the first day of december


Meyer lemons, originally uploaded by shaunaforce.

 

Here it is. The first day of December.

Yesterday was the last day of November, which makes it the last day of NaBloPoMo (or National Blog Posting Month, for those who remain uninitiated). That means that I posted something every day for a month. Actually, it wasn’t nearly as hard as that might seem, as I had been posting daily since the middle of October. However, you would think that with my manuscript due soon, I would have been posting pithier and pithier pieces as the days of November dwindled. Strangely, the posts grew longer, with more recipes, as the month diminished. Why? Writing here has been a balm for me. When my head starts to throb at the thought of all the work still before me, I just type in little stories on this site. I have loved the daily contact, and all your comments. Six to eight hours of writing a day can grow a little lonely when it is just me, sitting in this room, on the blue exercise ball, in front of the computer. The Chef’s frequent phone calls and all the emails from you lovely readers has kept me grounded in this sea of words.

Tomorrow, however, is December 2nd. That makes it one month to the day before my manuscript is due to the publishers. Oh. My. God. If I told you just how much work remains to be done between now and then, you could faint. (And I don’t want to be responsible for that weirdly shaped bruise on your chin when your face hits the desk in front of you.) People, I am really up against it now. Wow.

(in a little whisper, i will say this: i work well against a deadline. i actually sort of like the big push that is required now. i know i can do it. i will.)

So, as much as I love writing these romantic, silly, sensory impressions and plenty of food posts every day, I have to slow down this month. I’ll be here, writing. Send out a little hello, if you want. I may not write back until January, but I would sure love to hear from you.

I promise — there will still be words and photos here every day. But it might be a lot of photographs, and they may not all be of food. Maybe snippets of conversation, without any context. An occasional cookie recipe or two. Whereas this blog is normally Faulknerian-length prose, December will be the month of haikus.

Thank you all for reading. Wish me luck.

I will need it.

16 comments on “the first day of december”

  2. Anonymous

    Good luck! We’re all pulling for you (partially for avaricious reasons on my part because I really want a copy of that cookbook!).

  5. Anonymous

    Can’t wait to see your finished product, which I know you will. You have inspired me to write a cookbook of my own, it’s for the family members who will care for my little celiac(well, he’s nearly 13, but he is still my baby) if something should ever happen to my husband and I, or if we get deployed. I never would have attempted this if it were not for discovering your site and reading it, your attitude is infectious, in a good way;). I’m not going to say good luck because you don’t need it, you have determination and a desire to help others and that will push you through the end of this project and on into many others, I’m sure!

  6. patty

    Shauna,
    Have read for a long time, but never left you a note. Just want to say thanks for pulling some hope out of the abyss for me. How do we deal when your body becomes your enemy? We find solace in those who have traveled the road and found their way to the other side.

  7. Anonymous

    Do you really sit on an exercise ball when you type? How cool is that? GO SHAUNA, you can get it done…GO SHAUNA, you can get it done. GIT ER DUN! HUGS

  9. Anonymous

    Shauna, I’m sure you will meet your deadline with ease. You really seem to have a gift for writing and expressing yourself, and as consistent as you are with your blog postings, finishing your manuscript will be a certainty as you focus your efforts this month.

    In publishing my new GF book, I must admit I had one luxury that you do not — no “deadlines” (since I decided to self-publish). That has its ups and downs though, since the only person you answer to is yourself. Luckily, I too work well when I must, and after a year passed at a bit too easy of a pace (when the book was a “side effort” of sorts), I finally set my own final target-date this summer, and pushed like crazy to reach it. Many long days ensued, and with the extraordinary and priceless efforts my wife contributed, we beat our target date by nearly a month. Ever since, I have been in a rather anxious state while waiting for all the books to arrive (Monday, December 4th — I am ecstatic!)

    I can’t wait to hear how your entire book writing and publishing experience unfolds over the coming months. I will certainly be comparing approaches along the way. And, if you ever do decide you want to consider the self-publishing route for a future book, don’t hesitate to ask for advice or feedback — I’d gladly share my experience.

    Here’s wishing you maximum productivity over the coming month, Shauna!

  10. Jennifer

    Since I became a stay at home mom I have discovered a love for cooking and while looking for recipes I stumbled onto your website. I can now say I am a fan! Good luck with finishing your manuscript, I will be in line to purchase a copy when it hits the stores!

  11. Anne

    I don’t need to say “You can do it”, ‘cos I know you totally know you can.

    So I’ll just say thank you for the cranberry chutney recipe — our impression of the American palate is that it likes things very sweet (I usually automatically halve the sugar in any American recipe) — this was a revelation — and so easy to make :-)

  13. Genevieve

    I wondered how you managed to do all these posts AND write a book. I can’t wait to get your book — you are so talented and your recipes so inspire! Good luck with the big push — remember to take good care of yourself so that you stay healthy through it all! And Congrats on the upcoming wedding — your cards are AWESOME!!

  14. Genevieve

    I wondered how you managed to do all these posts AND write a book. I can’t wait to get your book — you are so talented and your recipes so inspire! Good luck with the big push — remember to take good care of yourself so that you stay healthy through it all! And Congrats on the upcoming wedding — your cards are AWESOME!!

  15. Colleen

    I found your site on BlogHer — I have a blog about training for the 3-Day walk for breast cancer as well as other health/fitness topics — would you be interested in a link or entry exchange?

  16. Anonymous

    YAY for you! It is nice to see good things happening for good people :-) I haven’t read all of your posts… but did see you have an inactive link for Kaili’s Kitchen. She closed the restaraunt over a year ago & now has a coffee shop/bakery in Greenwood.
    Da Vinci Bakery and Cafe, 10003 Greenwood Ave N.; 206–782-5735.

    All the best to you in 2007!

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