How Bad Do You Want It?

I have been completely and totally out of focus when it comes to blog posts the last several months.

Yeah, I'm real broken up about that.

I'm a little bummed in that I had, with a few slow times, kept up to a twice a month posting schedule a LOT longer than I expected. I could highlight how everything going on can be best summed up by describing my life as dangling off the side of the Titanic just before it makes its final descent.

But that would be a bit dramatic. Plus, it's just not that cold where I live.

Social media reminded me that about this time last year I wrote a blog post about that nerdiest of nerd holidays: National Novel Writing Month.

That's right, it's NaNoWriMo time, kids! That batshit crazy time of the year when thousands of people lose all good sense and try to cram writing 50,000 words into 30 days and try to act like it's the most fun ever. All while trying not to crack like Humpty freaking Dumpty.

For all my bitching and moaning (a beloved past time, frankly), the idea of NaNoWriMo in October is kind of thrilling to my creative-esque brain. The idea of it November first is still kind of thrilling yet slightly daunting. Beyond that it's a mad dash of swear words, caffeine, loathing (both self- and for those who interrupt your process) and anxiety. There may or may not be a serious chocolate addiction to make it through the day as well.

We're one week in (Sweet baby arugula, one week down already?!) and I've already had to play a bit of catch up. But I rallied. And stumbled. And hopefully I'll rally again, because the quicker I rally, the less daunting my catch up mode has to be.

My family... Ahem, my husband and dad are supportive. And distracting. They really do mean well. And they patiently inquire about word counts and how I'm doing for the day.

And none of them know what I'm writing. Yes, I'm terribly squirrelly about explaining what I'm working on even to them and they have not, in the history of the universe, ever asked. Probably because I'm squirrelly. Or they're afraid it's about people talking about angst. Or wallpaper designs. Who can say?

The nice thing about this year, because I'm all about grasping for silver linings at this point, is I've conned my friends into doing it I have more friends participating than before. It's easier to stick with it in the rough moments when you're in this with other people. Mostly because you don't want to be the one who doesn't make it to the end and get all bitter when they celebrate.

I'm still on the mend from that broken bone (without the joy of prescription grade pain killers), my mother is still so far off her rocker she's in a different galaxy (and as loving and charming with me as barbed wire), and life in general has the audacity to continue on as if I'm not chest deep in a bizarre writing event. Must be November.

Good luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo - or any other nerdy endeavor that may be going on. May you be inspired, properly caffeinated, supported and a bunch of other stuff that helps.

NaNo out

Despite a few more hours left in the day, it's time to declare NaNo 2016 over and out. But as we're all friends here, I can admit I called time on NaNo quite some time ago.

Now, I had a strong suspicion at the get go that I wasn't going to finish. 2016 being the gift that keeps on giving (rather like an expired jelly of the month club) and all, I wasn't feeling it. This was the first year I did any kind of prep work, basic and quick as it was, and didn't go into the event at the last minute.

I did manage to get some work done, even if I quit counting words part way through the month. I did manage to make progress on something I still want to finish and make a complete work out of. So while I'm loath to admit (or subconsciously relishing and wallowing in) defeat, at least I broke out of months-long creative block (and general blah disposition about life in general - though that's still there). When I don't write for prolonged periods of time, it's like holding my breath. For a ridiculously long time. For no good reason. With no positive outcome in sight.

So to those who finished, congrats! Be proud of the effort you've put into your goal. Take a moment to celebrate.

With the great feasting holiday behind us (Anybody else find the idea of celebrating the occasion of Native Americans saving the starving butts of the Pilgrims in a meal involving unity a little hard to stomach this year because at the moment Native people are being blasted with water cannons as a result of peaceful and understandable protest? Not to mention the countless acts of savagery committed against them, but I digress.) depending on the level of leftovers and house guests you've got at the moment it's time to look ahead.

Ahead can be towards the next level holiday (your choice of many in the coming month) that will besiege us all with gift-giving quandaries, more family time and trying to find the right balance of caffeine, booze, meditation, and anxiety-fueled house cleaning to help us navigate this most festive of seasons.

Ahead can be seeing 2017 fast approaching and realizing that regardless of the shit storm that was 2016 for so very many of us, we live to see the rebirth of fresh promise. Or even just that we made it through the bizarro, comic book level-drama that has been 2016.

