“What a piece of work is a … ?”

Renée S.
2 min readNov 1, 2016

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Getty Images.No infringement intended. Micheangelo Buonarotti to his father, Rome 1508

Several years ago while I had the excellent fortune of visiting the Carrara Mountain quarries and stood inside the mountain 500 metres from where Michelangelo once obtained his marble. I also got to spend time in an exhibition in Rome of his inventions, beautifully replicated by Italian artisans in wood, steel and other materials. He embodied the word visionary, which today is so blithely bandied about by every virtual Tom Dick and Harry.

What has Michelangelo to do with either me or NaNoWriMo? My day began with an online exchange with Garnet and I considered the extraordinary opportunity I am being afforded to share and learn from readers. Michelangelo did not create in isolation and this is only a part of why I mention him. I carry the turbulent, very harrowing times ordinary Italians are enduring in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes with me into this month of writing. For me it is not so much about the word count, or ‘winning’; it is about creating and all that goes into creating an enduring work, worthy of others’ attention, as much as it is worthy of its own storytelling.

Michelangelo embodies the kinds of graces that go into creating art: curiosity, invention, imagination, time, skill, passion and most of all Meaning. My NaNoWriMo ambition is to tell the story of Blood Doll with care, attention and Meaning. So mine is a different sort of race or challenge than the word count. I am stepping up to my inner artist. By no means is this a comparison to anything like that achieved by Italy’s greatest architect of the future. His legacy of meaningfulness and the work ethic embodied to ensure it, and all he signifies in our inner potential for greatness is my guiding light. Italy might be staggering under the weight of political, economic and unforeseen difficulties, but their humanity and spirit as I indicated to Giulia Blasi the other day will not be denied. Blood Doll is dedicated to their inimitable story of courage and resilience too.

Thank you to everyone following the progress of Blood Doll.

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