… is the waiting. I am desperate to start my book. NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge. There will be thousands of people doing it in the month of November. We will all attempt write a 50;000 word book in a month. It will be a little book but it will be written. And My book is just hanging about shuffling its feet in the wings, warmed up and ready to erupt onto the stage. But not yet. I am not allowed to begin the work until November FIRST.
I thought to myself yesterday. I will write a tiny bit on the location. To explore. Just do some research and visualisation. I opened up Word and labelled it Nothing Very Much.
I love corridors so I started in the corridor, it is wide with shiny dark wooden floors, big old heavy doors closed and waiting, late morning light streaming in from the open front door. Maybe just the hint of early summer jasmine in the air. 
Next thing you know, slam of a door and two kids are sliding down the shiny corridor in polishing socks. Polishing socks are usually your Dad’s big thick ones but these kids had their Mum’s boot socks on because her boots are hand me downs and a little big for her feet.
Then they start talking to each other. What! They are not meant to be talking to each other. They are not even meant to be here. We can’t start writing yet! In a dash to avoid hearing what the story is doing, the heroine climbs out the ground story bedroom window, and tips headfirst into a prickly bush (who put that there!) and a nun walks past suggesting maybe she needs some rest dear and have you hit your head?
Stop talking I say to them. STOP IT! All of you. Go away. We are not allowed to start writing until November first. So they all slink back to their bedrooms and back down the path. NO MORE TALKING or Doing or Anything! My flying fingers shout.
Their doors bang closed and I hit delete.
Phew, a close call. How many days do I have before I can start. Wait (rummage rummage, I have to clear up my desk before Nov 1st… where is that page from the calender. Mutter mutter) Eleven. Eleven days. Eleven days of trying to keep this collection of characters quiet and still.
Can I just say one thing? Calling from the other side of the closed door.
No. Stay there until I say and you are not allowed to speak for eleven days.
It is broke.
What is broke?
The shower.
Broke? The shower is broke. What kind of English is that? Broke means poor. We are not poor. Well not much. Poorish. Why am I talking to a character who is not allowed to come out until November FIRST! And what is wrong with the shower?
Baby stuck eight chopsticks down the plughole. The disembodied voice calls up under the large drafty crack in the door.
No. No! Where is the cone of silence when I need it. NO! NO! No More Story. Back in your box all of you. Back. In. The. Box! You can’t be trusted to sit quietly behind a bedroom door. So Into the BOX!
Sigh. There. Do I have to sit on the Box lid for eleven days?
Maybe I should do some studying, work out what I am doing and keep my mind off the whispering and scrabbling in The Story Box. Writing a book in a month needs some research surely.
The Old Codger’s daughter, who is visiting her father, brought me a book the other day. No Plot. No Problem. By Chris Baty. I am sure you knew all about it but I did not even know it existed. This one is very useful.
The Elements of Style. by Strunk/White/Kalman.. My grammar is terrible and it has g pictures. Pictures are good.
I have; Reading like a Writer by Francine Prose which has no pictures but is wonderfully readeable and makes perfect sense. 
And the other day Ella Dee sent me Last Chance to Eat by Gina Mallet which has nothing to do with the task at hand but everything to do with good reading and excellent subject matter. Plus I like her style. I like the Voice of the writer. Thank you so much Ella Dee. Books are the most wonderful presents.
Yesterday I dug in the mud most of the day, freeing up the North sliding doors so they open and shut easily in the winter. We started building a new fence beside the yards. The sheep were jumping the old fence which was not terribly useful. And at last the final puzzle in the erratic milking pump saga fell into place and everything worked at the same time. Beautifully. The Surrogate milker was so relieved. Milking has been a trial this last week. Lets hope it works for a while now.
Good morning. It is time for me to find my torch and go out and begin the day. The dawn is getting later but that does not mean the milking time gets later. I hope you are all going to have a lovely day.
celi
On this day day a year ago. Jack Frost. I guess the frosts started later last year.
The Kitchen's Garden 
58 responses to “The Toughest Thing about getting Ready for NaNoWriMo…”
Oh, C! A hearty belly-laugh to start the morning….just what the doctor ordered!
Have a great day!
Morning Marie! c
Am sooooo exciting about your book Celi!!!! I know it will be wonderful!!! And I can’t wait to read it!!! xo
i think it will be fun and most importantly November will speed by and then it will be December and off we go to NZ!
