NaNoWriMo Update: Day 24 -- Renewed efforts

Daily Stats

Day 24 Word Quota: 4,000
Day 24 Words Written: 3,300
Cumulative Word Count: 34,861

Renewed efforts

After Monday's realizations, I decided to take a long, hard look at at Snakebit and where it stood with regards to the remainder of NaNoWriMo. I knew I was behind, but I didn't know exactly what I would have to do to finish 50,000 words by midnight on the 30th.

I know now.

The first thing I did on Tuesday was to review what I needed to do to reach my word goal on time. It wasn't pretty. It looks like I'll need somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 words per day to reach my goal (not counting two days mostly-off for Thanksgiving). I'll also need more phase outlines, because I'm running out of things to write. So I made a plan, and I'm working it.

I also became un-bored with the story. That happened when I figured out that it was entirely up to me to make the story fun. Throwing in a redneck wedding to a Mississippi stripper upped the fun quotient to be sure.

So even though I'm behind, I feel good. I have a plan, and although it will be difficult to attain, it is far from impossible. I guess the most important thing is that I want this. I really, really want it. I not only want to hit that magic 50,000 word mark, but I also want a first draft finished by the end of the month. Can I get a draft finished by then? I don't know. But I will at the very least finish 50,000 words by the time the clock strikes 11:59 on the night of the 30th.

You can take that to the bank.

NaNoWriMo Update: Days 20-23 -- Falling behind

Daily Stats

Days 20-23 Word Quota: 10,000
Days 20-23 Words Written: 3,333
Cumulative Word Count: 31,561

Falling behind

After a fruitless writing weekend, I find myself in a bit of a jam. I've realized that I don't know where my story is going, I'm bored writing it, and I am 8,500 words behind schedule with a week to go in NaNoWriMo.

A bit of a jam, indeed.

Things all seemed to be going swimmingly on Friday. It was a good day for output, but not a great one where my writing was concerned. I made my word quota just before I had to leave for my shift at the Pork Palace, which was the good thing for the day. On the downside, I had a hard time writing that day and an even more difficulty getting into the story. Most of the time my writing seemed lifeless and dull. I plodded ahead until I went over 2,500 words for the day, and topped 30,000 to date. I went to work pleased but somehow unfulfilled by the day's progress.

Saturday was not even close to Friday's efforts. I didn't give myself a chance to be bored with the story because I had so many other things going on. The day's big chore was to rake the yard before the rains came. Like so many other projects, this took longer than I expected, and I ended up with limited writing time for the day. I was able to sit down and get almost 700 words in, but like Friday, I was uninspired.

Sunday and Monday can both be labeled as NaNoWriMo "EPIC FAIL" days. On Sunday, we spent most of the day cleaning the house and getting ready to have some friends over to play music that evening. I completely blew off NaNoWriMo for the day. Even when I had a chance to write, I didn't take it. On Monday, Jean worked from home, so I did not have access to the computer for most of the day, and planned not to add anything to my word count. I was glad about it; I just flat out did not want to work on Snakebit in the least. I thought I would spend the day working on some phase outlines, but I didn't even do that.

On Monday night after I got home from work, I looked at the computer and wondered why I wasn't sitting down to write. I was falling farther and farther behind with Snakebit; what was going on?

I realized a couple of things that night. One, I was getting bored with my story. I was doing a lot of exposition and introducing new characters, and not in extremely exciting ways. I was in the doldrums, stuck in a literary sargassum, and like the Ghost Pirate said in my favorite episode of the "Venture Brothers", "any way you cook it, it still tastes like hot sargassum."

I also realized that I was running out of things to write. I became a big fan of phase outlines early on in the writing process, but I've just about used up all the ones I've written. Putting it bluntly, I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get where the story needs to go.

To sum up: My story is boring me. I'm not sure where I'm headed. And I'm 8,500 words behind schedule with more than 18,000 words to write in one week.

I'm not going to panic. I think this is exactly where I need to be right now. More to come.

