Is anyone doing NaNo this year? I joined up as a rebel (although to be honest I'm laughing at myself for attempting anything. Not a great starting attitude, but there it is).

If you are, I'd love to commiserate with you!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but let's not commiserate. Let's write!

Ever gone for a walk in the woods? Or on a beach? Some place where you enjoyed being even if the leaves were a bit slippery or the sun just a tad hot? Did you think about how many steps you had to take before you started? Or did you want to be there? To smell and feel and enjoy? To share it with a friend?

Don't write 50,000 words. Write to be in that wonderful place you imagine. Write to share it with us. Don't write perfect words; just one okay word as a gift.

Do that 49,999 more times.

Do that 2,000 times a day and take five days off. "Remember the Sabbath and keep your computer off."

Note that we're not planning which trees to see or what wave to watch; we're just there. Enjoying. The gift to ourselves on December First is a novel; we have done that which we could never do. The first time is a major turning point in a writer's life. It's probably not a great novel, but it exists. Others "want to write", we "have written".

Doing NaNo this year could be either the best or the worst decision I've ever made, if I were to so decide.

You guys are doing fabulously! I'm way behind (I just hit 5,000 words), but I've been adding to my word count every day, and that feels really good after having a story idea for three years and not writing at all. So, I call it a win! It's good to be actually writing instead of just thinking about it.

You guys are doing fabulously! I'm way behind (I just hit 5,000 words), but I've been adding to my word count every day, and that feels really good after having a story idea for three years and not writing at all. So, I call it a win! It's good to be actually writing instead of just thinking about it.

... but I don't think this will be a 50,000 word book. When it is finished, I stop writing and it is, however many words it is. Let's face it, just writing is fun.

This. <3 My hubby is rather baffled but that's ok. I'm a bit baffled at how much time he spends pokemoning. To each his own!

Oh - and the best thing happened. I had an epiphany yesterday for making my story a bit more unique. And I was running over the synopsis with my sister, who's one of my best brainstorming partners. My 13-year-old daughter came through the room, overheard and interrupted to ask, "What book is this you're reading? I want to read it too!" And now she's champing at the bit for me to finish it. Quite a contrast to last weeks reaction of, "Mom's writing again... "

I don't know about WAY behind. I am at 5457 words. Which is only an issue if the goal of 50,000 words by November 30 is what matters to me (it is not). At 418 words a day, I can still reach 50,000 words by February 28, 2018.

... but I don't think this will be a 50,000 word book. When it is finished, I stop writing and it is, however many words it is. Let's face it, just writing is fun.

Oh - and the best thing happened. I had an epiphany yesterday for making my story a bit more unique. And I was running over the synopsis with my sister, who's one of my best brainstorming partners. My 13-year-old daughter came through the room, overheard and interrupted to ask, "What book is this you're reading? I want to read it too!" And now she's champing at the bit for me to finish it. Quite a contrast to last weeks reaction of, "Mom's writing again... "

As of Wednesday, my nano has been completely derailed. My kiddo got her first case ever of head lice. It's been days of laundry and combing and treatments ever since. I had no idea how difficult it is to get rid of this stuff and she can't go back to school if the nurse can find 3 nits. I'm hoping we're almost through it and I'll be able to start trying to catch up in the next day or two.

Been there, done that.

Our daughter was getting lice from her school so often that we started to become concerned about the frequency of chemical treatments. Research turned up Cetaphil Moisturizer as a safe lice treatment. (You can google it). It works as well as the other treatments. We also found Teatree oil added to the shampoo bottle worked well at keeping lice from returning from any other students at school.

Long thick hair, lots of combing and piles of blankets and sheets and pillows to wash was no fun. You have my sympathy.

We found something called Licefreee! that's a bit more natural than some of the other products. And the whole family is using a shampoo called Fairy Tales Rosemary Rid with teatree oil and some other oils. Plus OGX Tea Tree Mint Shampoo. (double shampoos to be extra cautious) I think we're through the worst of it but I'll have to re-treat Wednesday or Friday since they say to redo it 7-10 days later.

On the plus side, she got inspired by all my talk about nanowrimo and all the writing I was doing. So guess how she's been passing the time every time I sit her down to be combed? Writing her own story! It's in the first person and told in alternating viewpoints between 4 best friends (who are all boys). And it's a scifi dystopian about the government shutting down all the schools and turning them into labs to create hybrid creatures like turtle alligators and dandelion hedgehogs.

On the plus side, she got inspired by all my talk about nanowrimo and all the writing I was doing. So guess how she's been passing the time every time I sit her down to be combed? Writing her own story! It's in the first person and told in alternating viewpoints between 4 best friends (who are all boys). And it's a scifi dystopian about the government shutting down all the schools and turning them into labs to create hybrid creatures like turtle alligators and dandelion hedgehogs.