Midnight at the Oasis

I spoke with someone last night who is thinking of joining the novel challenge, and he had some trepidation. Me too. I'm not crazy about commitment of any sort so when I do commit to something, it means I'm serious. I wanted to write "fairly serious," but strong-armed myself to remove the modifier.

How, then can I make this long process into something I can wrap my head around? The first thing I did was break it into tiny manageable steps. Still, you can't help but see the mountain looming up in front of you. If I wanted to get to the top of the mountain of 80,000 feet and I was worried about it, I'd be much happier if I knew that there was a spa every 10,000 feet where I could rest, get a massage. So, I guess, we must each figure out what our idea of an oasis is.

This is what I can offer: when I reach 10,000 words, I will name a place and time and those in the area who want to join me there can let me know. We can talk about the joys and travails of climbing this mountain together.

We could see this as our version of WILD -- a walk along the Pacific Crest Trail. Just think of how much more comfortable we will be than Cheryl Strayed was. Every time she reached one of those spots where there were other people and food, I breathed a great sigh of relief. And remember how confident she felt when she finally made it? Think of how you’ll feel when you cross that bridge into the land of Completion. I get excited just thinking about it. Strayed’s journey was so all-encompassing. No bathing, rudimentary eating. Something in me craves that kind of tunnel vision. Step. Step. Step.

This is what I'm packing for my first draft trip:

            1. an idea (notice I didn't say good idea)

            2. a dedicated notebook.

            3. an iPad mini

If you have any suggestions about what we should take with us, let me know. 

I want to travel light.