November is my big “get stuff done” month (supposedly) which means I have to cut other stuff out to get that stuff done. Or I’m just cutting it because I feel like it/it needs to happen/it will make me feel more productive but it really won’t.

No NaNo November.

Yes. Another year of not doing the famous Nation Novel Writing Month. I’ll be in Nepal for the first ten days of the month, and I’m not in the mood to edit more NaNo words in the near future (aka: I don’t want to edit another first draft because my rough drafts tend to be plotless).

No Makeup November.

I don’t wear a ton of makeup—some concealer around the ol’ eyes, eyeshadow (sometimes), eyeliner, and mascara. Okay, true, I can go a little crazy with the eyeshadow and do all sorts of colors (purple, peeps, I can’t help it that I’m addicted to purple eyeshadow), and I like to use dark eyeshadow colors as eyeliner. And, yes, sometimes I end up looking like a raccoon on bad days, but I find makeup to be a fun thing (usually). Anyway, I usually try to take a month off from makeup every year just to remind myself to be confident without it. This year, that month is November. So bye-bye, my beloved purple eyeshadow.

No Dessert/Candy/Sweets November.

This includes that cookie dough I have stashed in the freezer. And ice cream and pie. And Grandma’s wonderful Thanksgiving apple slices. And chocolate and peanut butter cups. And frappes. And hot chocolate. Oh, it hurts. Yeah, it’s going to be rough. I thought about adding peanut butter and egg nog to the list, but the very thought made me go into withdrawal. This is a (painful) exercise in self-discipline can I go cry somewhere now?.

No Subway November.

When it rains, it truly pours. That’s right. I’m spending all of November without my beloved Subway. I may or may not eat a tuna sub on Italian herbs and cheese from Subway at least once a week. I may or may not have had Subway three days in a row three times in October. I have a rewards card and everything. Let’s not go into how many free footlongs I’ve earned over the last year and half since I got my rewards card. Well, no Subway in November. Guys, November hurts.

No Penprints November.

Say what?

Yeah… November is my blogging break for 2016. Well, it’s my official break. We all know I’m prone to unexpected and completely random silences (like the first two weeks of this month). I know this is a painful announcement for all of us, but I have to believe that we can make it through November without Penprints every Monday (somehow, we’ll push on).

I’m taking the Penprints break because I want some time off from the blog without feeling guilty (yes, I actually feel guilty if I leave you guys hanging for weeks on end without notice), and I’m trying to focus on finishing Draft 3 of Beasts before the middle of December.

You can keep up with my napping adventures by following me on Twitter or liking my Facebook page (and there’s always #bookstagram).

I’ll be back the first week in December with some advent posts (I’m super jazzed about those), and they’ll be on Sundays instead of Mondays just for December because it’s advent. And that’s all for today, kids.

Are you giving up anything in November? What?

Are you doing NaNoWriMo?

Do you have any end of year goals?

P.S. – by the time you read this, I’ll be in India.

P.P.S. – I know I said this was a “giant” post, but it’s really not… less than 600 words. Yes, a Penprints post under 600 words. Shocking.