The Confabulator Cafe

Author: jlevine

  • On the November Wing

    Ah, NaNo. That magical time of the year when for 30 days, I’m pretty much checked out on anything other than typing. A lot. Chances are if I’m not typing, I’m off being ill. One November, I had the worst case of strep throat I’ve ever had – also the only case of strep throat I’ve ever had! Another, I didn’t personally get sick, but my beloved red tabby had his second case of feline cystitis – I spent the last week of November in and out of the vet office with him. The winner, of course, was the November where I spent half of NaNo with half of my face paralyzed thanks to a bout of Bell’s Palsy. In the end, that’s neither here nor there – sadly, Bell’s Palsy did not end up playing a part in my novel.

    I spend all year, starting with December 1st, thinking about what I will write for the following November. To be fair, that’s not the right way to go about it – I should think about what I’m writing tomorrow, but NaNo is exciting. I feel like my best ideas are saved for NaNo every year, and I’m hoping this year will be no different. (more…)

  • Overcoming the “A” Word

    Every writer, I’m sure, has their ups and downs when it comes to the writing process. What parts of it do you enjoy? What makes you excited to sit at the keyboard and type up a story – and what parts make you want to chuck your laptop as far as you can throw it, preferably into heavy traffic?

    For me, writing is a very emotional experience. I grow extremely attached to my characters – sometimes unhealthily so. I remember writing the end of my NaNo novel back in 2009 and bawling as I wrote the last words – I felt too sad for the characters’ relationship to end the way it did! What a terrible ending! What a way to torture two people I’d grown to love! Yet for me, that’s what I look forward to the most when it comes to writing.

    Building characters and worlds is a dream come true for me. It’s something I’ve been doing since I was a child – making elaborate worlds and equally elaborate characters. The current world I write for, a country called Pridd that has a good mix of Steampunk and magic, has become unbelievably real to me. The country has a map, a government, a religion. The rivers all have names. I have this gigantic timeline pointing out all major events so I can make sure I’m always consistent.  I’m sure if I wrote in some natural disaster – an earthquake, perhaps, that swallows part of a city whole – I would cry over ruining this amazing world I’ve created – and have an absolute blast writing about it. Writing creates a reality for me that I feel like I can visit whenever I’d like, free of charge – what a way to spend a vacation! (more…)

  • Family Ties

    Having someone who supports you with your writing is perhaps one of the biggest motivators to keep going, story after story and page after page. A support group does wonders for this, but when the support follows you back home, that makes all the difference.

    I have been very lucky to find that support at home. When Lindsey and I first moved in together in 2006, I don’t think she took my threats of “I don’t do anything during November except write” seriously. She soon learned, when dinner wasn’t ready in time and dishes were piling up, or when I was wearing the same shirt for the third time that week because I couldn’t break away from my novel to do laundry. It was the true test of a relationship – and we got through it with flying colors and only the occasional squabble. (more…)