Ahead can even be as simple as taking a deep breath and facing tomorrow. Regrouping from today's struggle and giving what you've got to keep on going.

Delayed Start

Cut the ribbon, fire the starting gun, jump on in.

Exactly a week after NaNoWriMo officially started, I'm doing my half-assed best to get started. And my-oh-my, is it slow going.

Seriously behind on The Crown.

It may be pulling out toenails while trying to swim upstream in frozen molasses slow, but it's going. I am, when the planets align and everyone's chakras are in balance, fully capable of churning out several thousand words a day. Which means I am fully capable (in theory) of catching up and then exceeding the 10,000+ words I'm currently behind. In case it isn't obvious, someone within a 300 mile radius of me does NOT have their chakras in order.

Too harsh?

But progress, I suppose, is progress. Today is the first day in all of November that I've been able to do any kind of brainstorming or even focus on crafting (ha!) a scene in my head. And while I may falter on the kind of fabric somebody's cloak is made of (seriously, this is the kind of stumbling block I trip over when my brain is on super-slow-motion creatively) when I know full well and good it doesn't freaking matter by the time I get to editing (ha!) words are sort of starting to fill in on the page. And I'm trying to convince telling myself that it's only a matter of time before I hit a scene (or Lord willing several of them) where my creative engines are off and to the races. The kind of frantic typing where I forget to eat and don't stand up for hours on end. Glorious productivity. 

Here's where I stand with NaNoWriMo: I have less than 21 days to get all 50,000 words in to win. A quick peek at the calendar will tell you that means I have to get done before the end of the month. Why am I starting so late and why do I need to finish early? My parents. 

My mother's mental condition continues to be unsteady. And my dad seems to be unraveling before my eyes from the stress. The two of them together? It's been a little taxing.

The good-ish news? They've gone to visit one of my siblings. My completely unprepared and inexperienced sibling. So I have less than 3 weeks to write 50,000 words, try to piece together some semblance of inner peace and figure out the holidays before they return, on top of the rest of regular every day life stuff. And that's betting that my mom makes it the full expected length of the visit and I don't have to go peel her off the ceiling and go collect them early. 

The house, temporarily down 2 occupants, feels somehow less oppressive. Like I'm not entirely drowning in "Oh dear God, what's going to happen next when she wakes up." I mean, I realize she could flip out on them up there at any moment, but it's not as in my face right now. And my dad flitting around in a combo of anxiety and frustration has other people to do things with. Maybe the extra distractions will help his mindset. Honestly though, as I was driving home yesterday I'll admit I entertained the idea of sage-ing my house. What candle do you burn to drive out bad juju and bring in hope and renewal? Preferably something I can get with 2-day shipping from everyone's favorite online retailer or maybe a quick trip over to Cassadaga. 

Ready, Set, Give Up

It's day one of that weird, writer's holiday season: National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo for short.

I'm already over it.

Like way, way the fuck over it.

I should go sit in a corner until my mood improves. Because that? That sounds delightful. Writing 50,000 words this month in what is arguably the weirdest year in modern memory makes me want to give someone the finger.

So I bitch. And moan. Get it out of my system. Chances are that's probably my process for this anyway. Vent a disproportional ire about an event I willingly signed up for (for free) and gives me a deadline and a reason to get off my ass and make something happen.

I'd rather be playing Civ V. Or, you know, sitting in that corner alone until I'm in a better mood.

My phone was 1 non-stop notification all day as every single person I know who is participating updated every social media site available. They're excited. I get it. Introverts unite from the safety of your respective home office. Community AND isolation. Honestly, I get it. I do. I'm just not there.

I'm not feeling it this year. I'm hoping the annoyance and resentment of this high holy of writing months will pass. I'm hoping to get caught up in storytelling and forget 2016, just for a little while.

So to other NaNo'ers, don't take my shitty attitude personally. Good luck and happy (or whatever floats your boat) writing.

THAT season

As we slide into the last quarter of 2016, crawling to the finish line of a year that seems to have spared almost no one I know, I'm hanging on for dear life as we approach the busy season. I'm not talking about Halloween (seriously, a Monday?), feast days or the jolly man's budget busting annual visit. And for the record, I don't even have the energy to hang my head in shame because I don't have one single Halloween decoration up. 

No, the busy season I'm talking about is NaNoWriMo - that most high holy, batshit crazy let's write a 50,000 word minimum novel in a month. In a month in the middle of those other more mainstream occasions. Because why the fuck not?