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 19 -- Seeking motivation

Daily Stats

Day 19 Word Quota: 2,500
Day 19 Words Written: 1,402
Cumulative Word Count: 28,228

Seeking motivation

Following Wednesday's less-than-stellar output on Snakebit, I decided on Thursday morning that what I needed was some good motivation. So I searched. And searched. And searched some more, until I found good stuff!

Some of the best came from the staff at NaNoWriMo. These people are incredibly encouraging, not to mention funny. They send out weekly "Pep Talk" e-mails which challenge, boost, and encourage all the NaNoWriMo participants. They tend to be humorous, and they usually speak directly to whatever it is I am experiencing at the moment.

This week's pep talk was a good one, but what really intrigued me was one from 2007 by Neil Gaiman (of Sandman and Eternals fame). I'm not quite sure how I happened upon it, but I'm glad I did, because he spoke to the work angle of writing a novel. To quote:

"You write. That's the hard bit that nobody sees. You write on the good days and you write on the lousy days. Like a shark, you have to keep moving forward or you die. Writing may or may not be your salvation; it might or might not be your destiny. But that does not matter. What matters right now are the words, one after another. Find the next word. Write it down. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat."

I needed to hear that.

In addition to Pep Talks From Writers Better Than I, the people at NaNoWriMo also put up some helpful videos, like this one describing Week Three of the bit of madness that is NaNoWriMo.

I also found motivation in an unexpected place. I'll admit up front that Wesley Crusher was not my favorite character in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", but I was impressed with the blog by the actor who portrayed him, Wil Wheaton. Who knew Doctor Crusher's baby boy could write?

I had been checking some keywords on Twitter when I saw a link from Wheaton' s blog posted as a retweet. I probably would have ignored it, but it quoted Warren Ellis, so I had to check it out. Turned out to be another motivational blog post that said something I needed to hear.

Of course, all this searching for motivation came at a cost: I only got 1,402 words done. But I feel good about it, and there is much more to come.

NaNoWriMo Update: Days 17/18 -- Inertia Creeps

Daily Stats

Days 17/18 Word Quota: 2,500
Days 17/18 Words Written: 1,739
Cumulative Word Count: 26,826

A writer at rest tends to remain at rest

The events of Tuesday and Wednesday made be wonder if taking a break from writing is ever a good idea. I can see arguments on both sides, and I've still not made up my mind on the issue.

Because Jean was working from home on Tuesday, I scheduled the day as a planned non-writing day. To be honest, I was glad for the time off. I'd been busting my hump for six days straight, trying to get caught up on my cumulative word count while still maintaining some sembelance of a plot. My brain needed a rest, and I looked forward to taking a day off from Snakebit and NaNoWriMo.

I used the day to catch up on some housework, write some phase outlines (I apparently can't let a day go by without doing something for NaNoWriMo), and enjoy having my wife at home. It turned out to be a very productive and enjoyable day. I felt good, and all was right with the world. And for Wednesday, I anticipated picking up Snakebit with the same gusto I felt on Monday. I was on a roll, and ready to get back into action. Right?

Wrong.

Wednesday morning came, and the zeal with which I had written on Monday was just... gone. I couldn't seem to make myself sit down at the computer and type. I'd sit in front of the monitor, staring at the blank screen in front of me, waiting for the muse to strike.

For most of the day, she didn't show up.

Distractions and Sarah Palin

I was distracted most of the day, always finding something to keep me from writing. I was cold. I wanted to do something outside. The cats were being incredibly annoying, whether they were hanging tails and paws from the top of the monitor to hide the screen from me or snagging my chair any time I got up from the computer. My inner editor even popped in for a visit, asking me "why bother?" when I know that 50,00o words won't finish the book. Then I heard about Sarah Palin's visit to Birmingham, and that got me to toying with the idea of attending her book signing in true Hunter S. Thompson/gonzo style (I later dismissed this idea, remembering that I have no desire to be tasered by the Mountain Brook police).

What it boils down to is that I let inertia get hold of me. Not writing on Tuesday made me not want to write on Wednesday. Fortunately, I recognized this before it became a giant issue. I pressed on and made myself sit down in front of the computer, getting out 600 words out before I went in for my bar shift, and then knocking out 1,000 or so more after I got home.

