Camp NaNoWriMo Diaries: Day Four – Not Another War Novel

Dear Diary,

Yesterday was the fourth day of Camp.  And, not coincidentally, the fourth of July.  As in, the US of A’s “birthday”, as some people call it.  Independence Day, as other people call it.

After 32 4th of July’s in my life, I can legitimately say that this year’s is the first that actually felt like it MEANT something more than a good time and pretty explosions in the sky.

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Why?

I’ve been trying to figure that out.  I don’t think it’s my aged wisdom (hahah, hilarious, I know), nor the fact I have my own kid to think about now.  I think it might possibly be related to my novel, honestly.  And also, somewhat related to the fact I’ve been watching loads of British TV lately.

Yes, that seems a very strange connection, but let me explain.  After watching several British movies and tv shows with no interruption in-between of American-made films or shows, when I finally did resume watching American movies and television, I was rather shocked to discover the sheer, insane number of things which are devoted to some people or another going to war against another some people or another.  Or a bad guy completely obliterating a major city – soooo many explosions.  Fist fights.  Very large guns.  Huge robots.  Huge aliens.  Lots and lots of screaming and yelling.

Of course not all of our movies and shows are like this, but I most definitely did notice the difference in the way our English counterparts handled violence (and sex) compared to the way we do it.

My novel has elements of unrest, and the issues I want it to deal with don’t have black and white answers, but unfortunately it does seem like it’s heading for some kind of war.

And recently I told another member of my writer’s group, when we were discussing the fact this novel will have a sequel (because it will): “I don’t want to write another war novel!”

Because I don’t.  I feel there’s quite enough of those, in books as well as movies and tv.  And I’m done with that.  I’m tired of that.  I’m ready for something new.  Something different!

But my characters still have to deal with these issues.  So naturally, that means I’ve been thinking about them, too.  Part of being a writer is feeling what your characters feel so that you can adequately convey it to the reader.  There are things I don’t wish to think about, much less allow myself to feel, because they terrify me.

A few days ago, the hubby and I watched The Budapest Hotel.

It was this movie, I think, that really made me appreciate this 4th of July more than any other.  Which is not what I had expected it to do, that’s for sure.  It was a very poignant story, I felt, and I really enjoyed the film.  But what stuck with me most was how the soldiers, during wartime, simply boarded the train and demanded papers.  And if the papers were not up to their specifications, they could pretty much do whatever they wanted to do with you.

This is something that is very terrifying to me.  And I allowed myself to think about it afterward.  Good and hard.  I allowed myself to imagine how scary that would be.

Not only did that fear and uncomfortableness give me something to draw from for my characters in their upcoming troubles, but it allowed me a more significant appreciation for my home country on our Independence Day.

We still have a lot of things to improve, a lot of things to figure out, but I can also take the time to stop and be grateful it isn’t horribly worse.

I even experienced what I call a “Gene Roddenberry moment”, sitting on a small swim dock at the edge of the lake, hundreds of boat lights sprinkled across the water in front of me, the fireworks booming above me, the smoke curling up into the darkness.  I thought … if whole countries can be locked in deadly battle for years, and then afterwards find ways to get along and co-exist … maybe, just maybe, one day, we’ll all stop fighting.

<3 JRF