Marie at 1 Write Way

November, Here I Come!

Folks, I am so tired of feeling depressed and listless. I know I’ll continue to feel sad, at some times more than others, but I want to pick up my life again. So, of course, I’m going to start off with a bit of overdoing. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t overdo things.

Over on Substack, Summer Brennan will be hosting “Essay Camp,” five days of prompts and readings and general encouragement to write every day for five days. You can get more info from her post here: https://www.awritersnotebook.org/p/essay-camp-a-november-write-along. It’s free to join. I’ve tried participating in other essay camps that Summer has hosted, but Life would always get in the way. My fingers are crossed that this time no life-changing, trauma-inducing events will occur; that is, not within my personal life. I’ve given up on the world outside my fence.

Of course, November 1 is also the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo to those who have participated before). I won’t be writing a novel. I’ll be writing essays or maybe memoir-like bits. I plan to use NaNoWriMo to track my writing in Essay Camp and beyond. It’s not relevant or important that I write 50,000 words. I’ll be happy with whatever I have to show for myself by the end of the month.

Meanwhile …

I am so loving this plant that sits outside my window.

It’s called Cat Whiskers so you know why I had to buy it from a local nursery. (For you gardeners out there, the scientific name is Orthosiphon aristatus). At the time I bought it, I wasn’t aware that its flowers would attract hummingbirds and butterflies. In truth, I’ve only seen a hummingbird occasionally check out the flowers, but I LOVE the flowers. And, turns out that Cat Whiskers blooms in April and October. I was really surprised (and thrilled) to see so many blooms this month.

Another favorite is this Indian Blanket (Gailardia pulchella).

The first time I saw an Indian Blanket plant was at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. A small cluster was nestled alongside the trail I was riding on. When I saw this joyful plant at another local nursery, I grabbed it.

Both of these plants would probably be happier in the ground, but they lift my heart when I look out my window on my writing days. I need them where I can see them.

Meanwhile …

The Zebra butterflies are still making whoopee on our Passion Flower vine. I had the pleasure of watching one very delicately lay a few eggs on a stem while another butterfly flitted about, no doubt giving her encouragement. My hands were full of gardening tools so I couldn’t take any photos then. Later, I managed to get this macro shot of several eggs.

Looks like we might have an explosion of Zebra butterflies before too long.

Finally … remember what I said about Life not getting in the way of my writing plans? Well, Wendy went off her food for about a day this weekend. (Why do they always do things like that on weekends?) We had no clue as to what was troubling her. She had seemed fine right up until she refused to eat.

Of course, I panicked, but Greg (my husband) stayed calm. (Like, what else could he do while I was having a meltdown?) We gave her time. Didn’t force anything on her. Monday she started eating again, just a little bit here and a little bit there. This morning (Tuesday) she had the zoomies with Raji and she ate most of her breakfast so I’m thinking she’s okay now.

Old photo … taken in late 2019, but she hasn’t changed a bit.

Thank you for reading! If you want to join me at NaNoWriMo, my username is MarieAnnBailey (natch).

Marie A Bailey

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25 responses to “November, Here I Come!”

  3. NaNo sounds like just the thing to get you re-focused on your writing. Good luck and remember to have fun, too!
    Back when I did NaNo, those who didn’t do the traditional noveling were called Rebels…now go forth and be a Rebel with those essays of yours!
    :-)

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  4. What amazing flowers. I must check them out. I know how hard it is to stay focused on writing when there’s so much going on in the rest of your life. I found editing unfinished stories a way of getting back into writing.

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    • Thank you for visiting, Paula! So far I am finding that writing first thing in the morning is the best way for me to get some writing done. It’s just that it’s not necessarily good writing ;-) Well, I’m giving myself this month to just write whatever. The editing can happen later. I hope you are doing well!

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      • I’m fine, thank you. I’m busy on two fronts. I’m painting. I have two commissions to complete. Then I shall be focusing on a new novel. Morning is the best time for writing for me. Winter time too. In the summer months the garden keeps calling to me.

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  5. I hope you enjoy your November writing time, Marie. You are such a good writer, so I hope you are able to accomplish what you want to accomplish. I think having goals/deadlines helps.

    The flowers are beautiful, and I’m glad Wendy seems OK. 💙

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    • Thanks so much, Merril. It’s only day 3, but I’m feeling pretty good about the writing. So much of it is not for public consumption, but Summer recently reminded us that sometimes we have to write and write before we know what we want to write about. That’s me in a nutshell ;-) Wendy is much, much better, thank you!

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  6. I love all of your flowers. I’m glad Wendy seems to be getting back to her regular routines. You sound just like me I always panic when the babies are acting different and my husband is always the calm, let’s give it a bit of time, sane one.

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  7. Your flower photos are lovely and I’m grooving on the idea of Zebra butterflies. So many bloggers are doing NaBloPoMo this year and now you’re off in a different direction. I wish you the best with your November writing projects.

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    • Thank you, Ally. NaNo is helpful in keeping me on track but I don’t share my writing; at least, not this time around (one year I did share chapters from a novel on my blog). That’s a nice thing about this Essay Camp, too: we’re not sharing our writing. We do share how we’re doing (if we want to), but there’s no pressure to produce anything for anyone to read. That’s what I need right now … no pressure ;-) One of these days I’ll post some photos about the only Zinnia I have. It’s pink and in a pot and still producing flowers … the advantage of living in the south, I guess ;-)

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  8. Love that you are pushing yourself to write more. And deciding what your NaNo will be. I like that.
    And I love those flowers and their names. So cool.
    I wouldn’t even know to look for butterfly eggs!
    Glad Wendy just had a temporary bug (I’m sure…)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Dale! It’s been a bit intense mainly because I’ve had other things to do … so I’m a bit frantic in my writing ;-) What I like most about NaNoWriMo is that it can be whatever you need it to be. Wendy is definitey back to her old self. I just need to not panic ;-)

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  9. Good luck with the writing, Marie! I’m finding that short essays are a great way to keep at it and stay sharp, so I’m betting the essay camp will be helpful for you.

    Love your garden! And glad to hear Wendy’s on the mend. 😺

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    • Thanks, Kevin! It’s nice just to be writing every day although a lot of what i’m writing will never be available for public consumption … at least, not while I’m alive ;-)

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