November draws ever nearer and soon it will be time to unleash the inner squiggler. There’s no excuse for lack of inspiration this time. Having spent April writing more than 50,000 words of brain storming and July plotting and planning and creating a rudimentary Snowflake outline, November should simply be a matter of getting those fingers clicking to finally come up with a first draft that does not end up on some hard drive gathering dust.

The annual ritual of recruiting nano noobies has started. This year the area organizer has got a whole bunch of libraries on board so there’ll be no shortage of spots for write ins
Turned up to one such event on Tuesday evening and met a few old timers and a lot of new faces. They even had showbags which was a very clever way to encourage those attending to fill in and return the surveys. There were book marks and quite a few leaflets about the library along with a nice notepad. But best of all was a spiral notebook with a pen so there’s no excuse for not writing down inspiration whenever it may arrive.

Last year’s Deck of Doom is providing the main inspiration for this year’s scribbling. The Zombie Tarot is not the frivolous fad that it appears to be on first glance. I shuffled the deck to supply some random plot points and the last card turned out to be Death. How inappropriate. For in any self respecting zombie tale death is most definitely not the end at all. It’s just the beginning

A state and federal election added more ingredients to the brew, along with the latest and most unwelcome addition to the cityscape. Where a gorgeous old grassy patch of land surrounded by twisted and gnarled Moreton Bay Fig trees used to be is now the site of an enormous hole in the ground. It will end up being just a giant cash gobbling mosquito infested swamp. It’s just the perfect place to start a zombie apocalypse while getting written revenge on the wankers who go trashing serpent sacred sites in order to build grandiose monuments to their egos.

The present state government is all circus and no bread. In fact they are destroying the city and everything they can get their paws on, putting up taxes, water and power and trashing the state credit rating in order to fund a bunch of useless monstrous carbuncles.

After the recent very short lived “Purple Reign” of one of the local football teams, it could be very tempting to let the zombies loose at a grand final played in the bright shiny brand new (but not yet built) sports stadium which is yet another one of the government’s grand projects.
The only thing they are not building is a nuclear power station but creative license can solve that particular inconvenient fact.

The only ingredient missing from this particular dystopian tale is some all powerful all seeing spy agency. But November changes everything

The serpent has been busy in Nanoland. Combined with the ritual of the annual visit to the spring garden festival down south, this has proved to be an interesting mix indeed

Had looked forward to the train journey but had the bad luck to get one of the few seats just behind a wall meaning that there’s not much leg room and no table. Also there was a squealing kid strategically located in the seat just behind the Izzie. He wasn’t even particular pesky as far as kids go but the constant wailing and whining and banging of the back of the seat was as annoying as hell.

Did try to tune out by rereading “No Plot, No Problem” but its effect was rather limited. This is a bad omen indeed to be such a neurotic nut job when this journey should be for relaxing and unwinding

Turned out there was at least two squealing beasties in each carriage. Was a murderous wreck by the time the train got to Bunbury. Could not get on the coach quick enough. It at least was half empty and full of oldies. Space, peace and quiet. What bliss. Also had the inspired idea of listening to music since the scenery is too nice to be wasted on a book and not wanting to risk motion sickness by doing something so silly

Listening to Lisa Gerrard was just the spookiness this serpent needed to switch into mystical magical mode. So silly not to have thought of this earlier. Figured too that it would be fun to see how many Dead Can Dance song (or album) titles could do double duty as chapter headings too. The Serpent’s Egg has already made an appearance

But there were side effects too of being in this state. Got to thinking that it seems a bit implausible to write a story about the most evil corporation in the universe with its headquarters in Melbourne and offices in Perth and even miserable Manjimup (yessss - this company really is that soulless and awful) To have three Australians and four Indians on the board of directors which has twelve in total plus the CEO is even more unlikely. Somehow the excuse that it is the serpent’s story and she can do whatever she damn well likes just did not cut the mustard. It’s sort of the story equivalent of the parent who constantly proclaims “Because I said so”
But then just the tiniest tweek came to mind. What if Megatherion Money Management isn’t actually the most evil corporation ever but is just a sad and pathetic bunch of wannabees with delusions of grandeur?

Now that turns out to be rather more close to the reality of the organization providing the original inspiration for this story but there were some interesting side effects. Suddenly the story had an engine and could start going places.

Big M wants to get bigger and badder and its board of directors are constantly plotting to invade Poland while a whole bunch of other characters are trying to prevent that happening
Then there’s the board of directors who are continually bickering and bitching about each other. There’s rumours going around that the big bad boss (one John Winston Smith) is going senile and every single one of them is scheming and plotting how to get the top job while appearing to be eternally loyal to their goblin master.

Now there’s a nice little gold mine of potential conflict.

