Lesson 1 Novel Writing Class

Lesson One: Discussion For your initial observation, select three of the suggestions from the second article in this week's reading assignment, 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing By Leo Babauta.

I did this and posted my three inspirational quotes by Leo Babauta.

Tell us which items you chose and why you feel they are the best way to help you plan your novel writing. Also discuss how you plan to incorporate them into your regular writing routine.

I incorporate these into my writing routine all the time because I realize their importance and don't want to waste the available time by putting things off to the last minute.

Post your initial observation as a Reply to the "Lesson One Discussion" message thread on our "Let's Talk About It!" Forum.

Be sure you go back throughout the week and respond to your fellow travelers’ observations and comments as well. The idea here is to have an ongoing conversation so we can discuss what we are learning.

Lesson One – Noveling Exercise - Part A: Finding Inspiration This week you are going to try my favorite inspirational exercise, Seeing the World with New Eyes.

Days One and Two –

My wife bought me a nice notebook to replace the cheap ones I usually buy at wall mart. If I don't write things down as I get good ideas I forget them.... they evaporate into the ozone. Every day I walk the dogs on the road in front of our farm house. Even though my walks are a part of my routine, and I do them twice a day I always see something new. Trees get blown over, scat is left by crossing animals, and tracks appear along the edge of the road. Then there are the beer and soda cans and plastic bottles, pizza cartons, and fast food wrappings carelessly tossed out the windows.

Day 1: On Monday I got a new set of hearing aids and was amazed that I could hear the birds chirping in addition to seeing all the visual cues. There was a clutch of Turkeys... a couple of adults and a whole clutch of new hatchlings running in the weeds along side the road. The dogs had dropped behind checking things out and I turned around to keep them from rushing into their midst and scattering them to the four winds.

Day 2: Yesterday I saw a couple of deer cross the road. Here in Wisconsin, if you see one deer emerge from the woods its a good bet another is close behind. Sometimes a doe with her fawn, sometimes a couple young bucks and sometimes two or more "buddies" just hanging out together. I hate it when one gets hit by a car and wonder if they grieve like people do when they lose their loved ones.

Day 3: Simmer, simmer.

Day 4: Simmer, simmer.

Day 5: Plot One: I thought about taking Vignette 1, that I use in my class and write it from a Science Fiction Perspective. It had the idea that Magic was just another word for high tech in the eyes of primitive people. That Pandora was the result of a selected breeding program to improve the human genome and the aliens had to find away to get her out of her fortress home to perform some genetic tests on a promising evolutionary specimen.

Day 6: Plot two: I thought about taking the same vignette and instead of an action adventure fantasy, give it a detective twist. After Pandora disappears her father, Merlin, sends his magistrate (detective) to discover where she got off to. His investigator finds where she went through the hedgerow, sees the unicorn tracks, and along the forest trail discovers her slippers and wolf tracks. On the riverbank he sees the Kerf of where a small boat had been pushed ashore. "Hmmm," thinks "Lancelot Clouseau", It appears she went from the frying pan into the fire. In her zeal to escape the wolves she was caught in the current and swept over the falls. Turning to his assistant "Watkins," he says.... "Go below the falls, even if it is outside our jurisdiction, and see if you can find some wreckage of the boat or some maybe some bodies. Send a raven with a report on what you discover."

Save your Finding Inspiration Exercise in your folder.

Lesson One – Noveling Exercise - Part B: Your Writing Library This week take some time to explore some of the various writing resources available to you.

♥ Peruse your personal writing library. Make a list of the books and/or resources you want to add to it.

Whenever I go to Wausau, Linda and I stop by Barnes and Noble and I check the writing resource shelf for something I don't have and find interesting.

♥ I belong to the local library in Wisconsin Rapids. Once a week if I can I drop by and they have a good section of writing references. I have a good personal library of references which helped in developing the Exploratory Writing Workshop and that I refer to when I get questions that have me scratching my head. One is Writing New Adult fiction by Deborah Halverson. Another is Writing Your Novel From Start to Finish... A guidebook for the Journey, by Joseph Bates.

♥ There is a used book store in Stephen's Point along the water front that I visit whenever I can. My favorites are old editions of books by classic writers such as Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas, Baroness 'Orczy and Raphael Sabbitini. I simply love to read the classic stuff, don't ask me why. So my favorite resources are Popular, Used, and antique Bookstores, as well as Amazon and other online sources.

For your Noveling Exercise - all in one static item - post the lists, notes, and comments you made in the steps above. Include any thoughts or feelings you have about using these varied resources, and your plans to continue expanding your personal writing reference library.