Local Novelist Discovers San Angelo History

 

“Why San Angelo?” asks Joe Weaver in the title of his third entry to National Novel Writing Month. So far, he’s got over 8,000 words to answer it, now he needs only 42,000 more to meet the goal of the challenge.

Weaver used to write a weekly newspaper column with the Chamber of Commerce Director in Pampa, Texas. After a recent move to San Angelo, friends and family have been asking him why—a question he also poses himself—thus his book is taking on that stream of consciousness.

As of yet, Weaver seems to be right on target, “Right now I have logged over 8000 words, but I’ve written a few more than that,” he said.

This is Weaver’s third go at NaNoWriMo—he’s stated that he did the first one on a challenge, the second to prove he wasn’t one-book writer, but moving to a new place and encountering new experiences has inspired round three.

Instead of a typical novel, Weaver is changing things up a bit with a series of essays, or ‘streams of consciousness,’ inspired by San Angelo.

“It’s written like Salinger’s book, but much better,” Weaver laughed, “I hated ‘Catcher in the Rye.’”

So far, the Chicken Farm Art Center has enchanted its way into the ‘Wrimo’ project, along with Fort Concho and a few other historic details in San Angelo.

Next on the agenda, downtown San Angelo, “I have not written about downtown yet, but I am enthralled with it,” said Weaver.

Weaver plans to check out more history books and get to know more people to inspire his ‘stream of consciousness,’ and answer the question “Why San Angelo?”

As far as advice to other ‘Wrimos,’ Weaver says, “Just try to get words on paper.”

According to Weaver the best way to go is just by writing, you can clean it up later.

Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily

The LIVE! Daily is the "newspaper to your email" for San Angelo. Each content-packed edition has weather, the popular Top of the Email opinion and rumor mill column, news around the state of Texas, news around west Texas, the latest news stories from San Angelo LIVE!, events, and the most recent obituaries. The bottom of the email contains the most recent rants and comments. The LIVE! daily is emailed 5 days per week. On Sundays, subscribers receive the West Texas Real Estate LIVE! email.

Required

Most Recent Videos

Comments

Great story. YOu made Joe Weaver sound better than he is. You even made him look...well, DIFFERENT, if not better. That is NOT Joe! It is the subject of one of his blogs, MIke Towry, who was killed this summer in San Antonio.

Sorry about that Joe!

I stole this photo off your facebook, hope you don't mind.

Now THAT is the pensive look of a writer. The guitar is just a prop! At any rate, anyone who has heard him play will say that!

Post a comment to this article here:

X Close