National Novel Writing Month. Cue the bitching and moaning. Cue the internal excitement that lasts the first 36 hours followed by 28 and one half days of frenzy. 1,600 words a day? No problem. Wait, stuff happened. Now it's more like 1,800. Still doable. *flash* *bang* *smoke* *mirrors* *stomach flu* *wizards* *zoo animals on the loose* 2,800 words a day to make it? *breaks out in a cold sweat* Emails and text messages count, right? Right?? 

I'm going to whine. I'm going to panic. I'm going to resent the whole frigging thing. And I'm going to do it anyway. Although I'm not buying the t-shirt this year. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Honestly, this is also the first year I'm going into it fairly sure I won't finish. But I still want to try. 

If you're curious what this NaNoWriMo nonsense is all about check it out: NaNoWriMo  

It's free to sign up and participate - though they would love for you to donate or purchase something from the store. If you are going to give it a go, feel free to comment your NaNo user name in the comments & I'll add you to my writing buddies on there.

In other writing/book news, have you heard about the Serial Reader app? (I'm in no way affiliated with this app, fyi.) I came across a social media article about this app a few months ago and wanted to give it a try. It's free to download/use and appears to be ad free. There is an optional (and inexpensive) upgrade to unlock a few nice features (ability to read ahead, for instance). 

Ever feel like you're dismally behind on reading the classics? Or that the ones you missed (or avoided) in school are just too dry or daunting to attempt? The guy behind the app breaks down classic literature into daily, tolerable snippets delivered to the iOS or Android device of your choice. There's a decent collection to choose from and more are added on a regular basis. Brontë to Lovecraft, Twain to Virgil. 

Good luck campers!

Tomorrow kicks off the 2nd (and final) Camp NaNoWriMo for the year.

I'm not participating. Again.

I tried the virtual writing camp once, coming off my first full on NaNoWriMo experience. Maybe it was because I was in a 'cabin' with all local writers and not being placed with others writing similar genres. Maybe it was because your goal is made up by you (and I have a complete disregard for myself). Maybe it was because my clinical bitchy resting face is spreading to my brain. The event just didn't do it for me quite like the madcap November escapade did.

I can tell myself to write 500 words a day and fail spectacularly on any day of the year, thank you very much. No need to join a website to do it. Or get asked for donations at every turn.

That was... bitchy. And unnecessarily so.

The truth is, this current writing backlash is my own personal demon. Just because this particular incarnation of a writing activity didn't send me to the heights of creative glory before, doesn't even mean it wouldn't work for me now. The shiny inner child inside thinks it's a fantastic idea and I should totally join in. Oh inner child, your enthusiasm knows no bounds. My inner teenager seems to be more vocal.

I love the idea of writing activities throughout the year. If you've read my blow-by-blow of NaNoWriMo, you'll be aware I complain (at great length) about the timing of it. But it is a relief sad when it's over. Maybe I should give camp another run in the future. I probably have sold the experience short or focused on what I felt I wasn't getting out of it instead of rising to meet a writing goal.

There is no perfect place/time/situation to write (or anything else for that matter). So kudos (a word I don't think I've ever used verbally) to those who are choosing to make the extra effort this July to work on their writing projects. Keep going!

So long NaNo 2015

As NaNoWriMo comes to a close (crawling to it's dramatic death or skipping to the end in triumph), I'm struck by what changed in my writing & what hasn't changed in my writing beliefs.

1. Word Sprints: What a complete game changer. Total revelation. I saw mention of them on the NaNo site before, heard others mention them. And I poo-poo'd the very idea. Timed writing? Huh-ell no. I caved, under extreme protest, and tried it one night. Holy shitballs! Several hundred words done in 10 minutes. I'm talking exceeding my daily word count in a little more than half an hour on good days, just under an hour on slow ones. Without word sprints? A few hundred words over the course of who knows how long. I'm a believer & I tell everyone like I was healed at a revival. Because it's that freaking amazing. Productivity on steroids, y'all.