I'll admit that I let Wednesday get away from me, and that I only finished a fraction of what I wanted to accomplish for the day. But the bright side, for me, is that I got something done, that I achieved something positive out of the day. It wasn't so long ago that I would have blown off such a day completely. But I didn't.

For that I am glad.

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 16 -- Midterm review

Daily Stats

Day 16 Word Quota: 2,500
Days 16 Words Written: 3,696
Cumulative Word Count: 25,087

Midterm Review

Monday was a big day for a couple of reasons. For one, I had my second-highest daily output since I began NaNoWriMo. Second, I hit the word-count midpoint for the month; a big deal in and of itself, but I think it's more significant for me that I hit it on schedule.

I feel good about this, and I think I should feel good about it. I put a lot of work and planning into this project/challenge/bit of madness. Seeing that magical halfway mark appear when I planned for it to do so is a nice bit of affirmation for the work I'm doing.

I expected these past two weeks to be filled with agony. I anticipated writing into the wee hours of the night, every night, connected to a straight caffeine I.V. and pulling my hair out while I wrestled with character and plot.

Hasn't happened. It's been -- I can't say easy, because it's not -- but enjoyable. And as November has progressed, my writing is coming easier and I'm having fun. I suppose it is much like undertaking a new exercise regimen; the more you do it, the easier it becomes and the more you enjoy it.

Problem issues

There have been problems, to be sure. Disposing of my inner editor was the biggest one, but I shipped him off to parts unknown in a small, cramped crate. Which is actually fairly humane and better treatment than he deserved. My inner editor is a jerk, but I will start listening to him when he returns in January.

Procrastination is another issue, but I think I've finally, truly realized that Snakebit isn't going to write itself. The greatest ideas in my head don't mean squat if I don't make the time to sit at the keyboard and actually get them out of my head.

I also had to get used to the idea that the first draft wasn't going to be perfect. I am certain that the eventual Snakebit manuscript will be something quite different from what I'm putting out this month. I really started moving along when I could tell myself that I'm laying a foundation.

Imperfect is okay (for now)

Knowing that I didn't have to be perfect also affected me in another positive manner: I started cranking out material. I have been surprised at how many words I can get out in a day. The episodes for my other writing project, Committed, also run about 2,500 words each. I would sweat and strain and fuss over those episodes for a week, and often longer. I considered a 1,000 word day as an exceptional output. Not any more. I like that a lot, and I plan for this new productivity to carry over to other projects once NaNoWriMo is done.

One more thing: I'm finding that finishing 50,000 words will only get me about three-quarters of the way through the novel. While the 50,000 word goal is a good one -- and one that I think is definitely in sight -- I want to finish the book. Looks like I'll be upping my word quotas. Can I do 3,500 a day? Every day? I want to give it a shot.

So I am eager to get going with the rest of the month. I'm caught up, I'm working my plan, and I'm going to end up with something I've wanted for a long, long time.

NaNoWriMo Update: Days 14/15 -- Good and Bad

Daily Stats

Day 14/15 Word Quota: 5,000
Days 13 Words Written: 3,872
Cumulative Word Count: 21,391

The Good, the Bad, and the Lazy

The weekend provided a mixed bag for my NaNoWriMo efforts. Saturday was good; I hit my 2,500-word goal easily. As for Sunday? Not so much.

C'est la vie.

I was motivated Saturday to get my work done early for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to watch some of the Auburn-Georgia game that evening, and second, we planned to meet one of Jean's old friends for dinner that night. So it was important to me to get the day's writing done, and done early. And I did. Although I took my time writing throughout the day, by five o'clock that afternoon, I was done -- and I had surpassed the 20,000-word mark for my story.

Write or Die

One thing that helped me was an obnoxious little web app called "Write or Die". This is a program into which you enter your word-count goal and an amount of time, and then begin typing. The program keeps up with your word count, and alerts you when you are slipping behind in your progress. It's a nifty program to help guilt a writer into getting words on a page, and it has a particularly nasty way of letting you know when you're really behind (I won't spoil the surprise if anyone out there plans to use it). I know I will be using Write or Die more often as the month goes on.

