Validation

Well, I submitted the novel to NaNoWriMo's official word count validator and my novel has passed. This is no judgement of how good it is, just an acknowledgement that I have put 50,000 words into the validator. But I know that what I have written doesn't totally suck, as I am (or was) a professional writer of things.

One lesson I have learned from this exercise is that I have to get an aspect of being an Adult Child of an Alcoholic under control, and that's turning joyful choices into obligations.

I wanted to do this. I have wanted to tell this story pretty much ever since I finished the last novel. However, as I was going through it, as I was doing the thing a professional writer does, which was write even when you don't feel like it, I was starting to resent the choice that I had made.

I also made a choice at the beginning of the year to try to win every game badge at Pogo.com and I wanted to do that. But my wanting to do this interfered with my wanting to write the novel and my wanting to write the novel interfered with the rest of my life (including getting to know Kathy) and it all started to feel like one big pile of "have to".

When we met, Kathy reminded me that I loved both things that I was doing and to concentrate on the joy in them and to just remove from myself the burden of thinking that I had to do them. I ended up finishing the novel and I missed only one of the Pogo badges, which I have a chance to reclaim later.

Something Kathy said to me the other day made me wonder if she thinks I think ill of her because she doesn't overbook herself as I do. Well, I don't. Just as Kathy feels she could use a little more scheduling and direction in her life, I know I can use a little more looseness and going with the flow in mine, courtesy of ACoA, the gift that keeps on giving.

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Speaking of flow...

Giving thanks

I have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, the very least of which is that I have finished the novel (pending a NaNoWriMo word count verification).

I am thankful for my wonderful friends who have encouraged me in this (the novel writing) and other things I have needed to get done.

I am thankful for my grandchildren, my stepchildren, and even my ex-wife without whom they would not be in my life.

I am thankful for my health and my job.

I am thankful for ACA and for those of you who read this blog because of it.  ACA related material will now return.

But most of all, I am thankful that I have Kathy in my life.  She likes to say she doesn't make me happy, that she's a happiness enhancer.  And by the strict understanding of human psychology she's right.  But they don't write songs saying "You enhance my happiness," so she's just going to have to live with my saying that she makes me so very happy and I'm so glad she came into my life.

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50208 / 50000 words. 100% done!

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The end is in sight

I once again feel like I am running out of story, but this time it's okay because the novel is actually almost over. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train.

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46563 / 50000 words. 93% done!

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I think I can make it now the pain is gone.

It's raining men!

Today's writing was very manly, chock full of testosterone. I changed up something from when I first started on this section and now it is entirely possible that I will go long because I have no idea how to get out of this slight detour back to the main story. But when I do, you know it will be manly.

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44514 / 50000 words. 89% done!

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Leave those umbrellas at home.

And then, a twist

It's not exactly the Sixth Sense kind of thing here, but I have finally unleashed the twist that I had planned since early on.  And I also unleashed the "twist" that I had introduced before that.  Cryptic, I know.  Read the book.  It'll make sense.  I think.

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42417 / 50000 words. 85% done!

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True fact: I once won a couple's twist contest dancing by myself.

Let's stay together

The most amazing thing to me about this book is that I have managed to write these pages while just inches from the most beautiful woman I have known.  But fortunately for me, she is a fan, and truth be told, the only reason I am writing this at all.

Our time together for now is almost at an end, but as I said to her before we even met, the end of this time together will be the beginning of a whole new life for both of us.  I love this woman.  The rest are just details.

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40364 / 50000 words. 81% done!

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Let's stay together.

Hit me with your best shot

Well, after you have a fight, the only thing left to do is shoot somebody. So now someone has been shot. I guess I could drop an atom bomb next, but shooting people has the advantage of being able to type "Ow!" over and over again, along with "the" and "and".

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38296 / 50000 words. 77% done!

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You're a real tough cookie with a long history.

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting

Well, when in doubt start a fight.  So for the 857th time in the book, the hero is fighting someone.  I think it's a waitress this time.  I don't know for sure.  I'm too tired.

ACoA tend to overburden themselves with responsibilities, and so, even though I have a gorgeous woman who actually likes me at my elbow, I am writing stories and blog entries.  Silly rabbit.

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36231 / 50000 words. 72% done!

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Here comes the big boss! Hooah, hooah!

What does love feel like?

Finished the love story portion of the program, but that's not why love is on my mind for this edition of the blog. By the time you read this, I will be on my way to meet Kathy in person. And I love her, as the song says.

Yes, I do believe you can love someone before you meet them in person. Thank you for asking.

P.S., I have crossed the 2/3 mark. Yay.

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34100 / 50000 words. 68% done!

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But what does love feel like? Well, Daffy Duck has an answer.

