WRITING/PODCASTING A NOVEL IN 30 DAYS NOV 29

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

29 Nov 2021 daily count 2047 cumulative count 42233

Cheryl and Carmine came running into the kitchen when they heard the audible thump to find Carl motionless on the floor with blood dripping from his forehead where a gash had formed. Cheryl let out a loud shriek just as Seth and Rachel came running in carrying the limp body of Myra.

“Mom, Mom Myra just passed out when we were outside on the playground. Why is Uncle Carl on the floor, is that blood,” yelled Seth out of breath from carrying Myra?

“What happened out there,” asked Carmine panicking?

“Myra was on the swings and about a minute ago she passed out and fell to the ground while we were out there, and Seth picked her up and we ran to get her inside. What happened to Uncle Carl,” said Rachel?

“We heard a thump and found him on the ground. Don’t touch him kids, I am going to call an ambulance. Get Myra on the couch in the living room,” said Carmine as she dialed the emergency number on her phone.

Cheryl knelt beside Carl and wiped the blood gushing out of the wound on his head. She grabbed a towel and got it wet and then placed it on the open wound and held Carl’s head in her arms. “Shhhh, what happened baby, can you hear me,” Cheryl asked to a still unconscious Carl?

Once Carmine got a hold of the operator, she quickly relayed what had happened and went over to check on Myra in the living room. The operator took down the information and dispatched an ambulance right away but kept Carmine on the phone and gave her instructions on how to help Myra and Carl.

When Nate heard all the commotion downstairs and the screams from Carmine and Cheryl he quickly went downstairs as he was already dressed and ready to come down anyway. He first went to Myra and saw that she was still breathing and had a strong pulse, he then went over to the kitchen where Carl was and saw that Cheryl had controlled the bleeding, but the dish towel she used was soaked with blood. He grabbed two more dish towels and soaked them in cool water and gave one to Cheryl and took the other to Myra where he placed the cool wet dish towel on her forehead and had Seth hold it there. Carmine was still talking on the phone with the operator and told Nate that an ambulance was coming. He went back to the kitchen to help Cheryl and his little brother.

“What happened here, did he have another episode,” asked Nate?

“Carmine and I were in the other room, and we heard a thump and found Carl like this on the floor. I guess he had one or he was just so exhausted from last night and from the start of this whole thing that he passed out,” said Cheryl. “How is Myra?”

“She must have had an episode as well; she is on the couch and has a strong pulse. I think she will be fine. Carmine has an ambulance coming. Looks like you stopped the bleeding, good work in keeping his head elevated. Let's just keep him like this and I will grab blankets for both of them, so they don’t go into shock, hold on okay,” said Nate. Tears started streaming from his face as he went back into the living room and found Myra talking with Seth and Rachel. He grabbed two blankets from the hope chest and put one on Myra and took the other to Carl. When he got back to the kitchen, he saw carl talking with Cheryl and looking confused. He placed the blanket on Carl and knelt to hear what Carl was saying.

“I don’t know what happened, I was just thinking about destroying the diary and next thing I know I am on the floor with a cold wet towel on my head and feeling woozy. Did I pass out or something,” asked Carl in a hurried and slurred voice?

“We are not sure, but we have an ambulance coming for you so hold tight and try not to sleep okay,” replied Nate.

“What do you mean you were thinking about destroying the diary? Won’t that cause more problems like this, maybe that is why you passed out. You can’t do that again; I don’t think it will help anyone. Myra passed out probably at the same time you passed out and she is in the living room,” replied Cheryl.

“How is she doing, I want to see her,” Carl tried to get up as he spoke. Cheryl and Nate held him down and he was too weak to resist.

“Myra is fine, you need to stay put until the EMT’s get here, you aren’t going to be able to do anything right now. Myra is awake and talking to Seth and Rachel and Carmine. Now what are you talking about, did you do anything to the diary, where is it,” asked Nate forcefully?

“I left it in the safe in my office at home. I was thinking if I destroyed it that would break the curse and everyone would be okay, Myra could grow up and no one from the family would be impacted,” said Carl.

“Well even the thought of it seems to have proved you wrong with that solution. I need you to promise you won’t think about that again,” said Cheryl.

The EMT’s arrived that the house and found Myra on the couch and stabilized Carl in the kitchen. They took them both out of the house in their own stretchers and took them to the hospital where Nate had just left earlier that day. Once they got to the emergency room Carl let the doctors know about his condition and repeatedly asked about Myra. She was in the next room over and was calling out for Carl.

