It writes the words, or it gets the hose. | #NaNoWriMo

Once again, Nano season has come around, and there's no getting away from the fact that I'm off to a shockingly poor start. Like, truly abysmal, and I think I know why…

So, after the last couple of years of going to war with Nano, I've ended up with an odd little superstition of not putting fingers to keyboard until the 3rd of November - I have no idea where or when this started. But in years past as long as I wait until the 3rd before writing, I seem to get a respectable amount of words down. I've come to the conclusion that the stress of waiting those extra two days gives me….The Fear. 

And this year my little habit has royally kicked me in the a*se. I was secretly smug, gleefully wicked as everyone else hit the ground running on the 1st of November, knowing I still had two more days grace -- and you know what happens when you feel like that; the universe strikes you down.

There I was on the 3rd of November, sauntering around, wrangling children for the school run, already congratulating myself on how writerly I was going to feel once they were all safely delivered, and I could come home and be all Hemingwayesque.

Oh how the Universe must have been chuckling as I went to get my handbag.

I bet the Universe damn near fell off her chair as I looked with despair at my handbag; locked in the boot of my car with my purse and my keys.

As it turned out my husband had the other set. He was only thirty or so miles away…

I desperately called in the Calvary; my father-in-law -- and borrowed his little Yaris, cramming my hoard inside. Everyone was late for school, the roads were hell, and I drove out to the Husband to get the spare set --- it was only a ninety-seven mile round trip.

I got back to find the wind had blown the bins to hell and back.

Suffice to say I didn't write that day. And I haven't written a day since -- even breaking my own regular writing pattern. It's time to get tough; it writes the words, or it gets the hose.

(And if you haven't heard of Nano, it's where us crazy writer types all think it would be a good idea to write 50,000 words in the month of November. If you fancy it, you can find the site HERE )