Counting The Words

The craziness of NaNoWriMo starts today. Last year I entertained the idea and even signed up, but didn't follow through. This year I'm going to give it a shot. It's time to get the main character, whose been riding around in my head for 25 years, out of my head and onto the page. She deserves a place to call home.

Not sure how I'm going to find the time to write today but I'm doing it anyway. Today I have to go to town and when I come home we're off to a community supper. Tomorrow there's a potluck after church so there's cooking to do for that yet today, too. And then there's the every day stuff. Yet if people who leave their house every day to go to work can write a novel in a month then all my hemming and hawing are just excuses.

Part of the motivation to write the book comes from when I went on holidays last month. I spent some time in the classroom of a friend. His students were reading a book set in my province and had lots of questions for me. My friend had them peer editing each other's work and at the end of the day I told him I was very tempted to get the book written and sent to his class chapter by chapter so they could peer edit it for me. Getting their feedback would be fun.

Anyway, that's what's on my mind for today. We made it through Halloween without a snowflake in sight so that is a bonus. Last year at this time we had snow for good and the long winter trek had begun. Every day without snow feels like a mini miracle. It's enough that my mood takes a yearly dive every October/November and the only thing that's kept me off anti depressants is a healthy dose of vitamin D. Living this far north means the hours of daylight are shrinking fast. Thankfully one's own inner light can still flicker and light up the world.