National Novel Writing Month, commonly referred to as NaNoWriMo, is still a few months away but ideas are fighting in my mind for their chance to be written.

I’ve been interested in NaNoWriMo for several years. Back in 2006, my daughter Miranda Hynes wrote her first novel as part of NaNoWriMo. Subtle Differences explores discrimination in a young adult fantasy. She published the novel on Lulu press.

Then, in 2007, I wrote my first novel, Family Markets, as part of NaNoWriMo. It was a story about fraud and market manipulation in stock markets in a virtual world. It sits on a hard disk waiting further editing. It was Miranda’s first year of college and she attempted NaNoWriMo, but it was too close to finals and she couldn’t write a novel at during final weeks of classes.

In 2008, I set out to write another novel as part of NaNoWriMo. I started off with a story about foreclosure and bankruptcy, but it was a little too close to home and I had problems separating the novel from real life. I set the idea a side, and started over with a science fiction work about human genetic modifications and the problems with monocultures. It is a good story, but changing course in the middle of the month left me too far behind to catch up and after a few days, I set aside the effort. Five chapters and various notes sit out on my hard disk in case waiting for me to get a chance and a desire to restart the effort.

I am not sure if Miranda wrote her second novel,The Silent Serian, as part of NaNoWriMo 2008 or if it was part of a different effort, perhaps from 2007. She has published this on Lulu as well. It dives deeper into exploring human relationships as another young adult fantasy book. I strongly encourage people to buy and read a copy of this book.

Now, a few months before NaNoWriMo 2009, ideas are fighting in my mind for their chance to be this year’s novel attempt. Leading the list is “Liza’s Party”. On a mailing list of group psychotherapists some friends of mine got into a discussion about Pygmalion. The ancient Greek myth is about a sculptor named Pygmalion who creates a sculpture so beautiful that he falls in love with it and the gods bring it to life out of pity for him. It is a great theme to explore both in literature and in therapy. In literature, it is perhaps best known for the play, Pygmalion which was later turned into the musical My Fair Lady. In therapy, it may be interesting for people to explore their roles in the Pygmalion myth, either as the creator, the created, or perhaps even the gods granting the wish of the creator.

For me, I’ve been kicking around a twenty first century remake of Pygmalion. Riffing off the names from My Fair Lady, Liza is the created. Hank, meets Liza through an online personal and with the encouragement of his friend Pickles, tries to form Liza into his idea of a proper twenty first century lady. Beyond this, I’m likely to vary from the original story as I introduce a female friend of Liza’s, an online therapist for the female friend, and any other characters that fight their way into my thoughts.

Yet today, another idea was emerged, fighting for its place. It takes Virginia Woolf’s novel, To The Lighthouse, and twists it around the story of bankruptcy and foreclosure that I couldn’t write last year. Instead of the lighthouse, it becomes the clubhouse.

The Woodbridge Country Club went bankrupt and is in the process of selling its property to the town of Woodbridge. The town, through a manager, is trying to put the club back together as the Country Club of Woodbridge. We’ve joined the club with a swim and tennis membership. We’ve been in the pool just about every day since it has opened. We’ve chatted with the lifeguards who used to work for the private club. We’ve gotten to know the golf pro, who is really spearheading this effort, even though we, ourselves, are not golfers. Yesterday, we had dinner in the clubhouse.

Instead of the Ramseys at their summer house planning a trip to the lighthouse, we will have some Yale professor, perhaps one whose area of expertise is the work of Virginia Woolf, arranging a trip to the club to go swimming. When we return to the club, years later, as it emerges from bankruptcy, we find the character based on Mrs. Ramsey has died of cancer. The character of Andrew replaced by a young man from Woodbridge killed by an IED. “What does it mean then, what can it all mean?” a modern day Lily Briscoe must ask herself as she walks around the once bustling country club.

But it isn’t November yet. It is two in the morning on a clear, cool, full moon lit August night. I should be sleeping. It is time to send Lily and Liza back to their rooms in the corners of my mind where they can plot with other potential characters about how to tell their stories when the time comes.

What about you? Will you write a novel this year?