Harry Potter and the Nanowrimo

As October comes to a close, I have few things to talk about. My lack of a Halloween costume, for one. However, the two main focuses of this post will be about my thoughts after rereading the Harry Potter series and the upcoming challenge that is Nanowrimo.

Harry Potter was well worth the second read. Although the spoilers were all known, the intricacy with which the stories were woven come out much clearer on the second read. The absurd Hallows seemed to fit into the story better than before, and my much dreaded fifth and seventh books were surprisingly good to read. Although, the fourth and sixth were even better than I remembered, and easily take the top to slots in my order of preference. The sixth is above and beyond all the other books, in terms of content and entertaining. I still dislike the idea of Tom Riddle being a person too far past the point of redemption, a villain that can never become more than a villain. It speaks to my Catholic sensibility that no person is beyond the redemptive power of God, and this sensibility reflects in my writing.

As to my writing, I am faced with a difficult choice in the next few days. With the Harry Potter series behind me, I am faced with the choice of writing my magic-based Nanowrimo without the aid of those books. A lot of inspiration and ideas have emerged from those books, and it is difficult to write those down and move on, yet I worry I will lose interest and patience for that story very quickly. Of course, my main goal in the magic story would be to tell a story about wizards that is more based upon the variety and complexity that is seen in the D&D series. My other option is the Patagonia story, which involves psions and two interlinked but separate stories, a before and after story lines which could be confusing and difficult to pull off. This was my initial plan for Nanowrimo, until I got the idea for my magic story, which is a much more interesting idea. Then there is the third option, a story about a successful book writer and his personal assistants, whom inevitably end up quitting as they find themselves characters in his stories. The plot for this one is ultimately irrelevant, which scares me as a plot based writer. The only real interest in this story for me is trying to capture and focus solely on the characterizations and the interactions of these two main characters and a recurring third character. Small cast, limited plot, are all things I dislike and avoid in my writing, which are two of my greatest faults as a writer at this time

Ultimately, I see myself as a writer, and nothing else. No job, no vocation has spoken to my experience the way that writing has. I would not go so far to say I have a gift to write, but rather an inevitable draw to write. I have realized the one thing I will do consistently for the rest of my life is make up stories in my head. I will always have my stories, which vary in flavor but revolve similar ideas. I only wish I was capable of getting some of them published, to be one of those lucky people that gets paid to do what they would do with their life anyways. It is certainly my hope to be that lucky.