National Novel Writing Month Starting this Saturday!

It's almost National Novel Writing Month again (or NaNoWriMo as it's affectionately known.) Despite being more overwhelmed in my personal life than ever before, I'm tempting fate (and major burnout) by participating again this year.

I don't actually care if I reach 50,000 words or not, so that may be part of the reason I'm going for it again this year despite a complete lack of time. I guess that's a bad attitude for NaNoWriMo, but it's the best I can do right now.

So if I don't care, why bother at all you may ask. Fair enough. Well, I've learned enough in the last two NaNos that I've participated in that there is lot I can learn, both about writing, and about myself, even if I don't hit that 50,000 word mark. It's good to push yourself in pursuit of something wonderful and creative that will very likely never amount to anything at all just to see if you can. Or rather if I can.

Again, my novel will be Sci-Fi. I had a dream last year during NaNoWriMo that I thought would make a great story. I wrote a summary of the dream in a notebook because it was complex and I didn't want to forget an important detail. Well, I lost that notebook. That notebook had a lot of writing in it that was important to me, and I still get upset about it's loss. So I may end up having to make up a lot of the story without my notes (although, I guess technically, I already made it up in my dream, so who cares, right?) It's a post apocalyptic, war, romance, time-travel kind of thing. Hope it turns out.

If you ever wanted to try to write a novel. Now's your chance!
Here's my profile at the official NaNoWriMo site, if you want to learn more about this whole crazy idea:
Karabu Writes a Novel

Benicia Knitting Circle

Just a little plug for this knitting store that I didn't know existed a few days ago.

Benicia Knitting Circle

I went there to look for a gift for my knitting sister (I don't knit, but I crochet a little and I love pretty yarn.) First I love that there is such a thing as a knitting store. I'm not sure what it is about small, highly specialized shops that I love, but I find them so fascinating. I guess maybe because they represent a deep passion on the part of the proprietor, and enough other people to keep the place in business.

I got a little glimpse of those folks while I was shopping. A group of knitters were all working on their projects and a knitting debate started up over a confusing line of instructions in a pattern. You can learn so much more, and see the depth of a craft from listening to the debates of serious practitioners that you just won't ever find browsing in a big general craft shop.

While I have no great desire to learn to knit, if I did, this shop could be a very addictive place for me. If you love knitting, or crochet, or yarn, or specialty craft shops, stop by. They have dogs hanging out there too, and there is always a special place in my heart for shops with cats or dogs in residence. Ya gotta love that.