So with all those possible plot points simmering away in the serpent skull plus a few visits to a seriously kitsch cafe and bric a brac store (the same one which provided a cast of characters and locations for last year’s adventure) got out the spiral notebook and emerald ink and started squiggling. The fountain pen is much slower than a horrid scratchy ballpoint pen. The whole point of this ritual is to be forced to write slowly and neatly. No point in churning out thirty pages like last year and then discovering they were almost indecipherable when sitting at the keyboard two days later

Between those two days and the journey back on the train with no squealing rampaging kids and half empty seats was able to not only squiggle some forty something A5 pages but had a whole pile of fun doing it

Not once was there any need to resort to the safety net of the 88 index cards. That may have something to do with bringing a certain character out of retirement. But his seedy plotting and scheming will have to stop or else the poor old toad will not even get two minutes as a creature feature. She is supposed to be the star of the show after all.

The lazy loser hasn’t gotten around to writing a single memo yet and she seems to have outsourced all the disciplinary action. Tomorrow it will be time to take that stuffed cane toad out from her little bag which she shares with the Thoth tarot and let her loose on those muses.

Enjoyed these unplugged writing adventures so much that it might be time to add a few more of them

Yesterday was a glorious sunny day and a perfect excuse for some serpent adventures.

Been spending lots of time at the State Library’s new outdoor reading cafe where you don’t even have to buy a coffee to lurk there. But even better, they provide three trolleys of tasty morsels to peruse. One filled with novels, another with children’s picture books and the third with recent non fiction books. All bright and shiny with that delicious crisp new book fragrance

The inner goblin immediately cast her beady eye on an offering by the delightfully snarky Sartjinder Das. This guy is an ex goblin who is now revealing some of their darkest and dirtiest secrets. This latest revelation is called “Extreme Money” and all about the doings of the swinging dicks and Masters of the Universe playing pokies with other people’s money, losing it all and still claiming their big fat goblin bonuses

Even the chapter titles are little gold nuggets and well worthy of inclusion in the little brown book of nano muses. And this book would make the perfect birthday present for old Uncle Vernon

Returned the next day for another fix of this goblin gossip and the book was nowhere to be found. But no loss. Had already been eying up another fat and juicy tome by Peter Fitzsimmons. Had this book on the wish list ever since listening to an interview about it on Late Night Live at least a year ago. But the horrendous fifty dollar price tag was a complete turn off. Could always borrow it from the library but it is the sort of book that you cannot cart around due to the risk of loss or damage but also because of its size and weight. Pity because it is the sort of book best read by the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean or by the light of the moon in some spooky haunted ancient ruin

And here it was sitting on this trolley just waiting to be read and returned obligation free. A story of spices, shipwrecks, mutiny, murder most foul, assorted perversions and goblin galleons galore. A sort of X rated adult version of “Lord of the Flies”. The outdoor library is open for two months so should be able to bite off a big chunk of this sick spicy saga.

Then the serpent had the idea that if November’s nanowrimo novel is going to be about some seriously evil corporation with tentacles everywhere, then a saga where the first modern corporation plays a central role would be an excellent place to look for inspiration.

Had already paid a visit to the site that used to be the Headquarters of this monstrous Cthulhu Corporation way back in September 2006. What should have been the Holiest of Holiest temple of the first and greatest Elder God of capitalism was a shabby nondescript outpost of the University of Amsterdam with no indication whatsoever of its former glory some 400 years ago. All that remained was an engraving above a door post that simply stated “VOC 1599” (The company logo and date of establishment)

In his house at Amsterdam dead Cthulhu waits dreaming

It’s time to go monster hunting again. It just so happens that some of its most sacred relics are little more than 40 minutes away from the serpent’s Lair. They are located at a shipwrecks museum which is also running a “Fabulous sea monsters” feature for the school holidays. Its sister maritime museum has animated dinosaurs but they can wait a day or so.

Due to other temptations, ended up with just over one hour to visit the ship wrecks museum. The building itself is more than a century old and is a museum piece in itself.

Downstairs is its star attractions - a large chunk of the hull of the ship Batavia that was wrecked off the western Australian coast way back in 1629 and some of the ballast in the form of large blocks to be made into an enormous gate at some Dutch colonial outpost in Indonesia that was its intended destination There is another maritime museum much nearer the site of the actual shipwreck and there is a bit of rivalry between them. The compromise was that one would get the fake gate and the real hull and the other would get the fake bit of ship and the real gate.
But the cannons and the skeleton lying in a makeshift grave were most definitely real as was some of the silver ware and bullion upstairs

The upstairs gallery is also a sort of shrine dedicated to the history of that company. Its banners were hanging from the ceiling, the VOC logo was plastered everywhere looking rather like a very peckish bird with a pointy beak and big beady eyes

There were even pictures of their board of directors’ meetings. The only thing missing were actual shares and receipts for dividends.

The monster tour turned out to be little signs with notices to look out for relics, images on maps, coins, banners and assorted paraphernalia. They did not bring in cute and cuddly Cthulhu, rubber sharks or jellyfish or any other monstrosities. It was all so very subtle not like the screaming marauding dinosaurs up the road. But they neglected to mention that the biggest monster in the museum was the Dutch East India company itself or that its spawn still live on some 200 years after its dissolution on 31st December 1799.

Izzie’s own little monster Megatherion Money Management is a mere tadpole in the presence of such a magnificent and long lived Corporate Giant. But unlike its infamous ancestor, it is at least still in existence and growing. And in November it can be as monolithic, megamaniacal, murderous and monstrous as only this serpent mind can make it. Its evilness and greed is limited only by our imagination.

