As you might have guessed by the sporadic total in the Book 2 word counter, NaNoWriMo did not go very well for me this year.
I started out grounded, my pace good, running a steady clip. At one point, I hit that sweet spot where the more you write, the more you want to write. I know the story; it’s outlined and notes go all the way to the end of Book 3.
She’s way out in front! Look at her go!
And then . . . the cold germ hit.
The last few years, my one or two annual misères have been pathetic copies of colds, of no real significance, and gone in just a few days. This one, however, was not. My immune system couldn’t handle it.
I had no fever. My throat felt as if I’d swallowed a sea urchin, my bones ached, and my constant sneezes could have powered a small steam engine. I don’t know what manner of critter it was or from whence it came, but it slapped me around like a little bitch.
Eventually I recovered, though I’d lost a solid week and my momentum. I was forced to watch all four series of Luther on Netflix to regain my strength (although Idris Elba nearly took it away again—yowza). Besides the Cold from Planet X, this tweet sums up what it’s been like trying to write lately:
But Book 2 is still a thing. And I’m still hunting for a home for Tunerville so all that work on the trilogy isn’t a total waste of time.
I’ve also been making notes for two other projects I’ll call Invasion and Petit Trianon (and that’s all you’re getting). Both need a bit of research. Petit Trianon will require another trip to London, most likely. When, I have no idea, but I hope it’s soon, because I miss it. In a perfect world, I could afford to go at least once a year.
Such hardship, being forced to return to my sweet love. #NOT
I heard about a neat trick to power through first drafts. Taking the delete key off the keyboard seems to help some people. I should remove the backspace key as well, though the thought of not being able to fix a spelling mistake freezes my very soul. Still, worth a try, especially since I’m thinking about writing Invasion concurrently with Book 2. That should be fun if I get a new job soon.
Meanwhile, Christmas will come in a little over a week and I have presents to make, in addition to all this writing. I’ll try to make it back here before the new year, but if I don’t, enjoy your holiday. Let’s hope we’re all still here by this time next year.
All I want for Christmas is indictments. #MuellerClaus
Graphomaniac - A. Elizabeth West 