2. Summarizing: *shudders* I have always hated trying to sum up (or create a back cover blurb) what I'm working on. If I could explain it in a paragraph, I wouldn't be writing a 350 page novel. I mean, come on! But you have to. For queries, to entice agents, publishers, prospective readers. You've got to get this figured out. And I hadn't. And then during a writerly conversation (aka, a bitching session) somebody pointed out I didn't have one on the NaNo website for my novel. I made my case, whining like a preteen asked to pick up an empty cup they just used (I have company, can you tell?). I complained that the summaries made me feel like I was writing a corny movie intro, complete with the movie preview guy's voice in my head. A melodramatic representation of the book. My friend asked what was wrong with that, but my mind was off and running. Maybe I had to go ahead and be uncomfortable and feel like I was making a fool of myself to get a horrible decent blurb I'd be happier with. So I turned up the drama, heard the movie preview guy in my head and wrote the first halfway decent summary I'd ever done. So that's my new trick personal writing parlor trick.

3. Moving on when I'm stuck: I have always marveled at people who don't write their novels in a linear way. They bounce from scene to scene and then go back and knit things together later. It's like freaking magic. I have bullishly stuck to the linear way of starting at the beginning (hating it) and slogging through to the bitter end. Then I go back and rework what I didn't like (hopefully finding inspiration to fix it) and call it a day. This year I tried something else. Yes, I stuck to linear to an extent, but when I wasn't making any headway, I made a few notes about what I wanted from the scene and moved on to what came next. If a scene was running long, I'd let it go on and see what came out of it. Yeah I'll end up cutting it later, but I got some really cool character development that way and discovered some new directions I would have missed otherwise.

4. Embrace the community and they really will embrace you back: Brace yourself - I'm shy. Even on social media, I don't understand this whole friending people you don't know or barely know. Before NaNo I had a total of maybe 3 tweets, and maybe 5 more things I retweeted. Come NaNo, I used a topically relevant NaNoWriMo hashtag (Feel free to groan, I am. Anybody seen my cane or slippers?) and had a sudden influx of followers who weren't trying to sell me something. More than that? Every writing related tweet I made (all, like, 4 of them) people liked. Hearted. Favorited. Licked. Whatever. It was weird, it was trippy, but it was kind of neat most of all.

5. Ambient Sounds: One of the cool things that's come of hanging out with other writers and sharing stuff has come by way of background music/sounds. I don't think I know a single author who writes to silence, at least none that admit it. It's one of the first things that comes up in that getting-to-know-you stage: "What do you listen to when you write?" There's even a box for that for each user on the NaNoWriMo site. Some people can't listen to songs with words or the words impact their scenes. Some only listen to movie scores. Some only listen to Buddy Holly on a full moon. (It's possible.) The point is, this is an area of sincere interest for a lot of us writer types. The perfect mix to keep us inspired, on task and motivated without adding one more freaking distraction. This year I have had great success on this seemingly endless writing journey listening to ambient backgrounds on a seamless loop. There are websites with near endless variety of sounds, from fireplaces crackling to monster's screams to the gentle lull of waves against pebbles. Wonderful, fantastic people arrange these (you can too, but did I mention the deadline I have this month?) to form environmental backgrounds: a ship sailing on the high seas, a damp dungeon, a spring rain in the meadow, a Turkish or Parisian cafe, an Irish Pub, or the common room of your choice inspired by a certain magical boarding school. It totally rocks. Are your characters on a quest and find themselves in a tavern on a rainy night? There's an atmosphere (or 12) for that.

6. Quit looking for the perfect time/perfect book on writing and just write: This is one I've been a firm believer on for a long time. What makes anyone who writes a book on how to write an expert? I know people who write writing advice columns who have never had a book published. And aspiring authors beg for more. I'm not saying there's not good advice out there, but if your bookshelves only have books about writing and you've never finished a manuscript yet, sit down and just write. That's the advice I see from published authors I read. Write. Daily if possible. Agonize and edit after it's written. Just write. I'll admit to a few "How to" write books in my collection, but:

• I've never read one cover to cover
• They are genre specific because I wanted tips on how to handle certain situations
• I inherited at least 1 or 2 of the 3 or 4 books I have.

I don't think anything negative about those of you who pour over the how to books, please understand. I just think you're taking what worked (in theory) for a particular author and expecting it to be a magic wand. Time + experience = luck. You can fix crappy writing, weak characters or scenes that don't work. You can't do anything about something you haven't written.

