AmyR, in Seventeen Days

Fellow Pasadena-area blogger AmyR is beyond busy this month. Besides hosting a dinner party last weekend and her mother this weekend and besides it being a busy time at work (which I learned from one of her posts) and besides operating two blogs, Amy is writing a novel.

Yes, she's writing a novel this month. November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, and Amy's participating. Her goal is to write 1667 words per day. Think that's a snap? Give it a shot.

I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo, but I know all about it. I'm participating in National Novel Writing Decade, which is totally different.

The aim of NaNoWriMo is not to complete a publishable novel in thirty days (bully for you if you can), but to get your first draft going. Just blurt it out onto the page or the screen, no stopping to edit. It doesn't have to be good--hell, it can't be, can it? The point is, maybe you've been saying for a long time that you have a novel in you and NaNoWriMo is your chance to get it out.

I'm cheering Amy on. I'm saying, you can do it! Spit out that book, my friend!

Amy took her mom to the Huntington yesterday. It was a cool day. The ginkgo trees in the zen garden are golden this time of year. I took the above photo in the zen garden last year at this time, when I came upon a group of young women kicking it up after a bridal shower in the tearoom. I don't know if this was bride or bridesmaid. I just know she was letting loose.

Something for Amy to do, perhaps on December 1st?