Izzie is so going to steal Jan Pieterszoon Coen one of the VOC board directors. He was apparently a bit of a head hunter himself and notched up quite a body count in the pursuit of profit for his shareholders

Just a quick squiggle to say that the serpent has not been abducted by aliens. Rather she has traded in a real life tent and torrential rains in Petunia's garden for a virtual one over at nanoland
Actually it's been quite fun lurking under a fluffy quilt in the big green tent with two chooks and magpies for company and some amazing sky shows - thunder, lightening and the works. It's been raining here for the last two weeks and today was the first dry day in all that time.


Yessss. Against all better judgement especially when there's visitors from overseas at the ma's place, the serpent has decided to do the Camp nanowrimo thing and has been busy squiggling since the start of August which coincided quite nicely with Daisy's departure up north on a camping adventure. They've taken the tent too so it's back to the boring old bed for now.

The writing rules are still the same as ever. No lazing, lurking, slinking or generally slacking in Cyberia until the daily word count quota has been reached or preferably exceeded. Got some serious sprinting to do over the next few days so as to be able to slack off when the Izzie sister and co return next week from their northern camping adventures.

Otherwise, been quite crazy lately and there's been all sorts of Dursleyish dramas over the last three weeks or so. Not to mention the unusual amount of gloom and doom in the big bad muggle world out there

Found two playing cards just lying on a pavement. Both were jokers - one black and white and the other multicoloured. There were no other cards around. On the backs was a big blue logo promoting next Tuesday's census. Most peculiar indeed. It seems so like an omen especially since back in May when on holidays also found two jokers lying on the ground along with a ten of spades.

Now all that remains is to decide what to (or if to) fill in the 'religion' box on Tuesday night. This time it is optional. Oh for the good old days when the questions included such gems as "List the number of idiots and imbeciles in your household"
More interesting census snippets

Been back from holidays a week now but that does not stop the serpent from pottering around and getting up to mischief
Last Thursday was one such day. It was a glorious crisp and crunchy day and got up early in order to be in far away Fremantle for the second week of a book binding course

It was a good morning and would have been most delighted to spend the day lurking around the old lunatic asylum after the class for several hours. There were books to read and emerald notebooks to squiggle in and coffees to be sipped but there was also a free workshop in the city at 2pm more than 30 minutes away on the train
Could easily just not bother turning up but would then remain eternally curious about missed opportunities and anyway there's another four weeks of this course to linger around the loony bin

The workshop was called "Free Flow" and was aimed at people who want to write their life story or about their family and as an afterthought - anyone who wants to write fiction in general

The presenter first asked the 20 or so folks who had turned up what sort of questions they had about writing and proceeded to write them up all on the board with the intention that most of them would be answered by the end of 90 minutes

He then asked if any of us had ever read a book where the characters were so real we did not want to say goodbye to them or the setting was so interesting that we would rather be there than in the real world. He proceeded to mention his ten and twelve year old kids who would rather spend their spare time at Hogwarts than doing their school work or other mundane muggle activities.
That is the sort of effect you want to have on your readers. Izzie commented that she was still waiting for her invitation.

He told us that he had learned five rules of writing as a student many moons ago in an adult education writing course and found them to be the most useful advice on writing he's ever had
The Izzie so had to giggle when he told us what they were

( Five rules of writing and other musings )

The craziness has started. Will do most of the nano gossip over at the serpent journal but cannot leave this space empty on such a pretty little date 011110

Happy with today's word count but that's due to silly stuff like slinking in when the clocks chimed midnight and dropping by again around 6am, again at 8 and two more mad dashes around midday and just now.
It is a gorgeous sunny day. Somewhat hot. If I'd been at work like usual on Monday would have started at 7am and finished at 13.30 and then gone on a coffee crawl some place after work before returning to the Lair around 4pm
So it's only reasonable that the nano nuttiness gets some of that otherwise work dedicated time

Following last year's rule of no online lurking in Cyberia until the daily quota is reached but also added a few new ones.
Unlike last time, this time there's no editing at all before starting the next serpent snippet. Time wasted editing could be better spent writing and anyway editing is for December.
It also helps having a half decent text editor and not the infernal snailish Google Docs

Setting up all 22 chapters from the start means being able to dip in and out and just squiggle where the muse desires. So far got six chapters on the boil.

Still not yet looked at the Bohemian Gothic deck since midnight or not even the stash of index cards.
Presently writing snippets from memory in the relevant chapters - 22 chapters with 4 cards each at about 400 -600 words per card including the linking to the next scene in the story

So far putting the characters in their starting stalls. Once enough of them are in position, the race will begin. Tomorrow would be a good day for that.
Only one day in the game and already two of them are fighting over their place at the top of the pecking order. The real boss is being threatened by some uppity blond blue eyed and **sparkly** outsider.
Lucky this story is a prequel because he got well and truly killed off in last year's nano and not a shovel to be seen

On that subject, why use a shovel when there's even more fun to be had with pitch forks, fire and brimstone
Roasted plot bunny also sounds quite tasty. The possibilities are endless