NaNoWriMo 2019

So I’m not quite sonw updating today’s wordcount yet, but I’m almost at 30k with like a week to go. I’m on days as I write this, so I’ll have a little bit of more time to push to the end on my nights/days off.
The original goal was to finish last year’s project, Chimera, as well as get as much as I could into Rogue Healer 3, which really doesn’t have a good working title. I know it seems like I’m always busy, and I am – I’ve been recovering from this back injury and I finally got my replacement contact lenses. I’ve been going back and forth to Winnipeg pretty regularly, hitting the gym, and taking my time seeing people.
So my biggest word count day was done when I realized that if I finished the draft to Chimera, that it was going to suck for my beta reader. So I banged out a short story for our trade, and that was remarkably easy. The multiple project, multiple idea thing works out fine until I stare long and hard at Chimera, and wonder if it’s anything like other projects that I need to put aside, and come at it once I put some distance between me and the project. I mean, in the rough, ‘this is garbage but ideas are percolating’ phase it’s whatever. When I have to hand something in to your beta reader, I kind of have standards. I read a bunch of classic science fiction this year and it hasn’t helped, so I’m going to watch some sci-fi. Maybe I’ll review some movies in the upcoming posts.
Honestly though, life’s been more relaxing since moving into the house as opposed to being in the PMQ. I have been paying off car repairs and while I’m not financially worried, I feel… comfortable, for the first time in a while.
Editing wise, I posted the cover for Dreams of Mariposa but as of yet I do not have a release date. I’m not sure how long that’ll take. I did learn to do Sygil, and it’s not that bad. I make some Ebooks for some shorts, so pretty much now that I sent off the sequel, I feel that I can relax and work on other, non-writing projects. I bought myself some oil paints for finishing Magus’ Gambit. I haven’t cracked them yet, mostly because I have spent time being social as opposed to being a complete recluse. I have an entire winter and now have room to paint, yay~
It’s a bit early to decide on new year’s resolutions. I should make it self pubbing some ebooks. Stop being a wimp and just do it. I have enough stuff sitting on the hard drive. I’ll check in next month – I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Last Jedi, but I am almost guaranteed to take my cousin and nieces and nephew to see it, so that’ll probably get a review in an around the new year. I’ll come up with something then, as well as decide what I’m doing for my January vacation. I’ll post in a few days whether or not I make the NaNo goal.

Editing, NaNoWriMo, and thoughts on a certain Kitty Cat

Chilling out, handing out candy. Hating the fact that that I haven’t submitted my sequel to Witchslayer’s Scion to the publisher. I have less than twenty pages to go: and I haven’t finished it.

So Thanksgiving in Canada takes place in October, I’m told it’s because we have an earlier harvest season than the US but I always find it’s dueling with Halloween in popularity. We here in Manitoba had a heavy snowstorm that weekend, and apparently more than 100,000 people or homes were without power. I was effected for a little over 24 hours (I think I lost power at 5pm on the Friday and got it back Saturday by 9pm) but to the best of my knowledge, some people are still affected. There’s lots of people who live remote and the Hydro guys have been working non-stop. Now, to the best of my knowledge all the major towns and communities are at least running on back up diesel, but let’s just say I’m thankful this all happened when it was so mild.

Me, I used the BBQ to heat up some food and chilled out in my thermal wear. I like camping and all that jazz, it’s really not a big deal to conserve and have some fun without power when it’s still relatively mild. The only problem I had was, despite my charged up laptop, I initially had access to the internet and heard how bad it was. I thought I’d potentially be in the dark for a few days, and I had to work on the Sunday.

 

So I wanted to take this time to officially give a shout out to the Hydro guys. People look at me and firefighters and cops, but I think there’s more to it. I’ve been in blizzards and have been helped out by the highway crews clearing out a driveway to help us get the ambulance in. Tow truck drivers go out in the worst weather. One team. Let’s be honest, be smart, try not to need us First Responders, but I have nothing but respect for my brothers in arms working round the clock.

 

As for me, I threw my back out on Thanksgiving.  Some F***** hero.

 

Blarg. So you’d think with some time off, editing, writing, a utopia for the creative type. For one, I enjoy my job, but let’s just say I couldn’t sit in a chair for too long. Hopefully I’ll be back to my normal routine ASAP.

Anyhew, I’m on the mend and this wasn’t as bad as January 2018. I’ve got my project from last year to finish (Chimera) and I’m also wanting to make this sequelitis a trilogy – and I’m planning on making G&S an ebook in the next month. Busy busy.

And for those who’ve been paying attention, two years ago tomorrow I got me a certain kitty cat.

I’ll keep it brief – my parents aren’t exactly the most pet-loving people, but they tolerated dogs on behalf of me and my sisters growing up. We had cats when I was pretty young, and in hindsight, that was probably because 1) FREE 2) My mom seems to like them. Anyway, besides the little tiny mouse corpses, the fact she eats scones, the hilarious jealousy that Dodger goes through, the biggest surprise I get, is how much braver getting a cat made Dodger.

When I got Dodger, I’m not convinced he liked me. Actually, I’m pretty sure he was terrified, and has for the most part, been a giant coward. As for Calypso – not saying she’s not a Scaredy Cat. However, the day I moved here and she snuck out, I was worried she was gone forever and I found her out back, chilling out with the neighbor’s cat. Dodger has, since getting his new feline roommate, not only chased off cats giving Calypso grief, but also become in general more confident and more tolerant. I mean, he’s kind of trustworthy with trick or treaters. Who knew?

Anyway – recovering from an injury. Have a book worth of edits to do (Dreams of Mariposa). Have a book to submit (Magus’ Gambit). Got another to finish from last year’s NaNoWriMo (Chimera). Wanna make another one an ebook (Garnet & Silver). Bought myself some oil paints.  Desperately want to hit the gym.  Ron, Larry, and me are hitting up a craftsale (Mother of Dragons) on Saturday at the Wanakwa Community Center. Got any other plans to round out 2019?