The Countdown is On....

In addition to my ongoing work with LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY MOTHER, I am now officially one of thousands and thousands who will be writing as fast as I can during the entire month of November. I am taking part in NaNoWriMo. Start date is November 1st. That means you'll hear about 200,000 tushies plopping onto chairs worldwide at one minute past midnight, Sunday. Some people actually write standing up. Whatever floats their hemorrhoids....

From NaNo's site:

"In 2009, we had over 165,000 participants. More than 30,000 of them crossed the 50K finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever."

Whoa! Not terribly encouraging percentage-wise. Maybe I should forget the whole thing....but, see, I am a long-standing member of the Compuserve Writers Forum, and we have enough forumites registered this year to generate 1,000,000 words. I guess I have a few to contribute. Like Marc Chagall, Auguste Escoffier, Gavroche (he's a fictitious art critic.)

One thing I am mindful of is I am a Montrealer and I have two fellow Montreal forumites keeping me company. Yay Montreal! Je t'aime. Break out the Brie, grab those croissants and let's just do it. (Actually, this is more of a poutine fest, I guess.)

 

According to founder Chris Baty, Week Two is the toughest. I'll let you know. Frankly, I don't know how I will get to day three.

I am no stranger to words and masses of words and tight deadlines. So, it's not like I haven't done this before -- it's just that I haven't done it each and every day for thirty days without stopping before. And, I have never written without editing. I don't suppose it's cheating if I make my daily word count and edit as well? I have no earthly idea.

It's all a head game, anyhow. How many times have you gone a whole day without eating for one reason or another, and then, all of a sudden, you are told you can't eat for six hours and suddenly, you are so hungry you'll drop dead on the spot if you don't get a Ritz cracker into your mouth?

Tell me I can't use the bathroom for three hours because the plumber will be fixing a pipe, and all of a sudden, I'll need to go in the worst way.

Tell me I have to write 1600 words, and suddenly, I can't get two out. But, tell me nothing, and I'll write 2,000. Head games, that's all it is.

The starting gun is set to go off in a matter of hours and I am numb, as though a hurricane is about to hit, but since I don't see the winds picking up, I don't believe those pesky meterologists.

Nevertheless, I am preparing my bunker-- Saturday, I shall be laying in supplies:

-Spare contact lenses
-Spare reading glasses
-Loads of junk food and good stuff, too, like veggie dip and crudites, trail mix
-500 cartons of cigarettes -- "I don't cough, I don't write"
-Special dark roast blend coffee by the kilo, must remember the cream
-Tia Maria or Kahlua for when the day is done - er, is the day ever done, I wonder?
-Advil and Ativan
-Steak. When I write, I get famished. When I get famished, I need protein.When I need protein, I need filet mignon, medium rare, with a green vegetable and potato and mushrooms and wine.
-Dark chocolate
-Plenty of husband. Husband will cook, if I don't. Husband will feed cat. Husband is a good guy.

On Sunday, I will be pulling out books and notes and photos, and reading Thomas Mann or doing something else equally as pleasurable to help me leave the 21st century behind.

I am about to re-enter Berlin in the 1880s in THE SCARF DANCE.

I'll see you there.
 
(And, if you are also part of NaNoWriMo and reading this, GOOD LUCK!)