I would have written more words tonight but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO WINDOWS UPDATE DECIDED I SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF. 

That’s how long it took for this blasted computer to update and get to the login screen. And of course, it shut down right in the middle of a scene. So I bitched on Facebook from my phone, cried a little, and put on an episode of Peaky Blinders. 

And now we’re back! Too late to do anything!  (This is because I spent most of the day at the salon and now my hair looks insanely good. So I got that going for me.)

Fortunately for me, Atomic Scribbler saves constantly, so I didn’t lose anything. It also creates a backup anywhere you choose. I picked my flash drive, but it also lets me export my book as a Word document, which I then upload periodically (should be every day, tbh) to Google Drive. I really, REALLY need a new computer.

We’re under a tornado watch until 5:00 a.m. (yes, in November. Welcome to the Ozarks.) And I have to get up early in the morning for my Buddhist group. I’ll update my word counter on the home page tomorrow.

Lovely readers, I appreciate you being with me for this month of NaNoWriMo. 

I don’t know why my screenshots have gotten so fuzzy all of a sudden. Probably because I desperately need a new computer. This little nugget has been with me for a while, but now he’s so slow that I can’t do several things at once like I used to. I need to replace him so he can be the backup while he’s still working well enough to be a backup. Because his backup is practically dead. And while he can still play a few games I need to finish. 

Maybe I should crowdsource it, since I can’t seem to find a job in this hellhole to save my fricking life.

NaNoWriMo is almost over. I’m nearly 5,000 words ahead. I have a hair appointment tomorrow (have to stay spiffy for interviews and such), and it’s probably going to take a while. I may have a bit less writing time. I need it, though. 

I would not have gone blonde if I’d known I was going to lose my job, since it’s not cheap to keep it up. But I love my stylist; she’s very nice and cool. I always feel like a million bucks when I walk out of there, so it’s worth it. Plus I can keep a good blowout going for at least four days. 

A little pampering will do me good. It’s like a treat for making the word count. I’m going to enjoy it. 

You might notice the graphic no longer displays a daily word count. I don’t need one anymore since I broke the NaNo count. It feels like I’m almost done, but when I look at that total, the end of the book (likely 80-90K) seems miles away. 

Image: Mount Everest from Kalapatthar by Pavel Novak / Wikimedia Commons

I feel much better than I did yesterday, although I’m still tired. I slept forever yesterday and this morning, and I should be wide awake, but nope. The only thing I did today besides write was return a movie. Now I’m yawning. 

Here’s a playlist I made and listened to while writing today: Writing Music.
It’s missing some tracks, since Spotify doesn’t have all the same albums I have. 

It’s a little dark, but things are murky in the book right now. A lot’s happened to my characters in the space of their timeline. Will they make it through? I don’t even know yet. I still have another book to work that out. Mwahaha.

Blergh. I’m feverish. I only managed about 314 words. I didn’t watch Beetlejuice last night, either; I was too sleepy. 

Fever, if not high enough to cook your brain, is one of the body’s best defenses against infection. I didn’t take anything for mine. I’m gonna let it BURN THESE MOTHERS DOWN. 

I love how easy it is to embed media in this WordPress Gutenberg editor; it’s not so great for text, however. 

Today, I got a cool LED twinkly skirt I ordered from ThinkGeek. It took me an hour to wire it up and I’m exhausted. But it looks SO DAMN COOL. I don’t care if I’m old—I’m wearing it to my fan group Christmas party anyway. 

Image: ThinkGeek.com  

Hell no, I didn’t pay that much. It was on sale for $10. What, you think I’m crazy?

Now, off to rest. 

This is a coronavirus. It is well known for causing a mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illness, such as a cold.

 Image: 1975 CDC/Dr. Fred Murphy / Wikipedia

I’m lying on the sofa feeling feverish, and I do believe this unwelcome little fart has made my acquaintance. 

Last night I coughed about a thousand times while going to sleep. I thought it was just reflux, but maybe not. My nose has been drippy all day. There’s a scritch in my throat.
I had a doctor appointment today for unrelated reasons, and I started feeling gross and sneezy afterward. So I went to the grocery store and then came home and made some Lipton noodle soup (that shit has magical properties. Don’t argue with me; it’s true). 

