Time Traveling through Family Photos

Jean Elizabeth Galbraith and her cousin Lucy Stockwell Galbraith, originally uploaded by confections.

As you probably know from my earlier posts, I am participating in National Novel Writing Month this November. Part of my inspiration is family stories from various parts of world.

A little corner of Vermont is where my Scottish ancestors chose to settle in 1774. Last year after I began researching my roots on Ancestry.com, I made the acquaintance of a long-lost cousin whose husband is descended from the little girl on the left in this photo, the daughter of one of my great-aunts. She shared a number of vintage family photos which we had never seen.

I love the innocence of this toy wagon ride from about 1914, the rare candid shot of the baby being bathed below, and the sheer joy on the face of our dear Jean as she is given a wheelbarrow ride by her older cousin.

Images like these make it easy for me to conjure up parts of my novel that honor the intrepid spirit of this line of early Vermont pioneers.

Rainy Day (and NaNoWriMo) Comforts

Rainy Day Comforts, originally uploaded by confections.

It was a gloomy, misty day in San Diego yesterday, and I enjoyed a spot of tea in my "Cup of Knowledge" tea cup. The milk is served in a modern reproduction Russel Wright creamer found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, and my handmade tea cozy keeps my Paris tea toasty warm in my favorite everyday tea pot.

Taking a tea break like this daily is helping me meet my writing goals in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'm running low on my favorite Apricot tea and will have to retrieve some from Tea-upon-Chatsworth when they open again on Wednesday. Cheers, fellow NaNoWriMo folks!

Pacific side of Point Loma, San Diego, California

Pacific side of Point Loma, San Diego, California, originally uploaded by confections.

I've been writing intensely over the last ten days as part of National Novel Writing Month. I've reached the 30,000 word mark; I'm three-fifths of the way there!

I'm also suffering from a bit of cabin fever, so today I'm going to take a little excursion to the tip of Point Loma and feast on this sight. Biophilia will do a lot to soothe my frazzled brain.

Handpainted Laceweight Wool Yarn in Peony Colorway

Handpainted Laceweight Wool Yarn in Peony Colorway, originally uploaded by confections.

This is a laceweight skein of yarn that I handpainted for a good friend last summer. She has moved to New Hampshire and I miss her dearly. I am comforted by the fact that she will knit something yummy out of this skein and its fuzzy companion to keep her warm during that cold New England winter.

To distract me a little from the novel writing, a shipment of undyed wool yarns arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I'll be in the dye studio off and on throughout the month as an antidote to the intensity of writing at least 2,000 words per day (and my blog entries do not count!).

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Calendar

nano-cal11.jpg, originally uploaded by Gun-gun.

I found this inspiring calendar page by fellow flickreeno Gun-gun while surfing flickr a bit ago. It will be essential to refer to it as I write my novel this month. The target word count in a cumulative sequence is given at the top of each date, with the goal of 50,000 words by November 30th in bright red. I can contemplate the beauty of these blooms as I meet my goals each day.

I'm trying to maintain a balanced schedule as I undertake this task, taking time to exercise and eat good meals, make sure I have my daily ritual of tea, spin some of my Ragamuffin yarn, keep in touch with friends and writing buddies, talk to my mother every day--she is a great source of storylines--and not overwhelm myself in the process. On with the novel writing!

Solitude and Time for Writing

Abandoned dinghy, originally uploaded by confections.

This is one of my favorite rejuvenating sights on what I call my "Magical Walk", not too far from my home. I usually drive the few miles to the northern end of the walk, stroll the mile or so to one of the best lookouts, hang out there for a few minutes pondering the imponderable, and then head back. Often I see snowy egrets and at least one great blue heron feeding.

I'll be taking the magical walk later on today as an antidote to writing frantically as I participate in National Novel Writing Month this November.

So far, I have discovered the genre where I'm most comfortable: literary fiction. Who knew? As of this moment I'm at 9,030 words of the 50,000 required, and it's a very rough draft. That's the point. Quantity not quality is part of the exercise. December will be for editing...er...celebrating. I'll be editing in the New Year!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

nano_participant_icon_large, originally uploaded by confections.

I have signed up to participate in this year's National Novel Writing Month marathon writing fest from November 1st - 30th. This is my first time attempting this, and so far I've kept up with my daily writing demands, but I'm only on the third day of thirty, but I've already got 4,000 out of 50,000 words. Wish me luck!