Post by sabrakadabra on Dec 2, 2009 22:20:37 GMT -5
Let me just start off by saying that my ninth grade History teacher could not have known what he was doing when he told us about Alexander the Great for months (or so. It felt like months, anyway). At first, it was just another thing to memorize. It was a laborious task and it was annoying and since my teacher was an A the G expert, I couldn't really make anything up if I didn't remember and have him count it as right or anything like that. It was terrible!
However. One day, I completely forget how, but I know it was months later, around May or so I think (somewhat ironically, considering NEPMo is in May but I hadn't a clue about it), that I first had the idea.
Alexander the Great's life. Original, not so much. Unless you knew the perspective I was going to take. Alexander the Great's life...through the eyes of his beloved horse, Bucephalus. I certainly thought it was the best thing that I'd ever come up with. It wasn't, however. I did more research on A the G to get a better understanding of his life and what he did and all that good stuff and how to make it as simplistic as possible - after all, his horse was awesome but he was still just a horse.
Then I come across a site that tells me there was a philosopher's stone myth. I hadn't even read what the article said before I had the "best idea ever": Alexander the Great, his life through his horse's eyes....but he's immortal. And so is his horse. But no one else is and they all die around him and for some reason he can't keep his empire? And he got really sick when he drank the potion? And his super BFF, Hephaestion didn't drink the potion for some reason?
It was a mess, but I thought it was brilliant. And then I tried to write it in three days during my long Memorial Day weekend, having heard about the Labor day weekend novel in three days. I was stupid. I killed my love for the idea because I liked the idea so much that I wasn't sure I could do it justice. I know I can't do it justice, but I still should've done the best d**n job I could have done. I didn't though. Even after doing NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy, I still tried to edit and change things and make it perfect before I moved on. I had completely regressed!
But that was as a novel in three days. A novel in three days. I looked it up, and a novel is pretty much, at the minimum, 100,000 words. That's about 33,000 words a day, if I tried to do that. I tried. I got about 11 thousand words. Now, that's actually quite good for two days (completely gave up on the last day; I was SO TIRED), but looking at my goal? Not so much. That was stupid. 100,000 words in three days? What am I, a magician? No. I wasn't then nor am I now, in case you're curious.
But. An epic poem...I could see Alexander the Great and his trusty horse Bucephalus and his best friend Hephaestion jumping from line to line. I could start it when Alexander was already amazing, and therefore the entire premise of having an epic poem is fulfilled (thank you, ninth grade English teacher!) so I'm all set there.
I am SO EXCITED for May. This idea of an epic poem has completely revitalized this idea in my head! It's given it new life. I only hope I don't think about it so much that it loses its new breath!
And if anyone read my entire post, wow. You are awesome. Thanks for listening. I find it uncomfortable to tell people without prompting things about writing in person, because I feel like I'm pushing it at them, but here, you have a choice or not to read it. So again, thanks if you did! I can't WAIT for May...and definitely not only because that means I'll only have two more months of school left!
However. One day, I completely forget how, but I know it was months later, around May or so I think (somewhat ironically, considering NEPMo is in May but I hadn't a clue about it), that I first had the idea.
Alexander the Great's life. Original, not so much. Unless you knew the perspective I was going to take. Alexander the Great's life...through the eyes of his beloved horse, Bucephalus. I certainly thought it was the best thing that I'd ever come up with. It wasn't, however. I did more research on A the G to get a better understanding of his life and what he did and all that good stuff and how to make it as simplistic as possible - after all, his horse was awesome but he was still just a horse.
Then I come across a site that tells me there was a philosopher's stone myth. I hadn't even read what the article said before I had the "best idea ever": Alexander the Great, his life through his horse's eyes....but he's immortal. And so is his horse. But no one else is and they all die around him and for some reason he can't keep his empire? And he got really sick when he drank the potion? And his super BFF, Hephaestion didn't drink the potion for some reason?
It was a mess, but I thought it was brilliant. And then I tried to write it in three days during my long Memorial Day weekend, having heard about the Labor day weekend novel in three days. I was stupid. I killed my love for the idea because I liked the idea so much that I wasn't sure I could do it justice. I know I can't do it justice, but I still should've done the best d**n job I could have done. I didn't though. Even after doing NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy, I still tried to edit and change things and make it perfect before I moved on. I had completely regressed!
But that was as a novel in three days. A novel in three days. I looked it up, and a novel is pretty much, at the minimum, 100,000 words. That's about 33,000 words a day, if I tried to do that. I tried. I got about 11 thousand words. Now, that's actually quite good for two days (completely gave up on the last day; I was SO TIRED), but looking at my goal? Not so much. That was stupid. 100,000 words in three days? What am I, a magician? No. I wasn't then nor am I now, in case you're curious.
But. An epic poem...I could see Alexander the Great and his trusty horse Bucephalus and his best friend Hephaestion jumping from line to line. I could start it when Alexander was already amazing, and therefore the entire premise of having an epic poem is fulfilled (thank you, ninth grade English teacher!) so I'm all set there.
I am SO EXCITED for May. This idea of an epic poem has completely revitalized this idea in my head! It's given it new life. I only hope I don't think about it so much that it loses its new breath!
And if anyone read my entire post, wow. You are awesome. Thanks for listening. I find it uncomfortable to tell people without prompting things about writing in person, because I feel like I'm pushing it at them, but here, you have a choice or not to read it. So again, thanks if you did! I can't WAIT for May...and definitely not only because that means I'll only have two more months of school left!
