WRITING/PODCASTING A NOVEL IN 30 DAYS NOV 4

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

4 Nov 2021 daily count 1893 cumulative count 6534

Cheryl and Myra exited the gas station with bags in their hands laughing. They seemed to be having a great time. Both women approached Carl’s driver side window.

“All good Carl, you ready to roll,” asked Cheryl?

“Yeah sure, lets head out and get to my brother's house,” replied Carl. He was happy they were happy and obliviously weren’t listening to the NPR station. He pulled out into traffic with Cheryl right behind him. They made it to the gravel road that was Nate’s driveway. It was about a quarter mile to the house and the driveway was tree lined. Both cars pulled up to the big house on the lot where Nate and Carmine were outside with their kids on the front porch waiting for their guests. “Time to put on the game face,” thought Carl and he opened the car door. Nate and Carmine came off the porch and headed towards Carl. Carmine was the first to give Carl a hug and stepped back to look him over.

“You look tired, are you feeling okay Carl? Nate, doesn’t he look tired to you,” asked Carmine? “And this must be Cheryl and Myra. Welcome to our house. Myra, Seth and Rachel are excited to meet you come on up to the porch and you all can go run around the yard while us adults do boring adult things. Cheryl, can I get you something to drink?”

“I’m fine Carmine, we stopped for sodas on the way. We got you a card, here you go,” Cheryl handed an envelope to Carmine who opened it right away. After Carmine opened the card inside, she gave Myra and Cheryl a hug.

“Welcome to the family and thank you for the card. Nate, here look at this card it is so sweet. Let's get up to the porch, you must be tired from that long drive. We keep telling Carl he needs to move out here and he can live with us, we have five acres of land that if he wanted, he could build a house on, but he is so stubborn,” Carmine said quickly.

“Not as stubborn as my big brother, how are you old man,” asked Carl?

“I prefer not to call it being stubborn, rather, it's simply that I am always right. How's the sleeping going, you do look a bit tired. Come on let's get to the porch and talk. Cheryl, Myra, Carl did tell you about Vince right,” asked Nate?

“I want to see his glass eye, I don’t believe he has one,” said Myra jokingly.

“Okay, but you have been warned. I am sorry we won’t be doing tug of war today, but I’m sure we can get you in the next game. Come on up and meet Seth and Rachel. They want to take you around the property in the ATV. Seth, did you grab an extra helmet for Myra,” asked Nate?

“I think I’d like to go on that tour if you all don’t mind and if there is room,” asked Cheryl?

“But of course, Seth, go grab another helmet for Cheryl and take the six-wheeler, it’ll be more comfortable for everyone,” replied Nate.

“Sure thing dad. Hey Uncle Carl when are we going driving again,” asked Seth?

“I have no idea what you are talking about, I would never take you out driving without letting your parents know and I certainly wouldn’t show you how to do donuts and neutral drops. If you checked your voice mail you would know next week, I will be picking up an old beater from my buddy’s house,” replied Carl.

“I too his phone away when he got a B in biology, and I looked up what a Suzuki Samurai was and there is no way I’m letting you let my son drive a death trap like that ever,” replied Carmine.

“Hey Seth, don’t get the six-wheeler stuck in the lake again, in fact Rachel gets to drive it this time,” said Nate. With that, Seth went into the garage and grabbed a helmet for Cheryl and all four of them trotted off behind the main garage to where they kept the ATV’s.

“She looks too young for you Carl. You will always be looking around for her to cheat on you or she will run you more ragged than you already are,” said Carmine as she made her way to the porch and sat in the tailgate chair that she had been sitting in before they arrived.

“Carmine, Cheryl and I haven’t talked about that yet and I’d appreciate you not mentioning it to her today. This whole situation has us a bit freaked out right now and I’d rather not add to more of the drama,” replied Carl.

“You at least told her about the tumor I hope,” replied Carmine?

“She was aware of that before this recent event happened. I go to the coffee shop she works at all the time, and I have had an episode or three while there in the past, so she knows how to deal with me when I have one. She has been a champ through all of this so can we cut her a little slack,” asked Carl?

“Well, I’m sure she is not going to freely give up her life to care for a child that is not hers and for a man who is terminal,” replied Carmine.

