Premature excitement

I know it's sad, but Ben was talking about his novel he's currently writing and I got thinking about NaNoWriMo and came up with my concept for it, and now I'm completely ridiculously excited about it...even though it's not until November! It's in my day zero list to both win and complete NaNo at some point between now and the end of the 1001 days...which gives me three shots at.

Let me explain what I mean by both win and complete it...for those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it is a challenge in which you write a novel of at least 50,000 words in the month of November. You don't need to finish the story, but to qualify having "won" NaNoWriMo you have to have written the word count.

I've entered NaNo about four times in the past, but the first few times I entered late and gave up after a couple of days. Last year I planned for about two weeks in advance and started on time. I hit the target of writing 50,000 words by the 30th November, but despite careful planning I didn't actually complete the story, so I won it but never completed. I was writing a high fantasy, a nice bit of escapism, and planned on writing the follow up this year. After NaNo however I had written myself out and never went back to it, and then the computer it was on kinda died....even if I wanted to finish it I couldn't, because I don't have a copy of it.

CHAMPION!!!

So this year I'm determined that I shall win it again, but actually finish the damn thing too. This years offering isn't a fantasy, more a sci-fi/horror, something along the vague lines of a dystopic future but not since it's in a kind of parallel universe...I have some trepidation over the originality of the premise, but since I've only ever written for fun and not for publishing I'm not really that bothered because this is going to be rather fun to write. More careful planning I'm sure will ensure I actually finish it off too. Ben thinks I shouldn't wait for NaNo and just write it now anyway but where's the challenge in that? :p

Hurry up and get here, November!

Oh, it just occured to me that since we own a laptop now I might actually be able to attend one of the local write ins this year....ooooooooooh!!!!!

In other news I decided to empty out my "wardrobe" today and chuck everything that was either too big or small or too frumpy and ugly and not my style or that had been repaired a few too many times. It was quite an eye opener; I've reduced my otoman that was too full to lose properly, and plastic crate that was overflowing (Ben has the actual wardrobe to himself as he has a lot of work shirts that require hanging, and we don't have room for a second wardrobe for myself) to the otoman being only half full, and a hook over the door to hang a couple of skirts, my one remaining party dress, good blouses and workshirts off of (which take up very few hangers and so hang nice and inconspiculously off of the back of the living room door). I knew I had a staple few items of clothes that I wear on a regular basis, however I didn't realise I had so few of them.

I did have a plan whereby I would gradually replace all of the old clothes in my wardrobe with new ones as I earned the money to treat myself with each month, however I think I actually need to beef it up! I do have enough things to see me through a week, if I am very diligent in keeping up with the laundry and don't have a really cold spell. If for whatever reason I had to go away for a couple of weeks I'd have to pray they had laundry facilities because I definitely do not have enough clothes to see me past one week, and if it turned cold (which it is not want to do in August but just saying if it did) I'd be up the creek without a paddle. Next months priority buys are jumpers!

But enough of my prattling on about clothes and novels you'll never read. I've gotta be up earlyish for ChildLine training in the morning, so I bid you farewell and goodnight and shall be back on Monday :)