NaNoWriMo, the thirty day novel writing project, is quickly approaching. Since I have at least six writing projects in process, I have found it hard to focus on one particular project since returning to Canada in March 2020. I blame it on COVID 19. Now, in just over two weeks, I will be adding yet another novel to the mix. How do I manage to keep my sanity with all of this going on at the same time? Well, for me, it is walking.
A number of my blog posts have been about free-hiking, hiking while free from the confines of clothing. It has been a good year for this kind of activity. However, most of my walking has been done in the company of my wife while I wear clothing. It isn’t because of her presence, but because of where we usually walk. At times she walks with me when I free-hike without issue. And of course, weather is also a factor of whether or not I wear clothing when I hike. With summer gone and winter not yet here, walking outdoors has remained a very enjoyable activity. For example, over the past week alone, our shortest walk has been an 8 km effort. All the rest have been a mixture of 10 and 12 km efforts, or longer.
I write in the morning after coffee. Then, after breakfast we go for a walk. Lately we have been walking at a brisker pace, usually around 5.3 km/hr such as today’s 10 km walk. Upon our return, I return to writing as I want to recapture some of the ideas that had presented themselves while I walked. Weather permitting, I then spend some time outside doing yard work, such as pruning young trees, or simply enjoying autumn sunshine in spite of cool temperatures. With this diversion, I find myself finally able to get back to focused writing.
My current writing focus has shifted to a story about two youths who have their lives turned upside down because of a pandemic. The story isn’t really about the pandemic, but more about how a small group of people respond to the pandemic. When I first began the novel, I thought it was going to be more “normal” and more “reflective of the COVID 19 pandemic. But as usual, my intentions were turned aside as the writing muse had dictated another approach. Unlike any of my previous works, this story could be categorised as Young Adult as the protagonist and his co-protagonist are both 18 years old. It won’t be a naturist novel, though naturism could be assumed to be in the background from time to time. The setting is in northern Canada for the most part though there is an assumption that there are other places yet to be in time. I guess that suggests that this could end up being a series rather than a single story.
The story has a working title, Pandemic Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a uniquely constructed cabin in the northern wilderness. I have already placed the first two chapters of the story at Wattpad in hopes that I get feedback from readers. I have done this in the past with good results. You can find the story, Pandemic Sanctuary, here. Please take the time to read, to like, and to comment. Don’t be afraid to make critical comments when you spot something that needs attention. The final objective is to have an error-free and interesting read.