My first “mission” in the military I was shuttled into the Washington State wilderness on a decrepit Huey that looked as though it was older than I was. I had been in the battalion for less than a day. I was hustled out with my squad to the airfield and with barely a check to see that I had everything I would need, we were off for a week in the field. During that mission I lost two sets of gloves, an undershirt and two pair of under-roos that I didn’t really need, three magazines, a blank adapter for the muzzle of my weapon, a cap and mysteriously, a bootlace.
As is common in the military, each lost article of gear resulted in marathon punishment routines that consisted mostly of pushups. I learned quickly to pack directly from the packing list, no more no less, to have my gear tied down, stowed or packed to take the rigors of our missions, and to go to the field prepared.
Other than that first mission, I don’t think I’ve ever been less prepared for anything as I am for this National Novel Writing month.
Last year I remember I had a firm idea of what I was doing, the type of book it was going to be, the character description and an outline of the first few chapters. This year . . . zilch. I have a loose outline and some ideas. That’s it. Heck when I started writing this morning I changed the POV!
Still, I just read an article about inspiration and how creative ideas will come to the fore when you least expect it. I’m hoping that my creativity comes up now and stays for the whole month
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