“Baby girl, listen to the doctors, I am fine, Carmine and Cheryl will be here soon,” Carl called out to Myra from his room. The attending physician asked about Carl’s relation to Myra, and he told them that he was adopting her, he gave no other details about Myra than that. When they asked who they could call he let them know that his girlfriend and his sister-in-law would be coming shortly, and he wanted them to be able to come back to see them.

The physician attending to carl numbed his forehead and started putting in stiches where the gash was, Carl didn’t flinch and when the physician was done Cheryl appeared with a nurse in his room.

“Oooo that looks painful. How are you feeling dear,” asked Cheryl?

“Chicks dig scars, and now I have a story to tell the grandkids right, this is how we got together. I am doing fine sweetheart. I’d like to go home and rest up, but I think they want to keep me here. How is Myra doing,” asked Carl?

“Carmine is in there with her. We can only have grandkids if you stick around for a long time, and we have kids. Doctor how is he doing really because I know he won't tell me, "Asked Cheryl?

“He should be fine, his vitals are good, must have passed out due to exhaustion. How has he been sleeping lately,” asked the doctor?

“He doesn’t sleep that is his problem. He is an over achiever and trying to be superman, I mean batman,” said Cheryl.

“He will be fine, have him rest up even if you have to tie him to a bed. I don’t want those stiches to fall out, I put some good work into them, and I don’t want to have him come back here to get them redone. He should follow-up with his regular doctor in about a week to get them removed. The girl is doing fine, her vitals are strong and it’s as if nothing happened to her. I know we would like to keep her for observation, but I think she should be fine as well. Has she had anything like this before,” asked the doctor?

“No, not as far as we know. We are in the process of adopting her and we weren’t made aware of anything like that in her past,” Cheryl lied.

“Well make sure she gets some rest and follow-up with her pediatrician in about a week. If either one of them blacks out get them back here pronto. I think they should be okay, but just check on them when they are sleeping. Carl, can you promise to take it easy for a few days,” asked the doctor?

“If I say yes, do I get to go home, "asked Carl?

“I take it he likes to be sarcastic,” said the doctor to Cheryl?

“Yeah, him and his older brother. His brother was in here last night with something similar and just got out this morning,” said Cheryl.

“Does his brother have the same tumor issue,” asked the doctor?

“Not as far as I know, they both are over achievers and work too many hours,” said Cheryl.

“Carl this won’t get better unless you take better care of yourself. I hope to not see you in here again,” said the doctor.

“Aw but doc, your work is great, will I have a good scar to tell my grandkids about,” asked Carl?

“If I say yes will you get some rest,” replied the doctor?

“Sweet, I'll go home, and sleep for ten hours will that work for you,” said Carl.

“The nurse will come in here with their discharge instructions. Just keep a good eye on him today and if there are any issue liked slurred speech or another black out get him right back here,” said the doctor as he headed out of the room.

Carmine walked into Carl’s room shaking her head.

“I’ll take you all to your apartment Carl. Myra is fine and will be discharges with us in a few minutes. How are you feeling, those stiches look painful,” asked Carmine?

“Hey sis I am doing great and yes I promise to stay in bed for the rest of today. How is Nate doing,” asked Carl?

“He is taking the kids out to lunch and for ice cream. Seth and Rachel are a bit shaken up seeing you carted out of our house in an ambulance with Myra. I need to go grab the car and pull it out front, Cheryl can you stay with Myra,” asked Carmine?

“Sure I’ be happy to,” said Cheryl. She kissed Carl and left for Myra’s room. Carmine stayed with Carl for a few moments and looked him over.

“What have you gotten us into Carl? I need to know that this is not going to happen again, my nerves are fried,” asked Carmine?

“I wish I could say it’s a long story, but it started late last week when Myra’s father or who we think was Myra’s father abandoned her in the coffee shop where Cheryl works. Nate is trying to figure out the specifics on how we can adopt here with no issues and find out about her past. It is a bit of a ghost story that you probably wouldn’t believe,” said Carl quietly.

“I am not a fan of ghost stories, and I am not a fan of what is happening. Get done with whatever is going on so we can return to our normal lives. I love that brother of yours and I’ll be damned if I let anything bad happen to him. Does Cheryl know,” asked Carmine?

“She knows about as much as you know. I promise to not keep you out of the loop. I am sorry for all the trouble this is causing you and your family. I never intended for anything like this to happen,” said Carl in tears.

“I know, just get this done whatever it is for your brothers' sake. He loves you more than you can possibly know and consider moving to our house so we can keep an eye on you. That girl of yours Cheryl is something special and she deserves the best like your brother has given me,” said Carmine as she left to go grab her car.

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.