“I am sure glad Mom is dead Nate, Carmine makes a much better mother-in-law. How did Mom and Carmine get along,” asked Carl?

“Famously. Carl, since Mom died, and you got the terminal diagnosis, you know we have always wanted to take care of you if you needed it. This is how Carmine expresses her love and care for you. We are all a bunch of old dogs, and we aren’t looking to learn new tricks. Everyone has said what they needed to say right,” asked Nate to both Carl and his wife?

“Thank you, Carmine, I promise to ask for help when I need it and I promise not to get taken to the cleaners by anyone and I appreciate the care, truce,” asked Carl?

“Truce. You’re my favorite little brother,” said Carmine.

“I’m your only little brother,” joked Carl.

“True, but you are still the favorite in this family. I am going to let you two talk while I get some knitting out for Myra when they come back. Nate dear, when is Vince coming over,” asked Carmine?

“Should be here at 1 PM, he will text me if he is running late,” replied Nate. With that Carmine went into the house. Carl and Nate settled into their chairs next to each other. The chair’s arms had cup holders built into them, and each holder already had the drink each brother preferred, ginger ale for Carl and iced tea for Nate. They were quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying the quiet of outdoors. Carl understood each time he came over why Nate enjoyed this land, it was far away from the noise of the town. He was thinking about how it might be nice to build a house in this land with Myra and Cheryl. That thought calmed him down from Carmines questioning earlier. He knew it was in good fun, but he also knew that it came from concern over his future. Carl sipped on his ginger ale and sighed audibly.

“So, on the way over I heard on the NPR station that they had identified a body found in a hotel a town or two over. He was named Harold McKenzie. I guess that will give something for Vince to go on. They gave a description of the body and it sounded like Myra’s father,” said Carl in a solemn voice.

“Yeah, Vince said he had some information to check up on before he came over today, so we should get some answers. Really how are you holding up now that you don’t have to act normal in front of everyone,” replied Nate?

“Well, the weirdness keeps getting weirder. So, I was listening to a podcast talking about unknown jazz musicians and Grover Brecht’s name came up. I turned off the podcast when I heard that and well, then I turned on the NPR radio station and heard about the body. If this is some big trick to get my estate before I die these guys are good,” replied Carl.

“Let Vince know the podcast and the station you were listening to; he can check it out and give us answers. Now I am going to ask you are you sure you heard that, maybe this is just the exhausted side of you talking and hearing things. It would be totally understandable after the past few years you have had,” asked Nate?

“I know what I heard. I know what this sounds like, it’s a bad script for a thriller movie and I’ll start jumping at any noise thinking it’s the boogie man come to get me. Nate, I heard what I heard, and I don’t see any cameras around here,” Carl replied annoyedly.

“Well, you wouldn’t see the cameras installed here anyways, I was watching you from about a mile away on my phone. Vince is good at making sure hidden cameras stay hidden. Do you want the three of you to stay here for a while until we get this all sorted out. I know I would feel better if we could keep an eye on you and the girls. Or we could set you all up in our summer cottage on the coast. You could take a vacation from work, Cheryl and you and Myra could bond and one of Vince’s guys could keep an eye on you and help out in case of trouble,” asked Nate?

“You want me to go down to Cape Fear, like in the movie, and hope that I don’t see Harold McKenzie down there while watching a movie smoking a cigar and chasing all of us with a chain saw in hand. No thanks, I like my apartment just fine and I don’t want to stay here and be watched like a criminal,” replied Carl.

“You are not a criminal, I have the cameras for my safety, you know the work I do. Most everyone thinks that lawyers that do corporate work have it easy, what they don’t know is that when you are dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, people get really stupid really quickly and think they are invincible,” said Nate. He took a few moments to let that sink in before he said, “I like to keep my family safe, and guess what little brother, that means you. Have you thought for a moment that you are not the target?”

“What do you mean by that,” asked Carl?

“You are the smart one in the family, how easy do you think it would be for someone to find out about you, find out about your medical condition and use that to get to me. I deal with large corporations and when we win a case, and I have a better record than Perry Mason, don’t you think they’d find a way to reach out after they lost their shirts and try to get back at me,” asked Nate?

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.