The Book That Hasn't Been Written Yet

If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

I'm still plugging along with my NaNoWriMo novel. It has been easier than I thought, so far.

I have already completely changed a bunch of it. I've changed from telling it in Third Person, to First Person, I've changed where the main character (Becky) is living, and numerous other things.

I'm not letting anyone read it, even when it is done. But for your reading pleasure, here is one section that I am deleting, so you can go ahead and read it. It won't be in the finished book.

Dr. Suess had it right, you shouldn’t have too many Daves. Oliver Boliver Butt, Marvin O’Gravel Balloon Face, Stinky, Harris Tweed, what were those other names he came up with in that book? I had memorized it at one time, back when the boys were little.

Nathan was most enamored with that book, even when his older brothers wanted me to read something else, Nathan would throw a fit and scream “Weed Owiver Bowiver Butt, Mommy!!”

“Okay, okay,” I would say, trying to calm him down. “I’ll read it after this one” at the same time trying to keep Blake from poking me in the eye with “Are You My Mother”.

How did we come up with all those names? I had always wanted seven children, but six was all Karl could put up with. Six names were hard enough to agree on. From eighth grade onward, I had pictured naming a child after someone in Gone with the Wind, Rhett, or Scarlett maybe, but Karl wouldn’t have it.

I didn’t want any names to start with the same letter either. I could make a job chart faster using just the first letters of the kids- DCNBJM. Just like that, I could recite that list of letters in my sleep.

It annoyed me to make Family Home Evening charts, though, because with parents and kids together there was an overlap of B. B for Becky and B for Blake. For me and Blake, I had to use two letters instead of just one. It didn’t have the same rhythm to see K, Be, D,C,N,Bl,J,M. Why didn’t I think of that before I named our fourth son Blake?

I had liked the name Devin, too, and could have given that name to our second son, but I caught myself before I made that mistake. Our first son Drew started with a D, so after Drew I had to name the next boy Cody. In this family, one alphabet letter for one person, that was the rule.

In this section, Becky sounds a bit critical of Karl. Karl isn't Wayne, in case you are wondering.