Why do I bother trying to write when you can produce a work of genius about NOT writing? I know Nano’s supposed to be all that self-indulgent stream of consciousness stuff. But who’s to know you haven’t drafted a plot, worked out a timeline for your characters, decided on names, filled in a bit of backstory? That’s what we were taught to do, and that’s what I shall do, if I pluck up courage to start. I might even (sh!) write a second 50K words to go with the 25K of my novella-in-waiting.
I hope you do pluck up the courage, gird your loins and all that stuff, because I have absolutely no idea what i am doing! Though I do have a location and a nun apparently!! c
That story box is so full that I think your fingers will have to move at seriously high speed to organize all those characters and ideas when they come bursting out on November 1st! Keep the fire extinguisher handy – you might well set fire to your keyboard!!!
Christine
One thing I do know is that there will not be too many characters. I hate reading books where i have to keep flipping back to see who is who. So I will keep it simple and probably linear so i can remember what is going on.. c
If your book challenge or 50000 words what ever you want to call it…. is anything like this post it is gonna be a winner,,,,,, I laughed my head off… well not really but had a good go at it…. loved this post…
Ha Ha PLONK! laughed you head off. i love that expression.. c
If it helps – you may do a write-in – and start at midnight. 🙂
But yes, I can understand you. I’ve been eager to start writing for weeks, but on the other hand, I’m still not finished with my research (as you may know from my blog posts) and have neglected work on the characters.
Instead I have been working on side-projects:
– designing a cover
– Creating a 19th century postcard from my protagonist’s hometown, that I will mail, written in his name, to cameos in my story. I’m only waiting for the post office to send me *THE* stamps that I need to go with them.
November ain’t that far away now.
A Cover! I need a cover.. oops, I love the idea of your postcards though i bet they are beautiful.. I am thrilled that you are doing it again.. you will be great .. c
How exciting to write got a contest! I’m sure you’ll do great. It sounds like you head is about to explode with ideas.
It is not so much my head as the heads of my characters if they do not sit quietly and behave themselves! No patience. This younger generation.. c
Ahemm, have you backed up and defragged your comptuter lately? Mercury goes into retrograde from 6 – 26 November 2012 – again. Can’t wait to meet all these characters banging on the story box lid 🙂 Laura
NOOOOOOO!!!!! Oh thank you Laura, am defragging right now! That bloody Mercury! It took three days to defrag last time, so should not be too bad this time and yes I will be a good girl and download every night. I have a little black box just for this. c
Notes are allowed, btw…outlines…scraps of paper with random dialog–it’s all allowed. I promise. So, don’t make yourself crazy, just spend this time making some location notes, some character notes, some plot notes. You’ll probably only use a few of them anyway when the writing gets going, but it will keep you from going nuts. Plus, might I suggest that you spend these last eleven days re-reading a favorite novel or two…steep yourself in the author’s language and rhythm. It will give you some confidence when you start your book. You’re gonna do great!
Excellent advice Melissa and thank you. I always read every night, in fact i am never without a book but this is a good idea to reread a book whose voice will inspire. c
I think I can hear your brain spinning in gear all the way here in southern Ontario! And I love that your characters are trying to bust out!
what a nice way to wake up. reading your enlightening blog!
Don’t delete- never delete: put away in a file! That urgency produces a certain energy level for later.
Hope your eardrums don’t blow from the fireworks inside you head. Love this post.
Oh, there’s something oddly similar with digging mud so doors will open and writing a book…one’s just more easily observed?
(your brain is quietly lining the words up – you can’t stop it….TonTon knows…maybe he hears – look at that intent expression.)
Have a great day!
Ah digging under the doors so they open and digging into my brain! hmmm.. c
I bet you could write 10,000 words in your sleep. You’ll do great. Do you need us to watch TonTon?
c, in my mind’s eye, your story box is an old wooden child’s toybox. You are sitting on top, hands clasping the lid and the characters are bumping and pushing to get out! I love your corridor.. the polishing socks.. I, too, have to wait 11 days until you get started.. and a month to read your book. I’ve written it in my calendar!!
Once inspiration starts hanging around, it’s almost impossible to banish it to the attic or back room! I almost never sit right down and write without first having spend some time talking to my characters or living in the story itself for at least a little while. I suspect you are indeed writing as you go about your day, all in preparation for the November sit downs! I am glad you clarified the rules of the project. November 1 you will feel hundreds of people standing in the wings cheering you on! 🙂 You will be so ready! oxo