National Novel Writing and Podcast Posting Month 2021
Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at timothy@createartpodcast.com
History of NaNoWriMo and NaPodPoMo
NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.
NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.
The Writing So Far
23 Nov 2021 daily count 1713 cumulative count 33570
Carl gave Carmine a hug, “I will, and I am sorry. I’m going right now to check on the kids okay, do you want me to come back here?”
“No because you need to check in with Cheryl. Just check on the kids and then get yourself home. I’ll message you in case we need anything here and if we find anything out,” said Carmine.
Carl headed to his car. He was thankful that Carmine had led him out to the entrance as he would have never found his way out of that maze. Before he left the parking lot, he messaged Cheryl. He wrote to her that he was going to check on Nate’s kids and if she was up, he would let her know what was going on with Nate. He looked okay and they are keeping him for observation. It felt weird checking in with someone, but not in a bad way. He hadn’t checked in with anyone since his divorce, so this was not a new feeling, just one that had been forgotten. Starting the car, he turned on one of his favorite podcasts that usually got his spirits up. It was a podcast that interviewed inanimate objects and usually was hilarious. He needed to laugh badly after seeing his older brother in the hospital. It reminded him of when he last saw his mother in the hospital and how helpless she was. After he left the hospital, his mother passed away a few days later, and subconsciously that fear hit him that the same fate would happen to his brother. He also remembered the fallout from his mother’s death which was his father remarried only eight months after to a woman who was a widow and had a great deal of money since Carl’s father had lost a lot of his savings due to the medical bills and the funeral costs. When his father died, Carl and Nate only found out after they read about it in the obituary in which they were not named as surviving family.
Carl was in auto drive mode in his head as he thought about all of this and drove to Nate’s house. The traffic was almost nonexistent and luckily the gas station near the house was open. He pulled into the parking lot and parked the car but left it running. He needed a moment to clear his head as the podcast played. He noticed only the overnight clerk in the brightly lit store. He knew that it would be about two hours before he got home, and he had to work in the morning, so he turned off his car and headed inside.
There was a door chime that welcomed Carl and the clerk from behind the counter raised his eyes from his phone. “How’s it going friend,” asked the clerk?
“Another day another dollar. Is the coffee fresh,” asked Carl?
“The pots on the left are the freshest, do you need any sandwiches,” asked the clerk?
“Nope, just need coffee, how about the donuts,” asked Carl?
“They just came in about an hour ago, we have a bunch of day-old donuts that I can sell you for half off if you don’t mind day old donuts,” replied the clerk. Carl went over to the coffee pots and grabbed the largest cup and poured the coffee. He then looked over the day-old donuts and picked out two day-old donuts and four fresh donuts. He took the bag of donuts and the coffee to the counter and the clerk started to ring him up. “You live around here?”
“Nope, just getting back from the hospital. Had to take care of a family member and the coffee at the hospital was horrible,” said Carl. When he said that he instantly regretted it. He was tired and when he got tired, he talked too much.
“Yeah, that hospital coffee will probably put you in the hospital. I guess it’s the way they keep on getting patients. We had a guy come in here earlier today that passed out and had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital,” replied the clerk.
“What did the guy look like,” asked Carl?
“He was short, bald and had an eye patch, I’ve seen him a few times. He came in during the shift change and just fell to the floor. He couldn’t talk and looked like he was in a lot of pain. My boss thought it was due to a slippery floor, but we don’t do the floors until third shift or unless there is a spill and there was no spill where he fell that we could see,” replied the clerk.
“Was he driving a big truck,” asked Carl afraid of the answer but somehow knowing?
“Yeah, he had one of those big ones. It was almost funny because of how short he was. I hate to say it, but it reminded me of a clown car thing that you see at the circus. Do you know him,” asked the clerk?
“Do you know which hospital they took him too,” asked Carl?
“Probably the one you just came from as that is the only hospital in the next twenty miles. Is he a friend of yours,” asked the clerk?
“Could be, I have been trying to get in contact with my friend and that would explain why I couldn’t get ahold of him. How long ago was it that this happened,” asked Carl?
“Oh, probably three hours ago, maybe four. I came in early to help get everything stocked for third shift and we had a truck that we needed to offload,” replied the clerk.
“Shit, okay how much do I owe you,” asked Carl?
“Hey, don’t worry about it, you look like you already had a rough night. I hope your friend is okay and your family member,” replied the clerk.
“I appreciate it, by the way where did my friend’s truck go,” asked Carl?
“Somebody came by about forty-five minutes ago and took it. We wouldn’t have towed it because your friend got taken away in an ambulance. We would have had the cops find out who owns It and give them a call to get it off the lot when they could,” replied the clerk.
“Okay, that is one less thing to be worried about. I owe you,” said Carl.
“Just be careful out there, get home and get some sleep,” replied the clerk.
“I may be back for more coffee,” said Carl.
“We’ll be open, I am here until eight-thirty,” replied the clerk.
Carl left the store and entered his car. He turned on the podcast again and texted Carmine about what happened with Vince. He knew Nate would want to know immediately. Carl pulled out of the lot and headed over to Nate’s house at about one thirty in the morning. When he got there, he entered the code that Carmine had given him, and the gates opened to the long driveway. Lights popped up to help guide him to the house as it was pitch black. He pulled up to the front of the house and turned off the car and headed towards the front door. Seth and Rachel opened the front door before he could reach it.
“How is Papa doing, “asked Rachel? The kids were in long pajamas and looked nervous and tired.
“He is resting. They are going to keep him overnight and I think he will be fine. He is getting an MRI so they can look inside and see what is going on. I am here to make sure you two are okay and put you both to bed,” replied Carl. He loved his nephews, but he had never been able to be fatherly to them. They all walked into the house and Carl brought in the donuts and his coffee. They all took a seat in the kitchen at the island and the kids grabbed plates and glasses of milk for themselves.
“Now I know you two aren’t supposed to have treats or sugar, but I got some donuts for you as a midnight snack from your favorite uncle. We will keep this between us right,” asked Carl?
“We won’t tell mom or dad,” replied Seth.
“I know this is kinda scary for you two, but your dad is okay. I talked to him at the hospital and your mom will be staying with him until the hospital releases him tomorrow. I need you two to help out when he gets home,” said Carl.
“We will, do you know what happened,” asked Rachel?
“The doctor thinks it’s just exhaustion. I know your dad works very hard so you all can have this wonderful house and so he can take care of all your needs. Sometimes us adults don’t know our limits, or we ignore them, and this stuff happens. Our bodies wear out and turn off to remind us to relax and take it easy,” said Carl.
They all ate their donuts silently as the sipped their drinks. When they finished the kids took the plates and the glasses to the sink. They headed to their bedrooms and Carl followed them up the stairs. Seth’s bedroom was the first and Carl made sure Seth was in his bed and kissed his forehead. He then walked over to Rachel’s bedroom where she was sitting at the desk near her bed.
“Hey sweetheart, you need to get to bed. Your dad is going to be fine,” said Carl softly.
“Should we get ready for school in the morning,” asked Rachel?
“I wouldn’t plan on it. You have my number in case anything happens. I am supposed to go to work but I am going to call off until I know what’s going on with your dad,” said Carl.
“This has something to do with Myra doesn’t it,” asked Rachel?
“Why do you say that” asked Carl?
“There is just something not right about her. She isn’t like other girls her age or like me when I was her age,” replied Rachel.
“She has had a rough time in the past few days. Her father abandoned her, and she could use a good friend. Can you be that friend for her,” asked Carl?
Reaching Out
To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.
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