Unrequited love

I managed to get this far without there being any romance whatever in the story, so I decided that I would write some tonight just in case some girl would ever read it. Of course, there's no guarantee some human will ever read it.  So it might be pointless.

At least I have staved off the "and the" chorus for another night.

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31994 / 50000 words. 64% done!

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Lola Bunny sings of love...sort of.

One thing leads to another

Well, I am on the other, weird side of this. Now that I am halfway and cooking on a particular part of the story, I am starting to wonder if I now have too much material to finish where I want to. But as they say about having four power hitting outfielders on one baseball team, it's a nice problem to have.

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29974 / 50000 words. 60% done!

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The Fixx

Comfortably numb.

I have a character with a substance problem in the book. Things that I have learned through ACoA I think have helped me write a credible back story as to why this character is as he or she is. This is an area that I have wanted to explore for some time now. In fact, I actually have another story with substance abuse and its effects as a major theme. There is a screenplay version of NaNoWriMo in the spring and I think I will do that then.

Right after I get finished typing "the and the and the and the..."

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27907 / 50000 words. 56% done!

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Pink Floyd

We can work it out.

Well, I have figured out some things I can do to prolong the life of the novel.  And I have reached a crucial milestone.  I am actually halfway through.  It's not exactly downhill from here, but I can now start to believe that I might actually make it.  I didn't get nearly as many words as I wanted, but I did get another 2,000 and that might be enough.

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25838 / 50000 words. 52% done!

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Stevie Wonder

Burning down the house

I periodically check my blog's stats to see where people are coming from that read the blog and this month I am having an invasion of Russian visitors. Not sure what it means, if anything. But...

Добро пожаловать, друзья.

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After killing off the hero, the only thing left to do was burn down the setting of the story, so I did that.  And now the typing of "the" over and over again will commence.

If anyone actually ever reads this novel, the funniest part will be that all of these blurbs will actually be true (except for the typing of "the" over and over again; I'm going to switch to "and".)

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23748 / 50000 words. 47% done!

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Fighting fire with fire.

Rest in peace

In a move that could possibly make getting to 50,000 words a tad more difficult, it appears I have killed off the protagonist of my novel Thursday night.  But, again, if I am going to type "the" over and over again for 30,000 words, I guess I don't really need him, do I?

While I will continue to update the in post counter for a day to day look at my word count, I have added a real time widget from NaNoWriMo in the right hand area somewhere which updates my word count in real time. Of course, I only update once a day, so not a lot of action to be had from it.

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21713 / 50000 words. 43% done!

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Good evening.

Back to the island

Well, there's an island in the story now.  And no, it's not the Island of Misfit Toys.  And now this novel is so action packed there are not one but two accountants in it.  You cannot beat the suspense of a balance sheet.

You're thinking I'm making this stuff up.  Well, read the thing.  You'll see.

Two *click* two *click* two accounts in one story!

Yes, I am losing my mind.  Thank you for asking.

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19584 / 50000 words. 39% done!

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Leon Russel, although Janis Siegel does my favorite version of this song.

What's going on?

Okay.  No idea what this novel is going to be about for the last half.  It looks like I am going to say everything I intended to say by the 50% mark.  So once again I am thinking about typing "the" over and over again.  But maybe tomorrow I'll figure out what's going on.

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NaNoWriMo Word Count: 17497 / 50000 words. 35% done!

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Marvin Gaye.

Things are getting strange

Well, I am actually into the meat of the novel, the vast wasteland where things can grind to a halt, never to recover.  Characters have appeared out nowhere.  Plot threads are dangling all over the place.  But I got my 2K in Monday and if I keep moving forward, it'll happen.

Strangely.  But it will happen.

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NaNoWriMo Word Count: 13458 / 50000 words. 31% done!

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Speaking of strange, here is the Bed Intruder Song played on a Tsugaru Shamisen.

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Sunday will never be the same

One obsession put a serious crimp in my other obsession. I didn't do nearly as many words Sunday as I wanted because I knew that Sunday would be my only chance to get my badge at Pogo.com this week. But even with the setbacks, I got my 2,000 minimum in. But I am going to have to step it up next week.

I need more hours in the day.

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NaNoWriMo Word Count: 13458 / 50000 words. 27% done!

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Th- th- th- th- that's all, folks!

Spent a lot of the day at the county fair with my granddaughter. Watched her ride the merry-go-round. It ran fine, but I have watched so many cartoons in my life that the only thing I could think of was "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down".

Oh. And I wrote. It's coming, in fits and starts. Got 3,000 words in. Not quite making my target, but close enough for jazz.

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NaNoWriMo Word Count: 11526 / 50000 words. 23% done!

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