I am home alone for the afternoon. Alone. By myself. I’m almost panicked trying to figure out how to spend the next 3 solitary hours! Of course, this being the noveling month of November, the obvious answer would be to WRITE!
It’s day 4 of NaNoWriMo (known as simply “Nano”) and I have managed a meager 430 words. In 3 days (today doesn’t count, it’s not over yet). It seemed so much easier last year. I had at least a few thousand words by this point. I think part of the reason it seems harder this year is because it is. I’m a sahm with a 4 and a 3 year old. So they are with me all day. And they don’t nap. Not for me, anyways. Last year, when we lived in Tx, they both went to a preschool-type program at a local church twice a week for 5 ½ hours each day. 11 hours a week, free to myself. Where I got to drop them off, pick up a latte and settle in front of the computer for a few hours and wait for my muse to come out of hiding. They do no such thing this year. No preschool. No daycare. Just me. And as some of you may have read in the Halloween That Almost Wasn’t post, it has come to my attention that they may need a little more supervision during the day. So vegging out in front of the computer for hours during the day is no longer an option. And they don’t go to bed until 8:30- 9 pm. I can’t do the “stay up after the kids go to bed” thing and get any writing done, because I NEED my 9 ½ hour minimum sleepy time. I’ve stayed up late a few times in the last couple weeks, even on consecutive days. But the afternoons were PAINFUL! So I should probably keep that to a minimum.
Also, I didn’t outline, or even do a tree chart with vague ideas of events to be tackled in the book. Nothing. I had (barely) an idea when I started typing. I hardly have character names picked out, I don’t even have a title. I truly started out tabula rasa, and I’m not sure how this will fly for me throughout the month. I know it’s genre. And a few other things: there may be a zombie cameo (can you tell I’m slightly obsessed), and dares may or may not be involved at some point. I don’t know. I don’t even know my MC’s husband’s name. Or what her house looks like. Or even what she looks like.
This will definitely be a more interesting Nano for me, on account of having absolutely no direction. We’ll see how it all pans out.
04 November 2007
Home Alone
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Well, of course you don't have any time to write--You have a 3-yr-old and a 4-yr-old! I admire you even attempting it. My kids are 19 and 21 and this is the first time I've even considered NaNoWriMo. I'm also doin NaBloPoMo, and saw your post there in the So, "How are you doing" discussion.
My novel is based on an experience I had with my kids. The part I wrote today had to do with finding some alone time when you have kids, so I can relate to your situation. It's easier (for me) to write when all of the characters are me, to some degree. :-)
Good luck!
I agree. I would not attempt this if my kids were younger. Ages 3 and 4 - no way! You rock for even trying!! :)
I know exactly what you mean. :) I have a 7 and 3 year old but I'm also homeschooling so that translates to ZERO time to write. And people always say, "Oh, just write when the kids go to bed!" It's just not that entirely easy. You can't just switch off the mommy brain and switch on the writer brain -- if only I had that kind of mechanism installed in the back of my head! A nice little BUTTON or something. Hehehe. Behind on Nano is the new black.
Post a Comment