November ~ by Maressa Mortimer
November is an odd month, I think. I don’t like cold, wet weather and by November, even I have to conclude that the summer has definitely gone.
On the other hand, November is NaNoWriMo time, where lots of us commit to write 50,000 words in November. That’s exciting, it’s busy, it’s a lot to do, especially as I decided this year to aim for 70,000 so my first draft of book 3 would be finished, rather than have it hang around my head for most of December and possibly January. Exciting! And such a great excuse for not going anywhere, for being far away, daydreaming about somebody else’s life...
It helps with the weather as well. My first proper NaNo project was Sapphire Beach, set in Crete, in September, with lots of soft beaches, baklava and sunshine. This year, my poor characters are making their way through a jungle; one nearly got eaten by a crocodile. Not as sweet as dreaming of baklava, but definitely warmer than it is outside.
Having said that, we went to Bournemouth last Saturday. The weather forecast wasn’t brilliant, but my husband had an errand in Bournemouth, so we all went. I love the beach, my children struggle with beaches as there’s a lot of sand. There is usually ice cream as well, so that makes up for the sensory overload. The shop they were looking forward to is still online-only, but the kids took this in their stride. We got to the beach in absolutely gorgeous weather. There were big boulders to climb on, lowering the sensory issues. There was ice cream, more bouldering and McDonalds on the way home, and only one meltdown. Definitely not a typical November day!
November is also the month where I keep thinking, “It’s nearly St Nicholas, then Christmas.” It comes with planning, not my thing, and expectations, which can go horrendously wrong. My children now love the idea of special days, but their expectations don’t always match reality. So there has been a bit of a shift: I am now the one with less expectations...
Mind you, come 5th December, I will be so exhausted from writing, any kind of chocolate and any kind of party will be fine... Anyone else not a fan of November, but surprised by lovely moments?
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