Sorry, but I think this is a bit too vague for me to answer. Firstly, social interaction varies a lot between different ‘Western’ countries - for example, there are a lot of differences between how British and American people interact. Secondly, it would be helpful to have some examples, maybe of things that you’ve already noticed are different from your own culture, or situations that you’re not sure about how to act in!

Today on the 14th of November at 09:00 AM GMT+1, I had to say goodbye to a dear friend. The YouTube channel of Unus Annus was deleted, and it hit me hard.

But what they said in their last 12 hours resonated with me; ‘You can do what we did and it would be completely different.’ I want to run with that idea, so here is what I’ll be doing:

For the next 380 days, I’ll be posting exactly at midnight. The contents of that post might vary a little, but they’ll all have 1 thing in common. They’ll bring me closer to publishing my book. So when the clock strikes 000, and all has gone to plan, I’ll hold a physical copy of my story in my hands. My first book will be published.

The days might be posts like this one, explaining what I did that day to further my goal. They might be showing off the person who makes my cover, or my world map. It might just simply be the request for Beta Readers. They might explain a part of the publication process that I was not yet aware of.

I’ve been doing very little research these last couple days, and it has been bothering me. Today, I stopped and took a step back to ask myself the question: why? The answer didn’t come to me until I relistened to We Were Here: The Musical by Neonjack on YouTube. A video compiled of clips of Unus Annus where they sang, but it’s also a compilation of snippets of their videos and the vast array of things they did over the coarse of a year. I began to wonder: How did they do all of that? How did they set up Camp Unus Annus? How did they go about doing the Drum Date and making the Hit Song? I realized: They asked. They probably send out emails saying: we want to do this thing, can you help us realize it? And they received an answer: Yes.

So, why don’t I? What is holding me back? Why is my mind going into fear the moment I think about taking the next step? I want my book to be a reality. For me to show myself that I can do it. For others to enjoy my story the same way I enjoyed making it. I want it to be the best that I can be. Perhaps it’s also the amount of choice that terrifies me. There are so many editor out there. So many amazing book cover designers. But why not shoot them an email? Asking for a rough mock-up of the cover, or what type of edit is covered in their price or how their process works.

There is a proverb in Dutch: ‘Nee’ heb je. ‘Ja’ kan je krijgen. Direct translation: ‘No’ you’ve got. ‘Yes’ you can get. Meaning, that if you don’t ask for things the answer will always be ‘no’, but if you ask the answer may transform into a ‘yes’. I think I should follow that proverb more. Contact the people I want to have me help realize my goal of publishing my 1st book. Be aware not to get scammed, but also have an open mind and not to think everyone is a scammer.

Today I had a full day of work and tomorrow won't be any different. While I like my work in customer service it's also very draining. So I've decided to make it an early night and schedule this post.

I hope that in the upcoming week I can settle upon a cover artist who fits the style I imagine for my own cover.

On Tuesday I made the outline of the 3rd book in the series and it’s projected to have 36 chapters in it, but I know myself longer than today. So, It might end up being a couple chapter longer or shorter than those 36. For me that’s the life of a plantser. I want to generally know what my intent is with each chapter, but if my characters want to make a short detour, than that is alright.

NaNoWriMo 2020 Goals:

1. Write 50.000 words. (27.366/50.000) 2. Finish 1st draft of book 1. (2/2 Chapters) 3. Finish 1st draft of book 2. (8/8 Chapters) 4. Begin 1st draft of book 3. Get as far as you can. (3/36)

In light of Unus Annus and it’s death, I set my own Countdown, for which the explanation you can check here. I hope that everyone who sees this post will follow me on my journey. In next weeks post I’ll update my NaNoWriMo goals a little, to better reflect on what I want to get out of the rest of the month.

For now, below is my word count graph.

“Wanna pull an all nighter and get into something we’ll never forget

Wanna stay up and party the weekend away and not know when to quit

Wanna drive in the night till the end of the earth and go over the edge

Wanna wake up with you and do it all over again

Lips so good I forget my name

I swear I could give you everything”

- Never Enough by One Direction