I’m writing, tonight, from my mother’s house, a several-hour flight from home. The house remains in a state of upheaval, as we work to get her settled in a functional, cozy space that meets her needs. Unfortunately, that means we’ve had contractors hovering, adding insulation, tile, lights, electrical outlets, and all manner of other small improvements. It also means I’ve been spending a lot of time sorting through her stuff to find appropriate spots for things, hanging pictures, and running back and forth to Home Depot, where, I swear, she would benefit significantly from some kind of frequent buyer program.
😀
All this to say… I’ve been working hard. Just not at all at writing. While normally no new words for the week would be a very sad place for me, it confirms my wisdom in not having actually attempted NaNoWriMo this year–though I will count myself as an effective cheerleader, as both the people I was … “encouraging”… made their word counts a few days early. (Congratulations, Gayla and Alicia!)
🙂
I also got to catch up with a lot of family I don’t usually get to see. Which gave me plot bunnies and other new story ideas. (Sorry, folks, the adage about writing what you know has an awful lot to do with the emotional truth behind an interaction–even if you like to noodle in a world where magic is a palpable thing.) 😉
I also turned in all my class work. Astonishingly, I’m two weeks from the end of this class, and somehow have managed a 100% on all my assignments. Either I’ve figured out the system and am really working it… or … dunno… this is an online class… it’s hard to imagine what else could be tipping the scales this way. In any case, while it’s gratifying to imagine that for once in my life I might be absolutely perfect at something someone else is judging, I’m staying focused on my goals. For next year, that will mean finishing this MBA, releasing three of my own, stand-alone stories, and participating in an anthology. There’s plenty of writing in my future so this break, while physically exhausting, was emotionally satisfying in a different way, and let me count my blessings in a visceral, in-person way.
🙂
I hope now that I’m past the Hallow’s Eve Triptych release, and have had this kind of break, I’ll be able to re-focus this week, and get back on track for finishing the third Red Slaves story. We’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, check out how the other ROW80ers are doing.
Gotta love a busy bee.
Have a great round.
Tonette
Thanks, Kathy and Kathrese, for stopping by. The main hazard of these breaks is that we get out of the habit of writing, so I’m going to have to push myself tonight to make sure I get back to it. 😀
W00t for the perfect score in your class! Also, here’s hoping the contractors can get things done on time and the upheaval will be over soon. I remember when some friends moved into a new house; it seemed like every day we were going to Wal-Mart for that one thing we forgot that we didn’t realize we needed. Sometimes two or three times a day.
Taking care of mom is a privilege, and I applaud your efforts. You’ll never regret a few days of missed writing time when the time is spent this way. Have a great week!
Thank you for your encouragement! 😀
Glad to have stood by on the Twitter sidelines for you! 😀