Hiya, writers & all non-holiday-conformists dropping by.
In a moment, we’ll find that the Corsi-Rosenthal box is not a time-travel device and Merv13 isn’t a fiction character … yet!
First, let’s update from wordsmiths in the home stretch of National Novel Writing Month, and I’ll correct/revise for new data as you post’em in the comment thread (please make ‘em very clear so I don’t overlook any or get’em rong):
Goals________________
Blueshift — 50k goal
bonetti — 50k goal: 55,655 as of Nov24a.m.
dconrad — 50k goal: at 25K as of Nov24
elenacarlena — 20k goal: 5k as of Nov24
mettle fatigue — finish story: 60 words up as of Nov24 … extended to DaKoWriMo
Mt Baker Dem — 50k goal: at 47K as of Nov24
NoBlinkers — 50k: at 12,570 as of Nov 24
Reppa — just write! : at 4761 as of Nov 25
RexyMeteorite — 80-100k goal: 70K as of Nov17
strawbale — The Travellers: 4619 words as of Nov 24
TheRiversChild -- novelette 8.5-10K: a few100s as of Nov10
For anyone who didn’t jump in who’da liked to, or who wants to ride the carousel again, I believe this January will be our seventh(?) annual
<big>DailyKosWriMo</big>
for all kindsa authorship, not fiction alone. — term papers, grant applications, memoirs, music composition, heck, even thank you notes for gifts of the holiday season!
For anyone picking up where NaNoWriMo left off, we’ve even got help from Sensho’s Nov17, 2016 post talking about LAYERING, a set of revision skills for character, setting and plot, great for DaKoWriMo … or even for now! (Don’t worry, we’ll get to Merv 13 and the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, too.)
Examples of layering are:
- making sure the scene evokes at least three senses
- making sure everyone in the scene is acting in character
- knowing (even if you don’t show or tell it right then and there) how each character in the scene feels about what’s happening
- beginning the placement of any threat or developing action that is going to be important in the next scene
- making sure you’ve exploited any opportunity in the scene to build gradually toward the future denouement of various subplots
- showing the reactions of any bystanders to what’s happening
Treasure trove!
And finally, here’s the promised Corsi-Rosenthal article about a real-time device that volunteers built in schools, homeless shelters, daycare centers, reportedly saving lives in the pandemic and showing “the power of grassroots community innovation.”
Most of us live at the grass-roots (it’s messy here!). Some with asthma and such, besides that we’re all inna world fulla germs! Impressed the hell outa me, I don’t mind saying.
In brief, from WIK:
the Corsi-Rosenthal box [is a handmade air-cleaning cube consisting of] four to five off-the-shelf [merv13 or better] furnace filters topped by a standard box fan blowing outward. Once sealed with [duct]tape, it can sit on a floor, shelf or table. The fan draws air in through the [filters that comprise the] sides of the cube, and out the top. [S]imple, durable and easy to make, [this device has tested as remarkably] effective [for filtering out virus particles]. [Making it] usually takes 40 minutes, minimal technical expertise, and US$60 to $90 in materials that are available from any home supply store….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIuH-2naozI H/T AASHIRS NANI
Isn’t all of THAT something to be <big>thankful</big> for!??!!!
And maybe replicate in our own homes, those of us who will always have to deal with smog particulates, wildfire ash, microbes, industrial air pollution…
Is there a writing <big>CHALLENGE</big> in it for us? Yes, there is!
Or two. You pick.
First if you’re feeling ambitious but not about to take TOO much of yr creative energies away from a NaNo project, no need to invent setting or incident:
Write a scene in which some (or more) of our characters* —pals or not— are in the process of building a Corsi-Rosenthal box … for whatever reason and under whatever urgent or casual conditions...
Maybe include some layering, since quite often in our own projects we’re doing some of that right from the getgo.
Doesn’t matter If the characters* are not from our tech era: it’s their personalities that count, so translate those personalities to be OF our here-and-now this holiday season.
Wordcount your choice, but shortish is good too, and dialogue is great if you feel inclined.
* use characters from your WIP, or from the Quest for the Sacred Lost Jewel of Togwogmagog.
<big>ALTERNATE CHALLENGE: </big> If you like word-sprints with background music, here’s our traditional 2 minutes 13 seconds in which to write the first lines of a story of any kind whatsoever … titled Merv 13 and the Corsi-Rosenthal_Box. Ready? ……… aaannnnddd… GO!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6q9Qnh3hOo
Write On! will be a regular Thursday night diary (8 pm Eastern, 5 pm Pacific) until it isn’t.
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