WRITING/PODCASTING A NOVEL IN 30 DAYS NOV 8

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

8 Nov 2021 daily count 1680 cumulative count 12033

“Okay well what is the cause of death then,” asked Nate?

“Right now, its preliminary pending toxicology but the police are calling it a suicide. There was no pills found, there was no vomit just the usual things that happen when people die. The guy shit himself and pissed his pants,” replied Vince.

“Well, isn’t that a little strange since he was thirty-four and outwardly seemed to be in good health,” replied Carl.

“That’s why it is preliminary pending toxicology. They got a good guy working on it, they should have results soon, like say Monday or Tuesday morning,” replied Vince.

“I know where you are headed Carl, you think it’s the book and we won’t know,” replied Nate.

“Well, that would be an explanation. According to the rules of the diary, once you write the last entry and pass it off to someone else you basically die,” replied Carl annoyedly.

“Yes, that would be an explanation, “Nate stressed the word an “but that would entail us buying into this diary being cursed. What else do you have for us Vince,” asked Nate?

“So, the recently deceased pulled out money from an ATM at the gas station you stopped at earlier today. He pulled out enough money to cover the hotel room and nothing more. He has about three thousand dollars in that account right now with nothing pending clearing. He knew how much this hotel would cost which led me to look at the hotel chain in a one-hundred-mile radius from this hotel. He stayed at another hotel on a long-term basis, in fact he still has about three weeks left on that term. When we checked with that hotel, we found that he had checked in two months ago with a nine-year-old girl whom I can assume was Myra. He paid for cash with that one and the bank records support the withdraw. So, when we pinpointed his movements, he had been planning this drop off for at least two months at the other hotel. When we viewed the tapes of the hotel, he never left the hotel without the girl. They did have some personal effects that currently we are not privy to. But the tapes do show they left on the days you and Cheryl indicated that he and the girl showed up at the coffee shop. The day of the drop off he did not return to the first hotel, rather, he arrived at the second hotel and didn’t leave. I expect we will be getting access to the personal effects at the first hotel once we secure some items that the employee had requested for his cooperation,” said Vince in his straightforward tone.

“So, what do we know about Harold,” asked Nate?

“Pretty much an open book on him, it was very easy to find information. Married ten years ago, wife died about three years ago shortly after Myra came on the scene with them. Cause of death was determined to be natural causes, toxicology showed nothing abnormal, she just died. Harold worked at his occupation in HR at his corporation for fifteen years. He suddenly left his job about four months ago and they lived in a small town across the state line. Mortgage was paid up for the rest of the year and lights come on at 7 PM every night and turn off at 6 AM every morning. Mail was suspended and being held, and newspaper subscription was cancelled about two years ago. The house is not in an HOA or gated community, so surveillance was simple enough, most residents are like Harold in that they live there but work elsewhere due to lower cost of living. Low crime rate and most residents are considered middle class and around the same age and background of Harold. Seems like a very white bread place and was until Myra showed up and the wife died,” said Vince.

“Can I ask why you have photos of my apartment and the coffee shop,” asked Carl nervously?

“Standard investigation protocols and to ensure your safety. We have been monitoring you since we were put into action. I can share the information with you; however, I would not share it with Cheryl or Myra at this juncture. Now this is the thing that is curious, Myra was enrolled three years ago in the elementary school as a nine-year-old. No behavioral issues. The school was told that they were foster parents for Myra, and she was their niece, and her single mother could not care for her, so they had adopted her. Harold was an only child as was his wife. I've included a school ID for Myra, there has literally been no change in her from what my people can see when examining the ID and pictures we now have of her. She has not aged a day,” Vince placed the school ID in front of Carl.

“Okay my theory is sounding better. I am not going crazy, am I? How can she be nine years old for three years in a row,” asked Carl? All three men sat there in silence for about the longest five minutes in the history of the world.

“I’ve obtained a DNA sample from Myra and Cheryl. Once I leave here, I will have it analyzed and that should take a day or two. Knowing how Harold and his wife presented Myra to others might make Angela’s job easier as the school district where you currently reside doesn’t check into the history too deeply. I can say right here and right now, this is one of the most interesting and potentially difficult assignments I have ever had. I’d like to know where you would like to prioritize my focus,” asked Vince?

“How much do the police know, “asked Nate?

“They are in preliminary stages of their investigation. I would expect they should have knowledge of Myra by Wednesday at the latest. Depending on what is in the house and the other hotel,” replied Vince.

“What do you mean depending,” asked Nate?

“Well, the school ID is the only picture we have of this girl. There is no internet traffic or images of her that we can find. I am not saying there is nothing out there, just nothing that we are comfortable enough to say is her. Harold and his wife did not have school pictures taken and did not allow Myra’s student ID to be used in the yearbook. That is odd but not totally uncommon, there is a small number of parents that try very hard to protect their kids from the denizens of the internet, most of them haven’t been as successful as you have, but Harold and his wife were able to keep Myra off the usual channels that we find kids on,” replied Vince. “If Harold has asked me what the protocol would be I would have replied as I have done for you, no pictures anywhere, even in phones. The police may not find information or the personal effects of Myra in either place. So, this may not pose an issue in the future. Obviously, we are not going to leave that to chance, we will continue our investigation until we can answer the initial inquiry and the questions that appear while we investigate,” replied Vince.

Everyone was uncomfortably quiet for a few moments. Carl’s anxiety was rising, and he looked around at the other men in the room to gauge their reactions. Nate and Vince were stomached and couldn’t be read. Carl looked deeply at the ID and closed his eyes. He was feeling wobbly and was about to fall out of his chair when Vince leaned over and steadied him.

“Okay, what we have just talked about doesn’t leave this room. Cheryl and Carmine do not have a need to know right now. Carl, you understand,” asked Nate?

“Yeah, whew I am not feeling the greatest. How do I look at Myra now and keep that information inside,” replied Carl.

“You bury it deep and play the happy new father role that you are now in. You just go about like things are normal and don’t betray our confidence. This information will not help her, and we don’t have enough to give her anyways. I’ll talk with Angela on my own and we will figure out a good back story for Myra that she can go with. I am sure she did just fine with her last set of parents. I don’t want you to go off on any flights of fancy and get all superstitious on us Carl. I know what you read in that book, and I don’t think this is an attack on me. There are some weird things going on and I haven’t pissed off anyone that could concoct something as elaborate like this. Vince, just carry on with where your investigation is currently taking you, but I think we need to focus this on Myra more than Harold. Get access to the first hotel and the house and then maybe we will have more answers that make sense,” Nate said sternly.

“We may get more questions too,” replied Carl.

“Okay we have been down here long enough; I don’t want to spook Myra or Carmine. Let's get upstairs and Vince, you can excuse yourself to get the DNA samples analyzed. You know how to get past my secretary to get my attention when those results come in. Carl, when you take Myra to the apartment tonight, don’t try to get any information from her. If this diary is cursed and it would jeopardize your life, we can’t risk you trying to get information we can get from other means. I hate to say it, but I think you will have an easier time convincing me that something supernatural is happening than me convincing you to go vegan. Alright gentlemen let’s go have fun with the kids,” said Nate.

All three men stood up and headed to the door. Nate put his hand on Carl’s shoulder to comfort him and Vince looked down at the floor as they left.

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.