He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. Psalm 40:2
When last we spoke, it was the end of October and time for both Slowvember and Nanowrimo. Because today marks the halfway point in the month, I should update you on how November is progressing.
As I promised, Slowvember took precedent over Nanowrimo which explains why I am 4,392 words behind in my writing goals, almost exactly three days short. I took Veterans Day weekend off to go horseback riding in Ocala. The time in Ocala was worth being behind, at least I keep telling my compulsive self that. The weather was perfect for riding, we rode some lovely trails, and I only fell off once. Not that I fall off often. In fact, I don’t think I have fallen off Trucker in several years, but I also don’t ride as frequently which lowers the odds of falling.
This fall was my fault as I was so busy relaxing and enjoying the scenery that I failed to see a tree growing over the trail. Trucker followed all his tiny friends under the limb, but there was not enough room for both my tall boy and me to make it under. Though I plastered myself flat on his back, after my knees and belly scraped under the rough tree bark, I realized that there was no space for my head. In order to save my face from scratches and a broken nose, I grabbed the branch and let him walk out from under me, resulting in a fall flat on my back. Only my pride was hurt, my friends helped me back up and I resolved to not be quite so relaxed in the future.
I have also been suffering from gout in my left foot which feels more like a broken bone than you would think. Gout seems like it would be good for someone who wants to take it slow but a lot of my time this month has been spent chugging Advil and lying with my feet above my heart. Not a good position for writing.
As for Nanowrimo, I find it to be less like writing and more like having the flu. At first, you are all hot and feverish about meeting your daily goals. I will write or else. Then, the nausea hits and writing becomes like vomiting words onto a page. It is neither pleasant nor good. After throwing up what you thought was a perfectly good meal of chicken pot pie, the peas and corn don’t look as appealing on the second day. Once the nausea subsides, you are exhausted and want only to finish, it doesn’t matter how well as long as you can say it is over.
I prefer to take my time, do my research and have my writing be well done at the end. When Nanowrimo is over, I will spend a lot of time editing, but there will be 50,000 words on the page and the book will be half done.
Happy November 15! I’m halfway there.
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