NaNoWriMo!... and Starting a 3-Day Cleanse

I am participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and I have to say I'm just a tad nervous and scared. It starts tomorrow and I don't even have a topic! For those of you sitting there saying, "What the heck... NaNo-what-o?" it stands for National Novel Writing Month. In a nutshell, writers who participate commit to attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That's 1,667 words a day. Yes, it's just a little insane. But, from what I hear, it's also a lot of fun. Mostly, it's about quantity rather than quality. Editing comes later. The point is to just get your first draft finished, even if it sucks!

There are tons of tips in blog posts and other things online to help writers prepare and get through this crazy month. Many of them heavily emphasize the preparation aspect... gulp, I'm in trouble.

I truly want to dive in and really attempt this for the first time, but I don't even have a novel topic. I don't even know what genre I want to write in, let alone cranking out 1,667 words every day from November 1st to November 30th. Maybe I'll suddenly get a strike of genius creativity tomorrow and go on a writing spree...

Anyone else participating? What are your novel topics? (And do you have any suggestions for this nervous first-timer?)

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In other news... today I have started a 3-day Shakeology cleanse. Basically it's to flush out any toxins in my system and get rid of unnecessary, undigested gunk hanging around. Unlike other cleanses where calories are almost nothing, with this cleanse, calories are restricted, but it's about nutrients rather than eating as little as possible. Here is more info about how it works. And here's what I will be consuming each day for all three days:

• 3 glasses of Shakeology (with just water and ice, blended)
• 2 cups of green tea
• 1 piece of fruit
• 1 salad for dinner or lunch with lettuce, some veggies, and 4 oz. lean protein (with only low-fat dressings - 2 TBSP)
• LOTS of water!
• No dairy or sugars

Many people I know, including coaches on my team and customers, have gotten great results with the cleanse, and now that I'm in my recovery week of P90X, I can start it. When I finish, my body will be prepared to better use nutrients more efficiently and improve its ability to lose weight through clean eating and exercise. This should not be done while actively working out, as you need enough calories to fuel your body and your workout at the same time. It is okay to do with light exercising.

My biggest concern is my appetite! The word is that the second day is the worst, but let's hope it won't be too bad. I'll keep you updated!
Starting weight: 146.4

Write on Wednesday: I Thought I Saw...

I thought I saw...

you the other day. Your dark curly hair that you always hated, straightened to perfection. Your magnificently sparkling green eyes, the ones that always made me jealous of your beauty.

You were wearing jeans with a slight flare, held up by your studded belt, with a bright pink long-sleeved tee... one of your favorite colors.

My heart nearly stopped mid-beat. It couldn't possibly be you, and yet, the resemblance was uncanny. Her appearance, her style, her posture, even her mannerisms all reminded me of you. She was with her friends, talking and laughing, just as you loved to do.

"Hey, are you okay?" His voice interrupted my daydreaming, noticing the watery redness in my unwavering stare. The question snapped me back to reality and I blinked, and you were gone.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 20 - Write the words " I thought I saw" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.

Hop on over to inkpaperpen to read others and post your own!

Also submitted for lovelinks #28!

Write on Wednesday: Sunshine in a Cup

Bring me sunshine in a cup.


Katie waited, sitting on the cotton, yellow blanket they had laid over the grass, both legs bent to her right side. The heat of the sun's rays emanated in full force on her blue, flowing skirt and plain, black blouse. She pulled her curly hair away from her face, holding it in her hands at the back of her head as she observed the nature surrounding her at the park.

I'm such a spaz! she thought to herself, patiently awaiting Robert's return. I've been an athlete all my life, and I pick now to trip and twist my ankle. Idiot. She pulled off her sandals and examined her foot, comparing one leg to the other. It's already swelling. Sigh.

Robert came into view then, his red shirt bobbing into focus as he jogged toward her from the parking lot. She watched as she took notice of his strong shoulders, how his T-shirt fit just perfectly snug on his arms and across his chest, how perfect his lean legs looked in dark blue jeans...

