#notevember

Looking for a new challenge, in light of the dumpster fire that was once the NaNo organization? Not a huge fan of the 50k goal because of time, motivation, lack of a solid enough concept, or generally don't vibe with it? Do you desire or hoard new stationery the way a dragon desires and hoards sparkly rocks? Notevember just might be up your alley!

What is Notevember?

Some bullshit I made up like a month ago & I absolutely doubt I'm the only one with such a concept, either 😂 A variant of the NaNoWriMo challenge; for those who find specific word goals daunting, who prefer to work longhand, and/or who get more satisfaction seeing... tangible results, as it were? Like, you can absolutely do this digitally if you really want, but this is very much aimed towards folks who find writing longhand just hits a little differently.

Rather than aim for a given number of words, you're aiming to fill up a notebook!

Supplies?

You will need:

- An empty notebook. My personal preference is a 70-100 page spiral or classic composition notebook, but use one that's however large or small you want! This is also an excuse to finally crack open any empty notebooks you might have lying around, yeah?

- Writing implements of choice

And... that's it! Throw in stickers or whatever else you might want, but all you'll really need is a bundle of paper & something to mark it up with.

How to play?

Start filling the pages.

It can be a single story! It could be character or general writing exercises. It could be research notes, timelines, observations of people around you, overheard conversations, a collection of passages, quotes, poetry, or lyrics that speak to you. It could be a little of everything!

The only goal is that, by the end of November, you've filled up each page - and it's your call, if that only means the front of a page, or front and back.

Notevember is meant to be flexible & relatively forgiving, especially if you tend to have a lot going on. The notebook could be one small enough to keep with you throughout the day so you can jot down lines on a lunch break, in a waiting room, on the bus - or it could be something you do at home, after waking up or just before bed or whenever you've got the time.

Other Thoughts?

I have found that I get more satisfaction and more motivation to continue when I can like... see a result. Number Going Up just doesn't quite work for me like it does for other folks, but seeing empty pages fill up, seeing the distortion and wear of the notebook as it gets used? That gets me to feel, 'Ah! Something Is Happening!' There's also (a little) less tendency to try and edit as I go; working longhand with a pen does better for me to get that zero draft/concept on the page, rather than agonizing over creating a polished product from the start.

I've also found I get more into that... 'no one will ever have to see this, it can be as messy & misspelled & senseless as it needs to be' mindset easier, than writing on a tablet or laptop? -shrug- idk It Just Hits Different and that's all there is to it.

Share snippets, characters, whatever you're doing, if you want! But this is a little more aimed at those who just need to get things down, who want to have An End Product, but maybe don't have fully coherent plots or polished pieces, and don't usually have much to share - it's just between you and your notebook. You don't have to share or invite anyone else in, if you don't want to.

So yeah that was a few months ago. Funny enough, buying shiny new tools to be creative with doesn't, in and of itself, make creativity happen.

So I started thinking I might do like a music NaNoWriMo, but not like one big work, maybe a bunch of smaller pieces. So actually more like Inktober, but music, and in November.

Like... NOTEvember.

(I did come up with that pun, but a quick google has shown me I wasn't the first, but that's okay I don't need to be original.)

"When I'm on missions, I'm no one. There's nothing in my head, just parameters and tactics and the metronome. And I was okay with that, but-" Alexandra swallowed. "But what am I outside of missions, either? I'm just empty, all the time. Just a doll that gets up and obeys orders and goes back to the shelf." 

A person would cry now, wouldn't she?

Mal shook her head. "That's not true and you know it."

"What am I, then?" Her gaze, which had become more and more unfocused, snapped to meet Mal's, challenging. 

Mal faltered, trying and failing to think of words that seemed like they would help. 

"You're family," she managed eventually, reaching over to pull Alexandra into a hug. "You're my sister, okay?"

“Kakashi, don’t you think it’s about time you made an honest man of Iruka?” Sakura’s voice carried into the kitchen over the sound of sizzling.

