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With only a few days left of NaNoWriMo, the exhaustion is probably setting in (unless you’re one of those barbarians superstars who's already finished. These last days will be an adventure for your mind and hands, and we're looking out for both. Here are time-efficient "exercises" to make sure you stay in mental and phalangeal tip-top shape, so you can finish out strong and WRITE THAT NOVEL.

The Chomp

Place your hands together as if you're holding a burger. Now hold a burger and take a bite. Writing is a serious business and you need the protein. Pro-tip: If burgers aren't your thing, pick a food inspired by one of your characters to help you plot while you eat! 

Finger Stretches

You've probably experienced your fair share of finger fatigue this month. If your digits start cramping up, you might want to try a nifty finger stretching app like this one. Or, take the time to pause and really ponder what's next for your characters.

The Imbibe

Curl your hands as if you're holding a glass. Struggling with the proper form? We are too—that's why we recommend trying this one with an actual glass of wine, for motivation.

Nuke It

Place your food of choice in the microwave, and press start. You're probably full of noveling stress, so you might want to have a mini-dance party while it's cooking to clear your head.

Halo Time

Pull out that wallet and make a donation to the Office of Letters and Light. You'll feel good, and good feelings make good novels, right?

These are just a few of the things you can do to hold on to your sanity for a couple more days and write that 50,000th word. If you're really struggling, join other writers in your area by attending a write-in! Alternatively, you can become a hermit for a few days and stick with Written? Kitten! to help you stay on track. You can also see if there are NaNo-related socials or events in your region to help keep your motivation levels high.

For more inspiration, check out our previous post, A Round-Up of Tools to Help You Finish Your #NaNoWriMo Novel. Happy noveling!

No matter how much you love your family the Thanksgiving Day table can easily turn into a scene from The Hunger Games when there’s only one Pillsbury roll left and more than one hand grabbing for it. That’s why along with our fictional-characters-we’d-love-to-picnic-with list we also have 7 fictional characters banned from our turkey dinner. No turkey for you!

avant-gourd

/avänt' gôrd/

1. Unusual or experimental use of decorative gourds for artistic purposes.*

It’s decorative gourd season, and more than a few of us have been enjoying clusters of these miniature members of the squash family on reception desks, restaurant tables, and conference tables. Some have likely served as lovely centerpieces during family meals. How do you celebrate decorative gourd season all year long? With a decorated avant-gourd book tote, of course! Make your own with just a few supplies and a little creativity. Here’s how.

Gather your materials. 

Tiny gourds – the more oddly-shaped, the better

Kitchen knife – any knife you would use on a butternut squash

Cutting board – sturdy and dry

Acrylic Paints – in the colors of your choosing

Tote Bag – and tote you like

Scrap paper/paper plate – as a palate for your paint

Paint brush (optional) – perfect for adding a little extra paint to your gourds

Rag/washcloth (optional) – for added cutting stability with oddly-shaped gourds, an old kitchen cloth folded underneath works wonders.

Choose how to slice your gourds.

Cut your gourds lengthwise, widthwise, into wedges, or choose not to cut them at all! Focus on finding ways to show off the unique shape of each gourd. Pro-tip: gourds look kind of weird inside, but never fear! If your gourd is full of seeds, scoop them out jack-o-lantern-style. If your gourd has dried out inside, hollow out the spongy dry matter and use the sturdy peel as the stamp.

Choose a paint color for your gourds.

You can use any paint color you like for your project. For this example, we chose colors that were similar to the original gourd’s coloring, and added a little sparkly gold paint.  

Dip the edge of your gourd in paint.

This is where the project starts to get just a little bit messy! At this point, you may want to take some precautions and cover your work surface or clothes. Choose which edge of the gourd will be used to make the design on your tote bag, and dip it into the paint you’ve chosen. Try to get as much paint onto the stamping surface of the gourd as you can.

Apply the gourd to your tote bag.

For this tote, the green gourd slices were each used once across, the scalloped gourd was cut into two reused sections, the lumpy gourd was cut into wedges that were re-stamped multiple times, and the miniature pumpkin was simply rolled across to create the border. Get creative with your application, and have fun!

Let dry and use!

Let your tote dry thoroughly before using. Because gourds vary in shape and size (after all, that’s what we love about them), predicting how long it will take for your project to dry is challenging. Leaving it to dry overnight is always a good option!

Pack away whatever you like in your fancy new tote bag – we recommend it as a great way to carry along your travel reading as you visit friends and family over the holidays. Enjoy your unusual and experimental bag design!

**Definition of avant-gourd made up in celebration of decorative gourd season

Warren the 13^th  is having a bit of a rough time lately—his uncle has married Anaconda, of the evil step-aunt variety, and the hotel business isn’t doing much business. Until of course, news of the All-Seeing-Eye treasure gets out and Warren can’t keep up with the crazed guests. While he’s a smart and resourceful little boy, it never hurts to have some help—even if it’s in the form of a cautionary tale—so we’ve rounded-up some bellhops who Warren might like to call upon.

Here at Quirk we’ve spent hours searching the internet for the best bookish, geeky, and crafty links of the past week. Whether you are looking for the National Book Awards Winners or some old-timey pictures of a turkey in a top hat, we’re sure to have something to make your day (and your Thanksgiving!) a little brighter.

Soon we'll be sitting down to celebrate one of the most glorious and gluttonous holidays of the year.  But we know some of you Quirkers are looking to step up your Thanksgiving game.  So to help you nerd out your turkey’s dinner-table friends, we’ve put together a fantasy smorgasbord that’s sure to make any literary palette water.