B. 50,000 words in 30 days doesn't equal the novel of your dreams (though it does help): Okay, so as much as I have a love to hate relationship with NaNoWriMo, I need to be honest. The main goal as you hang on for dear life during November is to hit 50,000 words. Like high school and college essays and term papers, you will find yourself doing whatever you have to to pad that word count. Contractions no longer exist. You know exactly what I'm talking about. As much as you're crafting your story, at this point you're just trying to hit that 50,000 words so you can breathe again. And in a way, that's good. Because in that frantic rush, it's easier to turn off your inner editor that s-l-o-w-s you down otherwise. But I know as I write I'm going to have to go back and fix so much later. And personally, I find that frustrating. But doing NaNo gives me a big chunk of the writing process for my idea done. It gives me something to mold later instead of staring at 300 words on a screen and wondering if this should go anywhere.

Zed. Deadlines help some of us get more shit done and increase our other obligations exponentially at the same time - Murphy's law of writers: So as I prepared myself for the home stretch (What a shock, I'm behind with only a few days to go.) my household was on board with helping me make it. My hubby went with me to the store to stock up on caffeine, quick lunches and snacks for myself to grab and get back to work with. He pushed me to get out of the house and write the last weekend so I would have fewer distractions. My parents asked how much time I had left & how many words I had to go, making dinner with the turkey day leftovers one night and heating up frozen pizza another. My visiting nibling curled up in the arm chair in my office and played video games and set up my Christmas tree for me. Great people, right? And they are. They are also all exponentially needy the last two days. WTF?! My husband, with his support? Messaged me all day long. Cute pics, Christmas shopping ideas, etc. He'd come give me a hug or check on me. At one point I had 3 people in my office and my mother was having a mini episode. My husband, bless him, even asked me at one point today why I wasn't further along with my word count. I think you get the idea that my word count was not what I was hoping for at the end of the day. Which is okay, if a little stressful. Because secretly, I love running up along deadlines. It's my version of being an adrenaline junkie. Once the people in my house started going to bed one by one, my productivity went up. I was interrupted, but once an hour or two instead of every 8 minutes.

Whew! In the end though, I made it. And I have a few new tools in my writing arsenal. It doesn't have to be smooth sailing to be worthwhile. Also, word sprints!!!

So if you'll excuse me, I need to pull out my 2015 NaNoWriMo winner shirt and strut around my house. Until I spill something on it. I give it 4 hours, tops.

You Too Can Escape Oblivion, Step 1. Avoid Oblivion

Halfway through this month should have marked the halfway point of NaNoWriMo, for anyone doing their best to tread water and cling to the daily average word count that is. The rest of you breaking the curve who are within spitting distance of (or already over) 50,000 words, bah. Just... just... I can't even with you right now, all right? For me, halfway came a few days late.

I started NaNo strong (IMHO), with a detailed outline but room for creative twists and turns, enthusiasm for my novel, writing support network, and a deep rooted desire to get the 'Winner' t-shirt that I'll never wear outside of my house. I marveled at how well I stuck to the daily word count this year with a little more ease and, dare I say, grace than last year. And then week 1 ended.

I was grumpy, tired, wanting to do anything other than sit at my desk or a cafe table swilling coffee like my life depended on it (it really did) and trying in vain to make the words come. Real life commitments changed. And by changed I mean straight up tripled. It's for a good cause, the health and well being of a few young people in my life, but it does impact my time resources.

So I bailed out for a few days. And by bailed out, I mean passed out asleep by 8 at night. Full disclosure this probably happened once or twice as well:

And this:

And most likely this:

There, I feel better now.

Before this, I had padded about an extra day's worth of words in with dreams and hopes of having several days of thousands upon thousands of words written to effortlessly glide to the finish. *snort* When I finally pulled myself together and mainlined coffee like a proper caffeine junkie, I was thousands and thousands of words behind. My NaNo stats page let me know my projected finish date was sometime late December.

For good measure.

Here's the thing though. I rallied. Yes, I bitched, but I rallied. (It's part of my charm.) I accepted the break was a necessity and didn't dwell much. I accepted the righteous power of word sprints, something previously unknown and snickered at by me, into my writing life. (I'm a word sprinting convert. It truly is obscene how much more productive they make me.) I have horribly abused coffee and forsaken sleep. I write on my phone while I'm in waiting rooms. My hands ache and swell every night, but I slap on a few topical pain relieving patches and keep on going. And I finally let go of trying to trudge through scenes were I feel stuck, put a pin and a few notes in them, and move on to what comes next. In 24 hours I packed in about 4,000 words. I'm still technically behind, but my NaNo stats page tells me that I need less than 2,000 words a day to finish on time. Totally doable with minimum bitching and moaning practices in place.