Iruka’s eyebrows rose at that, but he didn’t say anything and continued to stir the rice and veggies in the wok. He picked up a pepper and popped it in his mouth, fanning himself when it burnt his tongue. Almost ready.

“Yeah, when are you guys gonna get married?” Naruto added, making it clear that he still had not mastered the skill of having an indoor voice. “Sakura and I are already married, and you guys are old!”

“We’re not that old,” Kakashi answered smoothly.

“You are so!”

Iruka turned and stepped into the dining room where his guests were seated and sipping tea, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms. “He’s right, Kakashi. Your hair has been looking a little silver recently.”

Kakashi turned to look at him, eyes wide. “Silver?”

Iruka nodded. “Silver.”

Kakashi looked away, troubled.

“See? That’s what I mean! You guys have to tie the knot before it’s too late!” Naruto slammed his hand on the table decisively, earning a sharp word from Sakura.

Iruka looked at Kakashi, and Kakashi looked back in a knowing way that Iruka suspected he was mirroring. They had discussed marriage, of course. They had talked about it at length, the flowers, the venue, the vows, the food, the family and friends, the whole affair. They had discussed it. Of course they had.

Iruka turned his attention to Naruto and smiled at him softly. “Naruto, it’s okay. Kakashi and I are already married.”

Naruto and Sakura’s faces went slack with shock. Then Naruto’s expression went from bewilderment to confusion to hurt. “You guys got married… and you didn’t invite me to the wedding?”

Iruka felt a small bit of panic rise in his chest at that, and he hurried to correct his poor choice of words. “No, no, Naruto, it’s okay! We didn’t get married, we wouldn’t have a wedding without inviting you!”

“Oh.” Naruto relaxed, relieved. “Okay.”

Sakura looked between the two older men. “Then what do you mean?”

“He means,” Kakashi answered, “that we basically are married. We live together, eat together…”

“Pay the bills together, go grocery shopping together…” Iruka put in.

“We have each other’s names on our emergency contact forms.”

“Yep. We’re basically everything a married couple is.”

Kakashi swirled the tea in his cup around thoughtfully. “By this point, a wedding just seems a little pointless…”

Iruka shrugged a little apologetically. “It would be nothing but a ceremony.”

Naruto and Sakura looked at them for a bit before Naruto leaned toward Sakura and said, “Now I feel kind of dumb for getting married.”

That earned him a slap.

NOTEVEMBER 2017 PROMPTS ARE HERE!!!!! The reason I’m putting them up now is so they have time to get around and if you want to get a head start you can. You dont even have to do all the prompts of course. I will be posting my own writing right here on this blog as well. You will be able to find them by searching my blog for the hashtag. 

I don't write CanDip enough, and even though it's not quite an OTP, I really love it. So here's some RF CanDip. This isn't how this scene happened in my RF, btw.

"Dipper? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's up?" Dipper asked, leaning over towards Candy. The woman blew a bubble with her gum, frowning slightly at the blueprints in front of her.

"These ideas are unbelievably complex," she began.

"Ok. And?" Dipper questioned.

"I was just wondering... did anyone help you with these?" Candy asked. "I am not saying you are not smart, but they seem just a bit... out there, for you to have come up with."

Dipper was silent for a moment, thinking over his answer.

"Well, with a little hard work, anything is possible, isn't it?" He answered.

"Anything but this," Candy sighed. "You really did not have any help?"

"Candy," Dipper scooted his chair over to his girlfriend. He cupped her face, looking at her. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do-"

"Then trust me, no one else was here to help me," Dipper smiled. "You're the only other person who's been here since this place was built."

"Yes, I know," Candy answered slowly. She still seemed unsure.

"Candy, honest, these are all my ideas," Dipper lied. He kissed the woman's forehead. "You can trust me."

"Hm... ok," Candy smiled slightly. Dipper smiled back and gave her another kiss on the lips before breaking apart and grabbing a stack of equations.

"Now, do you mind checking these again? Please?" Dipper asked.