Growing up in Wisconsin, I hated November. Cold grey skies, darkness when I woke and before I got home from school, leafless trees and dead grass without even the quiet beauty of snow. A month of dread for the next four or five months of winter yet to come.

Since I’ve moved to New Orleans–and became a busily adulting parent–I have come to appreciate the somber, melancholy mood of November. We finally get a break from the relentless heat and humidity, so I can pull out sweaters, boots, gumbo recipes, and pumpkin everything. Plus this introvert relishes a whole month of excuses to stay inside, get cozy with good books and hot tea, and go to bed early. I’m all in.

Of course, there’s the bustle of the holidays on the horizon, but I am stubbornly ignoring them until I can’t any longer. November is also National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), the annual challenge to generate 50K words of a novel in a single month. I love the energy of people all over the world working on their dream novels, as well as the mood of camaraderie. As usual, however, I’m on my own timetable. I just finished a draft of a novel I’ve been working on for years, and I’m not quite ready to dive into a different rewrite or start something new. Taking a rest during a quiet, dark month sounds just about right. Cheers to everyone participating. I’ll enjoy your hard work from the sidelines as I chug along at my own pace. Or do something completely different, like craft projects…at least for a little while.