
It's the first day of NaNoWriMo!!
I am being a rebel this year and going for a daily word count goal of 1304 words. This means with my planned days off I should have 30,000 words by the end of the month. That won't seem like a lot of words when NaNo's official goal is 50k, but it will be a huge accomplishment for me.
I already have 1400 words under my belt which feels GREAT. Because that's also more than I have written in a single sitting in...well over a year. I am also amping myself up because I have to go vote today.
My boss laughed at me when I asked if we were going to have adjusted hours to allow people to vote, so I'm assuming that's a "No." With poling places in my area stacked with three hour wait times and round the block lines, I am packing up some warm clothes and heading to the poles as soon as they open today.
While I am there, I am hoping to sneak in some NaNoWriMo work. If you are getting your wait line care kit ready too, here is what I am taking with me.
1. My plot notebook - I got burned in the past by making up world-building facts in my writing sprints and then promptly forgetting what I wrote. So I am taking notes on what I have already written to make sure my details are recorded.
2. My Word 365 app - Who knows, maybe I can sneak in a few more paragraphs while I am waiting in line. I have Word 365, which is a cross platform saver for my work, and everything I do on my phone will auto-save for me. It would be nice to be ahead of the game for that inevitable mid-month slump.
3. Wired Headphones - I don't want to talk to people while in line at the poles. Like...not even a little bit. I do have wireless headphones, but those aren't visible when I'm wearing my hair down, or have a hat on, so I'm bringing bright white wired headphones to make sure everyone can see that I can't hear them. I won't be listening to music, because I want to be safe and know what's going on around me, but the earbuds make a great excuse for outright ignoring people.
4. Hot Hands - Normally I bring a cup of coffee to sip on and warm my hands, but with three hour wait times...coffee is a BAD idea. I will be wearing a mask anyway, so having something to drink is pretty pointless. I have disposable handwarmers left over from Halloween, so I am shoving those into my pockets before I leave.
I know I started this blog out talking about NaNoWriMo, and it morphed into voting, but each topic is about having your voice heard. We cast our ballots in private, and we put words down on first drafts without others' input. But both tasks are powerful, and create future stories to tell to others.
Are you working on your NaNo draft? Have you got your voting plan in place? I'd love to hear about both or either! Let's get our voices out there.
~Roxy