Countdown

NaNoWriMo starts in 24 1/2 hours. I decided to give it another go.


If only because struggling with it will give me enough material to get through NaBloPoMo once again.

This time, several of my friends are also giving it a shot - one of whom will be working to finish the novel she started this time last year. It's nice to have that social support when tackling a project like this one. Hoping to get us all together for a few writing nights. Or drinking nights, depending on how it's going!

I had a goal of taking some time to really think about my setting and characters today - to decide who they'll be and what their situation is - but once again, I haven't really had the uninterrupted thinking time needed for that. Good ideas usually come to me when I'm 1) showering or 2) driving - but I spent such a short time in the shower and the car today, and part of the time in the car I had kids talking to me.

I feel bad when I'm lost in the imaginary world I'm trying to create and one of them (very often Middle) decides this is a perfect time to talk to me about something totally mundane. It's sweet that he wishes to connect with me and share his thoughts, but it makes it really hard to think creatively.

And without a (private) notebook to write stuff down, I'll forget the cool ideas I come up with anyway.

I have some serious logistical issues here.

Starting tomorrow at midnight, I want to get an hour or two of writing done after the kids are in bed or before they're up in the morning. Notice I said writing. I don't want to spend that time brainstorming and planning. For some reason, I still seem to think I should be able to do that throughout the day. What I may need to do instead is to set aside a separate block of kid-free time for thinking. And I was hoping not to have to give up a month of reading...

Right now, I have to juggle schoolwork, household management, martial arts, and social time for me and the kids. For one week in November, I will also be working part-time. And I'm going on at least two out-of-state trips. Adding NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo will be a stretch, but it should be an exciting challenge.

We shall see...