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I am an aspiring writer living and working in Hull. I working on a novel, as well as writing short stories to keep my writing skills fresh. I decided to start a writing blog to connect with other writers. So please, take a look around and leave some comments - I'd love to read some of your writing blogs too. Nari X

Friday 5 November 2010

NaNoWriMo....No. and Single Father finale


I realise that it is now NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I should probably explain why I am not taking part. Trust me, I did consider it. See, the thing is that NaNo requires writers to start a novel from scratch on the 1st November, and being half way through a novel already with a Christmas deadline, starting a new effort that would most certainly not get my full attention at this vital stage seemed pointless.

It is a shame, though, as now seems like the perfect time in my life to do it. I'm unemployed, I'm not a student anymore, and I'm not yet married, so time and attention would not be envied. NaNo seems like a really fun, challenging but rewarding excercise in not over-thinking. I can imagine that the pure heart put into a NaNo novel would be raw and genuine.
Someone in Writers Forum said to prospective NaNoers that it is not advisable to use an idea or character that you really care about, as the fast-paced 'just write' nature of the game can destroy any attachment or disappoint your own view of what they should be like.

I've realised that I've set myself up for failure from the offset even by the way I set myself a deadline. It has been a very ambiguous 'Christmas' deadline. Now that could mean anything. It could mean the 25th December, it could mean 1st December, or when term at Uni finishes, it could mean the end of December, or if I want to be particularly technical and pedantic, it could be sometime in the spring. You see the shepherds wouldn't have been out in the winter. (I'm such a nerd.)
So, my proposal is this. I enter into the spirit of NaNoWriMo and set my deadline for the 31st November. That way, I've still got time before the year's up to faff and flap with perfectionism before I let my team of readers loose.
Gosh, that's terrifying. At the back of my mind I've got this voice going 'Don't be silly, this is all just rubbish. It's not a real novel.'

And so, I've got a month to make it a real novel. Because there's real people who actually want to read it. How weird is that?

Anyway, Single Father. I realise I have not yet given my opinion on the finale. I thought it was excellent. I wasn't entirely sure about Sarah having intended to get pregnant all along, though. The kids were so cute with their 'Can we say "Hi" yet?'. I can imagine there are some viewers out there who didn't like the ending. I read one blog on the short series that said 'One thing I don't want this to turn into is a love story,' and, well, I guess it did. But I didn't mind that. I think it worked quite naturally, though it seemingly didn't take Dave long to get over Rita.
But, that said, having found out what he did about Lucy's Dad, it was obvious he was incredibly angry with her. And how is he supposed to deal with that? He'll never hear her side of the story, and he'll never know what she was thinking. And so, what he is doing is moving on. Letting the past lie.

The hand flew to the mouth at the scene in the studio with Tanya and Matt. That was good, I liked that little twist. I also liked the fact that given the choice, Dave made it clear that the kids were more important than anything, even if that meant sacrificing his feelings for Sarah.

Definately a success in my eyes. I look forward to the next BBC drama input, not to mention the continuation of Sherlock next year.


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