NaNoWriMo Day 1

My favorite photo for inspiration.  Today is November 1.  All Saint's Day.  A cold and rainy day in my little corner of the world.  It is also Day 1 of National Novel Writing Month.  I've heard about it in the past.  Thought about it.  Daydreamed about participating in it.  Now I have signed up and am on my way.  Really?  On my way?  We'll see.  Will The Sabbatical Chef  become a reality this month? In 30 short days?  With a full-time job that includes an average of 60 minutes of homework each night, tutoring, Thanksgiving break, sleeping and eating thrown in?  Do I actually have it in me? Will I find time?  Will I make some sacrifices in order to do this?  Do I even have the willpower to do it or will I keep the fantasy going instead of making it a reality?  Well, I suppose I will find out, won't I?

I "pitched" the book idea two years ago at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.  I was one of the chosen few. I blogged about it here and went back to reread the post to motivate myself.  I have started and restarted the book more than once.  I write sections in my head while trying to fall asleep or while in the shower.  Do I actually put those ideas on paper?  Not usually, unfortunately, because those brilliant snippets go the way of lots of other stuff these days... right out the window of my cluttered mind.  Do they float around on the breeze for a while, hoping that I will come snatch them up and commit to them?  Do they get stuck on a tree branch and hope that I will come retrieve them before the rain washes them away or they end up in a drainage ditch somewhere all washed out, the ink blurred or bleached out by the sun?  I vow this minute to keep my iPad charged and with me so that I can record these moments when they hit me.  Or should I find one of my little notebooks and a pen? My dilemma...

Today's recipe for successfully beginning to write a novel

1 50+ year old mind, cluttered and multi-tasked
1 notepad
1 favorite pen, purple sparkly with Swarovski crystals
1 iPad
1 personal story to tell
Large pinch of self-doubt
Unlimited support from family, friends and NaNoWriMo's Facebook page and website

Mix all this together.  Stir it and add to it every single day, minimum 1,666.67 words.

30 days + 50,000 words with little or no editing =  a novel

We'll see.  Promise to update my progress.

Bon appétit to all aspiring writers!