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yakalskovich) wrote2003-11-12 10:09 pm
yakalskovich) wrote2003-11-12 10:09 pm
NaNoWriMo is one month late
There is a rather new American custom, called National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo; it has existed for ten years or so, and the goal is to just sit down and write a novel of 50.000 words in the month of November to prove to oneself that one can.-
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floppy_hat is doing this year, for example. Very admirable and challenging project.
Only, if it means to celebrate the success of one who did just that, it's one month late, I learned today.
I was at a lecture about literary St. Petersburg, hoping to learn one or two useful factoids (I did), and there I heard the following astonishing story:
In the autumn of 1866, the famous writer Fyodor Dostoievsky, who was always in debt because he was addicted to gambling, fell prey to a truly evil publisher who paid the writer's debt, provided that Dostoievsky gave him a new novel to publish on November 1st of the same year; otherwise, all past and future writings of Dostoievsky should be forfeit to that totally ruthless and cruel publisher. Dostoievsky signed that, and despaired. He *did* have a novel ready in his mind, but how should he get that down on paper inside just one month? This was 1866; no recording devices were yet around, and even typewriters had not yet gone mainstream. His friends advised him to hire a stenographer and dictate all that text; so he placed an ad in the classifieds, and a rather genteel and very young lady showed up at his door the next day. So, all through October 1866, he dictated his novel "The Gambler" (how apt!!) to her during the day; at night, she took her shorthand notes away and had them written in longhand, and he did his other work (he had yet another novel in the works which was going to be "Crime and Punishment", but that was far too long to attempt doing in a month). In the morning, they corrected the last day's work and then went on with the dictation. And they did it - without a break, within 26 days!! On December 1st that year the novel was published, and the satanic publisher's hold on Dostoievsky was broken.-
Three months later, he married the young lady, and his life decidedly took a turn for the better from then on.
May that be an inspiration you, Lazuli (a.k.a.floppy_hat ), and all the others attempting just that without evil publishers breathing down their necks, or any charming collaborators keeping them on track...
floppy_hat is doing this year, for example. Very admirable and challenging project.Only, if it means to celebrate the success of one who did just that, it's one month late, I learned today.
I was at a lecture about literary St. Petersburg, hoping to learn one or two useful factoids (I did), and there I heard the following astonishing story:
In the autumn of 1866, the famous writer Fyodor Dostoievsky, who was always in debt because he was addicted to gambling, fell prey to a truly evil publisher who paid the writer's debt, provided that Dostoievsky gave him a new novel to publish on November 1st of the same year; otherwise, all past and future writings of Dostoievsky should be forfeit to that totally ruthless and cruel publisher. Dostoievsky signed that, and despaired. He *did* have a novel ready in his mind, but how should he get that down on paper inside just one month? This was 1866; no recording devices were yet around, and even typewriters had not yet gone mainstream. His friends advised him to hire a stenographer and dictate all that text; so he placed an ad in the classifieds, and a rather genteel and very young lady showed up at his door the next day. So, all through October 1866, he dictated his novel "The Gambler" (how apt!!) to her during the day; at night, she took her shorthand notes away and had them written in longhand, and he did his other work (he had yet another novel in the works which was going to be "Crime and Punishment", but that was far too long to attempt doing in a month). In the morning, they corrected the last day's work and then went on with the dictation. And they did it - without a break, within 26 days!! On December 1st that year the novel was published, and the satanic publisher's hold on Dostoievsky was broken.-
Three months later, he married the young lady, and his life decidedly took a turn for the better from then on.
May that be an inspiration you, Lazuli (a.k.a.
floppy_hat ), and all the others attempting just that without evil publishers breathing down their necks, or any charming collaborators keeping them on track...
ra ra rasputin, lover of the russian queen
i really want to finish this one novel, but i never get further than a chapter, and that is killing me.
i like pictures *serene* they don't require reading.
nope. not socky enough either!
another one
Her's another with just a drawing from somewhere online for an icon. Mental enough yet?
girly gulla
gunilla. that's - trauma. did you also have the "gulla" books?
this one nearly succeeded, if only i did not dare click on the mail as i feared a flamer or other nasty individual, not knowing the name.
Re: girly gulla
Re: girly gulla
snapewithpotbellyistehhit.
the second part is much better, but i felt too low to post it yet.
Re: girly gulla
But you are most definitely on it.
Re: girly gulla
aaaanyway, i think i am going to introduce *sat* and *ret* signs for you as well (demarcating me teasing you, okay? ;P) coz that's mostly what i did.
i know. if you did not find it yet, go to my page and four down, i lj-cut like a good scout.
Re: girly gulla
i hates the snarry!
wah!
what am i doing wrong!
*cough*
Re: girly gulla
I'm sure I'll find it on your LJ proper.
Re: girly gulla
good hunting.