Turn Of the Day

[This story is about something that happened several years ago. It’s true. It’s proof that even I make mistakes. Just don’t tell my kids! ]

It started as one of those absolutely marvelous days, only to turn quite bad!

After a delicious morning of incredibly well-behaved and productive students, at lunch time the Principal complimented me on the day’s writing lesson which she and the Superintendent had observed. Everyone in the faculty room heard her compliments and they gave me a thumbs up! I was feeling very successful, even blissful. After lunch my students brought me sweet notes and pictures they had made for me, along with the healthy parts of their lunches they hadn’t eaten. At dismissal, I let them all go and had a short parent conference then packed my bag with the papers I would have to correct that night. Watching the clock, I headed for my car.

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Seventeen

When my counselor called me in to tell me about tryouts for the Junior Miss Pageant. I considered it for just a few minutes, before putting it out of my mind. But, my sister knew. She was in the first year Journalism class which met at the same time and in the same room as the fourth year Journalism and Newspaper staff that I was in and she knew I had been called to the office for the pageant information. That night my mother asked me about the pageant because my sister had told her. I told her if I wanted to do it, there was an application to fill out and then I would have to show up at a meeting for information and an interview the following Saturday. She surprised me when she said I could go. I had not even thought of filling out the application. So when she said I could, I filled out the application and my mom signed it.

After making it through three rounds of pre-selection, I was officially one of twenty contestants for the pageant and I started to dream. The following month was filled with rehearsals, public appearances, including the Thanksgiving parade through the streets of downtown San Jose. I was also working part time at Sears, after school and some weekends. Luckily, I had committed to the pageant before committing to Sears so when they hired me, I told them up front that I was in the pageant and would need to work around pageant rehearsals. They agreed. My month was very hectic. It was a happy hectic.

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NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writitn Month takes place in November of each year. The idea is that you sign up (for free) on the website (nanowrimo.org) and you challenge yourself to write a novel in thirty days, beginning on November 1 and ending on November 30. The novel length is a 50,000 word count which is actually more of a novella than a novel. It is a challenge and it is fun.

Last year I participated in it for the first time. It was a challenge I made to myself and although I had nothing to gain or lose by completing the challenge or not completing it, it meant a lot to me. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it; that I could focus on the project and complete it.

I reached 51,565 words in the early afternoon of day 21! Although I wasn’t finished with the complete novel, I had reached my goal and I was able to settle down, relax, and have a pleasant Thanksgiving with my kids, three days later. After Thanksgiving, I tackled it again and ended up with about 59,000 and a completed story by midnight of November 30.

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