51 women in 7 days

In November 2006 I undertook an online international writers' challenge called nanwrimo. Our mission was to write 50,000 words or more in one month. I overcame various challenges (computer breaking down, being very busy, etc) to write over 50,000 words in 7 days total. It was a marathon of writing which showed me that once you decide to commit to something, it can be done.

The speed at which I was writing meant that I had no time to stop and think of what to write. It all just "came out" as is, in an unstoppable flow. Looking back at what was created, I would say that non-thought was to my advantage. I don't think I would/could have written what I did if I had been putting deliberate thought into it. It would have become what "I" wanted it to be as opposed to what it is meant to be. Apart from going back afterward and fixing some spacing and a few spelling errors, there was no editing. Part of the magic of the book is that it is what it is. When you read it you will understand.

The resulting work is a 135 page stream of consciousness novel entitled "Daisy Chain", featuring fifty-one women, each one linked to the other in a series of eclectic "snapshots" or "stories", each in their own style. You could say it was as though these women had dictated their stories to me and I wrote them down.

At the time, I felt that ideally I would like to make the book into a large coffee table novel (words and images). This will happen, but for now I'm forging ahead with a spontaneous plan. A few days ago I was struck by inspiration to upload Daisy Chain as an e-book. To support this - among other things - I am going to have a chain of readings to launch the link and promote it.

The launch/first reading will be at the National Library (NALIS in Port-of-Spain) on Friday 7 May, 2010 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Six women will read extracts from six of the fifty-one women. The readers are:
Patti-Anne Ali
Vanessa Duncan
Carolyn Harnanan
Carol Hosein
Jameela Khan
Joanne Ali- Nandalal

From tomorrow until the day of the reading I will post (on this blog) extracts from various women in the chain. You are welcome to check in daily and read them, to get a taste of the whole.

Those of you who will be in Trinidad at the time are invited to the first reading. Stay tuned.