Memories are Story Fodder

by G.Parker



A year ago today, I was sitting in a condo in Waikiki . I was alone, thousands of miles from home, and wondering what in the world I was doing. This particular day I had gone to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, and while it was the highlight of my visit, it still felt lonely. I missed my husband, my kids, (believe it or not) and figured I'd missed out on sanity somewhere along the way.

I decided to make the trip worth something -- even if it took a while to see the results. I would use it for a story and see how much of my travel I could put down on paper.

I started on it immediately, but being as since I wasn't really focused, the majority of it waited until I got home. I used the story for Nanowrimo last year, reaching the 50,000 word mark -- only I didn't finish the story. I figured it would be easy to finish, just have the excitement end, the women go home, and all is well.

They aren't cooperating.

I'm still working on the story, (after putting it on the back burner for a long time to air the thoughts out) and it still isn't finished. My goal for this month is to finish it so I can start on the second installment for this years Nano. You see, the story I want to get going on was the first one I came up with for the characters I'm using in the Hawaiian story. I just decided to introduce them in an earlier setting. Only...it's taking too long. Sigh.

So, I have the month of October to get it moving. It's been interesting how my memories of that week have coalesced in my head. I will be sitting at work and suddenly the thought "gee, I was in Hawaii a year ago" will pop in my head and I'll have a brief picture of the condo and the beaches float through my mind before I shrug and get back to work.



It was basically a working holiday. I wasn't that impressed with Hawaii , and I'm wondering if it would have been different under other circumstances. But I figure if nothing else, the memories are good for writing, and some day I'll be able to point to the trip as a business expense...I am a writer, after all.