03 November 2022

In which we're off to a rough start...

Today is day 3 of National Novel Writing Month, lovingly named NaNoWriMo. While I'm not planning on participating in the 50,000 words in a month challenge, I did--do--want to use this month to get a jumpstart on my novel. However, the universe has had different plans, and I don't know when I'll actually be able to lay some groundwork on my novel, at least not in earnest.

On Halloween, I spent the day at work suffering. I had constricting stomach pains that I chalked up to being a wicked combination of gas and PMS cramps. Wrong. Cue 19:00 and I'd been home for a bit having left work early because I was so uncomfortable and just wanted lay down and let it pass; food poisoning sets in -- or what we think is food poisoning (we still don't know, and I'll spare you the gory details). So for the last few days I've been laid up in bed hating life and now that I'm starting to mend my husband just spent last night being sicker than a dog with the same symptoms, so maybe norovirus or something similar? Who knows.

So my lovely plan to kick off this month with 411 words a day has been shot into oblivion. Now, I know my deficit of 1,233 words is less than that 1,667/day the true NaNo-ers need, but it feels like a mountain I need to climb and it's daunting, especially because the idea for my novel keeps warping thanks so some literal fever dreams. I can't say I'm mad about it because those ideas are awesome, and I can't wait to work them in. I'm a pantser by nature, but these ideas will require some dreaded planning and that requires mental energy I just don't have right now.

I'm off until Monday now, so hopefully we'll both be on the mend by the end of the day tomorrow and then Saturday and Sunday I can try an power through the plotting and catch up on my word count before I go back to work. It shouldn't be too hard to pump out 2,466 words over two days, but I'm anxious about it. I'm off to do some research on novel planning methodologies and how to organize myself for the upcoming month. We'll see how this goes!