I should be nano-ing

I haven't posted in awhile and thanks to www.nanowrimo.org I've discovered something exciting that I really wanted to share with the world.

As usual, I have only just discovered this new and exciting thing, but I am certain others have known about it for a long time.

I was nano-ing along, starting at the beginning of my story like a good little first time nano-er, when suddenly I had an idea for a scene that would occur much later in the book. I didn't sit on the idea and wait to type my way to the part in my story I'd use it for, I stopped what I was working on to type that scene and it came out quite lovely, if I do say so myself. Then later I did it again! And then again until I was jumping all over the place in my story and that is just about when something peculiar began happening...

I was typing away when suddenly this tall handsome man walked into my story and said, "Hi, I'm Will, the husband." Then it happened again later when a boy strolled in and explained that he was the third son, Bradley. I was amazed. Characters seemed to be appearing from no where in my story. I admit, I was a little taken back when a lady sat across from me on the screen and explained she was at the funeral. Funeral?? But who died?! Brilliant!! Brilliant!!!

So, at the end of Nano I'm not certain anyone will be able to read my story from beginning to end at first, but after a little rearranging I think it will be okay.

Oh, so the neat-o thing I learned: I've never been very good at coming up with the middle of a story. I can write amazing beginnings with decent endings but rarely fill in the middle very well in my opinion. So, what I've figured out is that by not trying to do that, but instead focusing on each scene I am able to write a great beginning, middle and ending with no problem. My character goes to the gas station. I can write when she arrived what she did and when she left. Breaking it down like that seems to really be helping me. Now, I am not nearly ready to start rearranging these wonderful scenes I've written and trying to make the story readable from the actual beginning, but I think having figured out to write it scene by scene and not even in order, for that matter, is really working well for me.

12,841 words written as of yesterday. Today I am procrastinating a bit, but by this evening I'll be on my way to India with a French poet in search of.... well, I can't really tell you that, now can I? [smile]