lucas didn’t have to. Other than a homosexual, Lucas is a man with a vibrant personality, loving and while not completely carefree, he is not as tightly wound as Michael. In my mind, Lucas is the representation of the free man Michael could of been, if he didn’t have to take over as the fatherly figure of the Ramieres family.

I’m sitting in the town library hoping that the peace and quiet will enable me to focus more.

Stay tuned…