National Novel Writing Month: One Author’s Journal, Day 7

by Karen Harrington

NaNoWriMo Update – Harry Potter meets Running With Scissors

My progress is going in fits and starts as I approach a major turning point of my story, No Teddy Bears. I’m 12,000 words in and the story set-up is almost complete. The next big turning point is getting the family into their horrible foster home. I hope to hit the 20k word mark by next Monday.

One of the interesting things I am learning from this speed-writing experience is that no event or comment in my own life is off limits to being included. I’m sure God will forgive me for this, but I even clipped a few notes from Pastor Jeff’s sermon in church yesterday. (An anecdote about Gandhi.) This just goes to prove that all things inform a writer’s work, no matter how small or large.

Another observation I’ve made is that I had envisioned more of a This Boy’s Life tone for this story, but the children are taking over and it’s becoming a mix of Harry Potter meets Running With Scissors.

Here’s a short break-down thus far:

- Introduction of the happy Delano Family
- Mother “comes down with cancer” and dies
- Father, a librarian, pays the unkind obnoxious neighbor, Ms. Vallop, to look after the four children after school.
- Children are tormented by Ms. Vallop’s bully son and his two henchmen (what’s the word for a nine-year old henchman?) who demand to have their feet rubbed and to eat all the family snacks. Fearing for the last package of cookies, the children cut off the ends of dog biscuits and sprinkle them with cinnamon and feed them to their oppressors.
- The children visit the library and are questioned by Mr. Goodknuckle, the head librarian and their father’s boss.

The children could see there was something strange about Mr. Goodknuckle.
- Mr. Delano dies of an apparent broken heart on the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death.
- The children are scooped into the SYSTEM in hopes they will be adopted by foster parents.
- While waiting for new parents, the children all live at an RTF (residential treatment facility) where they have a miserable Halloween Party, trick-or-treating from door to door getting candy, but mostly coupons.

“What are we supposed to do with coupons,” shouted Frank Faulkner Fudge as the lines of his cat face scrunched up. “That’s just downright mean!”

“Be grateful for what you get,” said Miss Mallard, the headmistress of the RTF. “Some children have less.”

“How can you have less than a coupon,” Frank Faulkner Fudge cried, looking down at his slip of meaningless paper. “It says it’s for an oil change, too. Ten dollars off. What kind of seven year old needs an oil change?”

- The children have their photos made at the RTF. The photos are to be placed on the Angel Trees in various malls in hopes someone will give them a new, unwrapped toy – or even inquire about being a foster parent.

So, are you wondering who the evil foster parent will be?

Until next time, write on!

Karen Harrington is a former speechwriter and the author of the upcoming Kunati Books release JANEOLOGY. For more info, visit her at www.myspace.com/karenharringtonauthor