I get a cold every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it seems. If my Wolverine-like healing powers are still intact, the bug will only last a day or so. If not, I’ll be sick but with definite advantages over last year:

1. I’ve already passed the NaNoWriMo word count. 
2. More energy in the morning means I can wake up, write until I feel like shit again, and then go back to sleep with a clear conscience. 
3. I know exactly what to write next and can just get right to it.

 Earlier this week, I acquired a gently used Blu-ray of Ant-Man and the Wasp and tonight, I watched that after my soup. Now my MCU collection is completely caught up until Captain Marvel and Avengers 4 come out on disc.

Tee hee!

I read that Lee’s cameo for Avengers 4 (when are we going to get a title?) is already in the can. I hope that’s true for Captain Marvel also. It’ll be a little sad to see, but at least Phase 3 won’t close out without him. 

I purchased Beetlejuice also. I like to buy used discs because they’re cheaper. Now I’m going to watch that one and then probably go to bed early. I’ve got soup, tea, blankets, and time. I’ll be fine. 

1,720 tonight!
50,967 total!

A little late tonight; I had to clean the house today so I could put up Christmas decorations. The tree’s up now, and my back is out. 

There’s a widget on the home page where I’d put my word count long ago. As soon as NaNoWriMo is finished, I will update the widget with the ending word count and add to it until the book is done. I’m hoping this first draft will be complete before Christmas. 

I have to say, I’ve gained new respect for J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King (especially The Dark Tower) and other fantasy authors. Building a complete world — food, clothing, customs, architecture, weapons (this one, ugh), LANGUAGE — is harrrrrrrd. 

Victory dance and then soon it’s bedtime for this writer. Catch you tomorrow! 

I did write about 244 words yesterday, according to Atomic Scribbler, and 61 today. Mostly tweaking. I went back and read a couple of scenes and found one particular conversation I just hated. Fixed it.

To be honest, my hands are killing me. I have a little bit of dyspraxia (yes, like Ryan on Doctor Who) and it hurts me to write for a long time. I have to push to control my hands after a while. They get stiff and don’t want to do what I say. 

I don’t have speech problems, but I do bump into things, drop things (a lot), and my handwriting is atrocious. It takes me foreeeeeever to learn choreography. When I skated, I always tried to get my programs done as far in advance of a rink ice show as possible. Learning to knit has been a challenge (but I’m determined to do it), and the other morning, while making my coffee, I flipped sugar every damn where. Just flipped it. With the spoon. 

Hidden disabilities can be a pain in the arse. I’m lucky, though. I can walk, talk, think, exercise, and do lots of other things that some people can’t.  

And I can write. So let me rest my hands tonight and I’ll be back on it tomorrow. 

Assuming Atomic Scribbler’s word count is accurate, I think I can afford to take Thanksgiving off, but you know what? I don’t think I want to. 

The book is hitting its stride now. I’m still on track with the outline, but it’s taking on a life of its own. In just a couple of days, I’ll hit the NaNoWriMo word count, though I probably have another 25–30K left to go before I officially finish. 

I was saving a bottle of prosecco for when I got a job, but since that does not look likely before the end of the month at least, I might just see if anyone wants to join me and crack it open when I finish. 

Since I’ve finished for the day before midnight and I have an early start tomorrow, I shall do a little online visiting and then go to bed.

Sleep well and if you’re traveling tomorrow, please be careful. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Total: 3,023.
Chapter: 2,843.

Word count for November 21, since I ran over midnight: 411.

Every count in this program is off. I really think it’s screwed up somehow. 

I TRIED TO START EARLIER I REALLY DID

The date on this post is going to be wrong, dammit.

I had to go back and tweak a little; I forgot to include something important in another scene. Then everyone and their dog needed to message me.

Then I had to pause and make chicken potstickers and furikake rice for dinner and the entire house smells like sesame oil now.

Then I had to look up a thing online. And ask questions on Facebook. Because my character is doing the thing but I have never done the thing.

Yes, this is what writing is like sometimes.

Now it’s time to wind down before bed with an ASMR video. Nightly night, lovelies. Sleep well.