Catherine Stine's IDEA CITY

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Nano food, Nano diversions, and Name Your Inner Editor




What do you feed yourself when you’re trying to keep up your strength for Nano (National Novel Writing Month), basically writing each day until you keel over your laptop, in an exhausted haze?
I’m eating fish. Brain food. I had langostinos last night for dinner. What the heck are they, you ask? A crustacean sometimes called the Squat Lobster that lives in the waters of Chile and Spain. My hubby made langostino pasta. Mmmm. Today, I had sardines for lunch, in my salad, and tonight I’ll dine on Salmon teriyaki takeout. My brain will be fully charged from all of that omega-rich fish, but I fear possible mercury overdose a la Jeremy Piven. Perhaps I should switch to spinach and collards. A plain old mineral-rush.

Many writers are probably binging on junk food: fries, ice cream, Twinkies. You heard about that guy on the news who lived on Twinkies for a couple of weeks and still lost weight. It’s all about the calories, he determined. Don’t use that as a rationalization for self-medicating your wobbly confidence this Nano season or your stomach will rebel, and you’ll lose a few precious word-count days.

On another note, Erin F, the NYC Nano moderator posted about her inner editor. She named hers, Ethel, I want to say? I think I’ll name mine too. David. (My inner-editor is a “him”—a father figure from childhood, who paid close attention to details?? My muse is male too, so figure that one out, Dr. Freud!). Problem is, I’ll have to give my inner-editor more than one name. You see, David, has a few sides to him. When I’m sailing along he’s mellow too, so I’d call him Dave. But when I’m stumbling and the writing’s messy, my inner editor rails on me to go back and edit the darn mess. I reason with him, remind him that I’m not ALLOWED to go back and edit during Nano. He snaps, “But you’re writing’s sloppy, full of gaping holes and spelling errors.” That guy I wouldn't call David or Dave. I’d call him Mr. Thang.

Finally, the fabulous Aimee Bender, author of Willful Creatures, and Nano’s pep-talker of the day, encouraged writers to deviate from their outlines. She told us to follow our Nano daydreams, the playful questions percolating in our heads. In her words: “If you are writing a grocery scene, let’s say, and, if, on aisle 4 of the grocery store, character 1 starts to open up a peanut butter jar and eat it, and character 2 is so irritated she goes to flirt with a guy on aisle 3, and if this scene was supposed to be their first kiss—well? Maybe it's just not their first kiss at all. Maybe the guy on aisle 3 will end up being incredibly important!” Follow the scene to an unexpected place in the way you normally would NOT, in a tight outlined piece. I’ve learned to outline. I have to, to avoid wasting huge amounts of time as I spin a story into the outer rings of Saturn. BUT, now may be a great time for me to deviate—to noodle—to play—to take a dialog to an unintentional place. I’ll allow myself that liberty, in between scenes.

What about you? Special Nano foods? Your inner editor’s name? Your bravest deviation from the norm? Spill it here!

15 comments:

  1. I'm eating chocolate and drinking starbucks coffee. All bad, but after nano, I'll start my diet, lol! I promise I will *tee hee*

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  2. Yeah, I had a mocha and a few Starburst yesterday, in-between all of that healthy fish.

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  3. I'm not doing NaNo this year and it's like being in rehab.:) I constantly keep telling myself I have no writing I have to do and in some ways it's very freeing and in others I find myself craving that sleepless hanging over your laptop feeling at 3 in the morning hoping to get to my daily count.:)

    I love your blog, Catherine and I am now following it. Thank you for following mine.:)

    My favorite during past NaNo's was chocolate. I used to eat kisses and M&Ms, because they were easy and fun.:) Good luck to all NaNoers.:) I'll probably be back next year.

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  4. While working, I try to forget there's a refrigerator in the house! Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. :)

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  5. While writing, if my brain is in serious need of food and I don't feel like cooking (which is usually the case), I have Brad's or some other pure peanut butter, on fresh apple slices. Then I make chai. I call my inner nano writer and sometimes nagger/distractor is Chai Lady. I take fresh ginger and cardamon pods and smash them in a baggie with a hammer, then add the smush to a pot of boiling water, add loose black tea, caff or decaf--English Breakfast or Earl Grey are nice--a pinch of tumeric or black pepper, and soy milk since dairy seems to clog my nose and brain. I have found that spelt biscotti are the perfect what my Dad would call "tzi-tzi-bassen," Yiddish for "something to dunk in tea." If this fails to satisfy, I eat a baked sweet potato with some greens on top, a frozen Van's waffle, or some leftover soup. Chai Lady has a certain wisdom about what to eat when, and a somewhat healthier sweet tooth than her younger counterpart. Good luck to all Nano-ers and to you Catherine, for keeping us entertained and on track.

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  6. Ha! Chai Lady, great inner-editor name! More, more!

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  7. Okay so I'm going to deviate from the inner editor to give a digression ( which covers 2 of the questions at once) Oh and it involves food so it covers all 3. Yesterday I asked a friend since we are sharing names, hers is Lynn, who has never ever read what I am working on to read a chunk of my novel to me out loud to me while I was preparing lunch for the two of us---thus allowing me to piggyback onto her fresh brain. Like listening to collected shorts on the radio as I chopped carrots. Now and then I was sorely tempted to ask her to stop or to mumble that this section needed serious work or to be cut, but that was not allowed, so I just kept on (since we are naming foods it was a pasta dish!) . I am happy to say she also laughed a couple of times and wiped a tear at one point which was deeply encouraging. Not being a kid or a writer who has been asked for comments she simply listened enjoyed reading for its own sake, happy I was cooking for her! All in all I found it most helpful. Maybe you will too, But it is a but of a digression, I admit. Go Nano Marathoners. Go Go GO

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  8. Yes, reading a mss out loud is so helpful, and having it read to you over a good meal is even better!

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  9. I'm not actually participating in NaNo but I do need lots of coffee before I write.

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  10. I'm trying to be really really good and its been really really hard. As I write I am 1500 words to go to reach 50k (yes, yes, I'll get back to it as soon as I'm done posting... I think). No chips or chocs. I'm sticking to frozen yoghurt and plain plunger coffee with the odd treat of whipped cream. I may celebrate when I reach my 50k thought. Any suggestions on food of choice? I'm thinking cheesecake? Lindor choccies, champers???

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  11. Something sweet and salty mixed works for me. Sometimes a glass of wine. I am pretty easy going when I am writing.

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  12. Cheeze-its that may or may not have resulted in an emergency gall bladder removal...its fruits and veggies for me now!

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  13. Oh, no, Doreen! Wishing you health and no more Cheezits!

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