Jumping In

Historically, I typically feel the need to poll numerous friends and relations before I make a decision about anything. Other times, depending on the topic, I aim for one person who I think will REALLY know what's best for me. It has occurred to me, that I might be leaving a fairly significant person out of the equation, or at least discounting her opinion...ME. I might have wanted to try my hand at solving something simple, like what to have for dinner. Instead, I went and signed up for NaNoWriMo...National Novel Writing Month. Who doesn't register, on a whim, for a month long writing contest in which participants are striving to write a 50,000 word novel?

The contest is targeted for people writing fiction, but there is a group of rebels doing other "non-novel" writings. I am leaning towards a memoir-type of thing. I have thirty-five more hours to decide exactly what it is I'm going to do. One of the suggestions they give is that you tell everyone you know, so consider yourself told! The idea being that the more people aware of your plight, the less likely you will run and hide under your bed (now I'll have to look for a new hiding place!).

I read about this contest earlier this week on a blog of a blog I follow. The crucial coincidence was that I also started jogging this past week. OK, so it was fifteen minutes a day, and I am on day 5 (which is a day off in this program I am sponging info off a dear friend from...thank you!). I NEVER thought I could run/jog/shuffle for fifteen continuous minutes, but I did. As my aching quads and I were rounding out about six minutes on day 2, I started to wonder what other things I could accomplish. Somehow getting back to my house, on two legs, after fifteen minutes became comparable to writing a 50,000 word novel...in 30 days! Yikes!

The first person I told was a fellow blogger (www.dailybaxter.com), and she did not disappoint with her words of encouragement and promise to supply sugar. The support from those who live in this house has been, well, it's been what those of you who regularly follow this blog might expect. The husband had a blank look and didn't seem familiar with the contest that I had showed him on the computer three days earlier...silence. The son made a grumbling about not getting much computer time next month...touching. The husband pointed out to the son that his comment might have been selfish (I did not point out that his silence was not much better). The daughter at least had questions relevant to what I was telling her: How do you count the words? What do you win? (In case anybody is wondering, you "win" just for doing it. As, I explained to my daughter...more like a "finisher" than a "winner".)

I AM SO EXCITED! (yeah, yeah, yeah...and a little panic stricken too) I might've had it in my head that 5,000 words was 50,000 words. In more lucid times, (like right after I registered) I realized that was over 1,500 words a day! I also walked past the calendar and figured out what time of year we are dealing with here...holiday lunacy countdown! Oh well! Maybe if I get behind on my shopping, I can just give out copies of my novel for Christmas...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha slkdjf[09qeut[io' vhejwl;KGV...oops, fell off my chair.

Have a wonderful day, and do something that fascinates you!

p.s. I was just doing some blog design housekeeping, and read the "About Me" part where I reference people's exercise routines getting me down. I just wanted to confirm that I jogged...for fifteen minutes...for four days...I don't even have fancy sneakers! I also hope you realize that my signing up for this contest might also indicate how not "together" I remain!