Finnian Burnett

I am one of *those* people. You know the ones. They insist there is such a thing as a birthday month.

Look, I can’t help it. November is my birthday month. I was born on 11/21/1970 and I hold that the time between November 1 and November 21 is mine. It really is the perfect time to have a birthday month. The weather is mostly chilly, but hasn’t gotten oppressively cold yet. There are still gloriously sunny days and, even if warm winter coats and thick gloves are required, walks are still fun and not a chore. The wind has picked up so I can sit at my desk and watch the fallen leaves blow all over the yard, smiling because I have no plan to rake them.

This year, I’m doing NaNoWriMo for my birthday month. I’m a few days in right now and while not exactly on target, I don’t feel behind.

November also tends to be my month of introspection. Some people make New Year’s resolutions. I have November Introspection. Did I do what I wanted to do in the last year? Will I do what I want in the next one? It’s when I generally take stock of my career, my health, my life. This year, I feel I’m wrapping up a lot of pieces of work that have been sitting in various states of completion for far too long. I hit “The End” on Coyote Lost his Soul on October 22nd. I started “My One Gay Novel” on November 1. And I think I know how to finally complete “The Summer Ellen’s Sister Died” this coming year.

At the end of the month, I’ll find out if I advanced to the second heat of the NYC midnight flash fiction contest. It was so fun being part of it, regardless of the outcome.

I entered the CBC short story contest last month. I sent Revenge Prose to an agent. I feel November is the month that sets the tone for the upcoming year. And this year, I want my focus to be on my writing. (Well, and grad school, but that’s a story for another time.)

So yeah, November. Welcome back. I’ve missed you.