Stop....NaNo time

It's day 5 of the hostage crisis. And by that I mean National Novel Writing Month. And by that I mean a time when people who should ordinarily know better band together by the thousands (no seriously, over 300,000 participants this year) to attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. That's a 1,667 words per day for those of you keeping score. It's pretty safe to say individual mileage varies.

It's like sports for book nerds - with t-shirts and everything. And I secretly adore it as much as I openly whine about it.

This is my second year joining in (officially registered) with actual other people. I'd heard about NaNoWriMo years ago when I was writing with friends from high school. We did our own informal thing, which petered out quickly. Last year I stumbled back upon the idea, went to the website and signed up. At the end of October. With no prep. And so many people were talking about more than a month of prep. *gulp* I went to the first meeting (Imagine my surprise: an actual group that held actual meetings in my actual area. Trust me, everyone I've met in this group has echoed that thought. There are reasons.). I was late and had that God awful moment of walking up to a table of strangers where everyone is watching you. Social anxiety super powers, activate!

I tried not to be intimidated by everyone animatedly chatting about their ideas and the finer details of inspiration behind it all. I gave a generic genre for what I was writing, and little more. I've never talked writing shop with anyone in my adult years. I wasn't about to out myself as the resident dork without any shred of hope for a decent book. My idea? Oh it came from a dream I had. My ideas come from all over the place. My imagination doesn't know how to take a day off. But this particular science fiction idea had come to me in the form of a vivid dream of a scene I knew I could build on. (Less than Interesting tidbit, I had another dream later on that ended up being the plot for another story involving new characters in the same world. See? I'm a dork.) I was met with mostly blank stares as I explained, only when specifically questioned of course, that I wrote just about any kind of genre in fiction depending on mood, inspiration, etc. The handful of people who smiled encouragingly, thankfully, are among the only ones who came to meetings afterwards.

In the year since then, my writing life has changed. I look forward to getting together with other writing friends, shooting the breeze, talking shop, bouncing ideas around, getting and giving support, so on and so forth. When all things are in our favor, we do so several times a month. Illness, day jobs, family commitments don't always make that possible, but that outlet has been invaluable. I've found my tribe, as eclectic as we may be.

I also drink coffee now, spurred on by a deep need for caffeine and not wanting to be the weirdo at the coffee shop who doesn't drink coffee. That title belongs to a new friend of mine, and I hope she doesn't spit her iced soy cinnamon chai latte on her keyboard when she gets around to reading this. After years of at home coffee fails I finally figured out, by way of my local baristas and a global coffee powerhouse and another new friend who is a coffee aficionado, how to find the right balance of coffee, flavoring and milk to stave off the bitterness in coffee that had long left me a sniffer but not a drinker. Oh, and NOT drinking any kind of instant coffee is a big help in that department for those of you in a similar boat. I don't care what they've mixed in that rectangular tin and called it flavored coffee, it's not. I'll probably never be a coffee purist, but I can now appreciate it. And crave it.

This November, I waffled at the idea of NaNo even though of course I was going to do it again. I narrowed down my choices to two ideas that had been calling to me throughout my year working on another project. I changed my mind a few times and mocked up simple book covers for each one (the better to be invested in your NaNo novel and encourage you to "win", so says the website). For the first time in my entire life, I explained the plot of my selection to a person I was not related to with all the paranoia of someone selling national secrets.

This year's inaugural meeting, I knew and regularly saw several of the people who would be going. I chatted up and online friended newbies who knew no one. I did the same at the next meeting. I was stupid excited at the amount of new faces that continued to show up. And above else, I was thrilled to talk shop and reciprocate endless rounds of  "Me, too!" as we shared our experiences and evolving processes. Some days writing is agonizingly slow. Some days it is magically engaging. But having people who get that and march along that same track, regardless of whether they write for hobby, for publication or something else entirely, is priceless.

Apparently I'm a bit of a writing extrovert. Who knew? If not for NaNoWriMo, I certainly wouldn't. So if you'll excuse me, my caffeine is kicking in and I have 1,667 words and a writing assignment to get to. And maybe just one more cup of coffee...

Happy Writing!