How I wrote a Nanowrimo comedy and helped a great candidate win a Senate race …

Could there have been a better year than 2008 for a kid smitten by politics to start college?  Forget Hurricane Ike and what it did to Houston!  Thank goodness, Rice University took care of its talented student body and helped Houston, too.  But what about us — 2000  miles away?  We missed our son so much!

At first, we tried filling our empty nest with a sweet cockatiel called Tilly. She sat on our shoulders and chirped whenever we played “Mame” for her.  But the house still felt empty.

So, I volunteered on a big Senate campaign. You know when you’re on the phone trying to sway voters, you forget about everything else. And I adore campaigns!

Great news — my candidate won the election!

And our son, so far away, was doing nicely, too — making great friends and pulling A’s  — but I ached for a new distraction.  So I joined the  Nanowrimo bandwagon. www.nanowrimo.org/

The Nano what?  One month to write a book about the size of Great Gatsby.  50K words that pass muster…  and you win!

Only about 20% of us crossed the finish line that year.  Seeking Number 20, my slapped together romantic comedy, was one of the winners!  (With about four days to spare … I know I’m bragging.)

My approach was a bit loosey goosey  — no outline,  just one sentence on an index card kept me focused.  The official word counters in San Francisco informed me that I won fair and square.  Just like the senator.

Now lots of credit goes to Barry White —  Every writing session started out with my first blasting “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Babe.”  It made my engine roar.  And I fell in love with my characters — even the pretentious ones, who got exactly what they deserved!  And I used my very pretty alma mater for the setting.

Meanwhile, little did Myles know that some of the college stories he shared over the phone found their way into my story. (I tinkered with them to make them fit… )

So I guess we all won in 2008.  And laughed along the way.

Here’s the Barry White song that helped me get started every morning.:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0I6mhZ5wMw)

Here’s Tilly’s favorite song that made her chirp and dance!   www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjZ7UwHaY8g