"This is the best I could find in my truck," he said as he began wrapping an orange handkerchief tightly around her swelling ankle, concern clearly displaying in his eyes. "Tell me if it's too tight."

"No, that feels just fine..." Katie sighed, wishing with all her might that she could just dig deep enough to find the courage to say...

"Okay, let's get you home to ice that ankle," Robert interrupted her thoughts. He helped her stand up, quickly rolled up the blanket and draped it over his left arm, and swiftly swooped Katie up, holding her against his chest. She rested her head on his muscular shoulder, shielding her eyes from the sun as he walked toward the truck.

The full prompt: Sunshine in a cup. Write the words of Emily Dickinson: "Bring me sunshine in a cup" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings!

 

Okay, I confess. I used just a little more time than five minutes. I just had to finish my thoughts ;-) Although I didn't get to where I wanted the ending to land just yet. Maybe I'll continue this story in other posts. Jump on over to inkpaperpen to read the rest of the posts and add your own!

Write on Wednesdays: Status Anxiety

Ha!


How ridiculous. She sipped her morning coffee as she recalled the events of the preceding night. You can't pull one over on me, you weasel, she thought. Good luck with your new life.

Pulling her pink cotton robe closer over her chest, she leaned forward to read the comics in the newspaper. Maybe fictional cartoons will make her feel better.

But she couldn't focus on the words and pictures in front of her. All that loomed in her mind was the darkness. The lack of light, the color of her shoes on the floor, his hair, and the sinking feeling in her heart as she pushed the door open, bottle of wine in hand for the two of them to share.

Today's prompt was to go back through the previous weeks of WoW  at inkpaperpen and choose one to try that we haven't done before, or one we wanted to try again. It was also my first week with the five minute time limit, as the ones I have done before had abandoned that rule, and I found it a little difficult for my first attempt. I chose one that occurred before I found WoW, from week 6: Log onto your Facebook/Twitter page and write down the first status update you see.  Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after your prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings.




Also submitted for lovelinks #27

Apologies... and an Eternal Love

Oh, I've been such a bad little blogger lately. I apologize for the lack of posts and fresh reading material here. It's partly due to a void of inspiration, and partly due to trying to think of a new name for this blog. The reason for that is because while it's named Signing Life, and while my life often revolves around sign language and my Deaf friends, I do not actually post about ASL very often. This blog is actually quite random and not particularly focused on one thing or another, just my ramblings and scribblings of whatever I feel like writing about when I come here. So, I am currently attempting to do one of the things that I have absolutely no talent or creativity for, and that is creating a catchy/witty/fun/unique name. Suggestions are welcome.

Moving on.


I went to a wedding on Sunday. Danny's friends Sal and Anjelica finalized their commitment to one another with a beautiful display of raw emotions shining through their personal vows. Before the reception filled with toasts to the happy couple, good food and drinks, words of congratulations and tons of dancing, there was the ceremony.

Set up outside on this cool evening in early October, the air was chilly with a light breeze, tickling our faces and the bare legs and arms of the ladies. At the head of the seated audience was an elegantly decorated and lit white gazebo, where three unlit candles awaited. After the entire wedding party had walked out, the beautiful bride and groom anxiously waited to officially become husband and wife.

Sal and Anjelica were married on the date of their original anniversary. They had waited ten years for this day to come. Literally, an entire decade since they began dating. When they exchanged their personally written vows, it was clear that these two people were meant to spend their lives together. While many tears of emotion flowed through their words, what really shone through these promises to each other was genuine love, adoration, and affection for the other. Truly meaningful, real, and completely pure blissfulness glowed as an aura, surrounding them together as one with every utterance of their vows.

At the completion of their vows, they went inside the gazebo, each standing at one end of the three candles lined together. Sal and Anjelica both lit their personal candles, representing themselves individually as people with separate lives. Together, using one hand to protect their light from the wind, they used the candles of their personal, single lives to light the middle candle, representing their new life together as one, perfect unit of love and devotion to one another through the beauty of marriage.

And with their marriage sealed with the first kiss as husband and wife, they walked back together, hand in hand as one, their candle flickering ever so gently through the cool breeze, but never extinguishing out.