Sunday was not nearly as productive. For some reason, I was stricken with the lazy bug yesterday. I was up early and did work on some phase outlines, but I didn't get into my writing until after 4 p.m. There were a couple of naps in between, as well as some viewing of a Venture Brothers Season Two DVD (for inspiration, of course). By the time I called it quits when Jean got home from teaching her yoga class, I hadn't even hit the 1,500 word mark.

All in all, however, things are getting easier as time passes. The good NaNoWriMo folks state that week two is the most difficult, and I agree. But that week is gone, a new one is beginning, and I'm hitting my stride.

It's going to be a good week.

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 13 -- A Milestone

Daily Stats

Day 13 Word Quota: 2,500
Days 13 Words Written: 2,504
Cumulative Word Count: 17,519

My personal milestone

Friday marked a milestone for me: It was the first day I achieved my NaNoWriMo word count goal during the day before I had to go in for my shift at the Pork Palace.

In short, that meant that when I got home from work around 10:30 I was able to chill out, talk with my lovely wife, and indulge in some mindless relaxation (which in this case meant checking out some old "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episodes on WB.com). It also meant, almost as importantly, that I wouldn't be sitting down in front of the computer, tired and brain-dead, trying to reach my word goal before I could get into bed.

Before I wrote word one for NaNoWriMo, I made a schedule for November that determined how many words I would need to write each day. I also included daily guidelines for achieving my word goal. Ideally, I would get up each writing day, spend 30 minutes to an hour surfing the web, checking mail, updating facebook, and so forth. Then there would be some general housework, with the rest of the non-workday committed to NaNoWriMo before I would get ready for my shift at the Pork Palace.

Ah, the best laid plans.

I've been trying to follow my my schedule, I really have. But I didn't count on my procrastinatory tendencies. I've been pretty bad about doing anything and everything around the house for hours before finally noticing that half the day was gone, and if I was going to get anywhere near my word count for the day, I would have to light a large, hot fire under my ass. By doing this, I put a lot of pressure on myself, and up until yesterday I was having to come in after work and write, staying up much later than normal just so I could reach my quota.

Thursday was such a day, and before I went to work I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,700 words done, with another 800 to do when I got home. I was tired and the writing didn't come easy, but I stuck with it and reached my quota sometime around 1:30 on Friday morning (about three hours later than when I normally like to hit the sheets).

The stage was set for Friday to be an underachieving day. I slept in, and got a later start on my writing than usual. But I was determined. I made myself sit at the computer, and by the time I started to get ready for work at three o'clock, I was excited to find that I had done 2,504 words. My quota was met! Done for the day! No late-night Friday writing!

So another day, another word goal met, another step closer to a first draft of what's turning into a fairly interesting novel. I'm working my plan, I'm having fun, and I'm learning about myself as I go.

It's hard to argue against that!

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 12 -- Overcoming procrastination

Daily Stats

Day 12 Word Quota: 2,500
Days 12 Words Written: 2,678
Cumulative Word Count: 15,015

Overcoming Procrastination

Thursday was a roller-caster ride. I began the day with the best of intentions, tried to make a mountain out of a molehill of a plot situation during the morning, almost procrastinated myself into trouble in the afternoon, and finally ended up beating my word quota late Thursday night.

Just another NaNoWriMo day at the Kirby homestead.

However, I am very pleased with the day's end result. I overcame some self-sabotaging tendencies, and because I sat down and did the writing, I am now back on track concerning my schedule. That's a good thing.

Now if I can just keep myself off facebook (with the fiendishly addictive Bejeweled Blitz), avoid Twitter, and stop finding months-old honey-do projects I've been successfully ignoring for time without end, I might just get this Snakebit written!

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 11 - Regaining momentum

Daily Stats

Day 11 Word Quota: 2,500
Days 11 Words Written: 3,171 (!)
Cumulative Word Count: 12,337

Letting it flow

Wednesday was an inspired day. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm happy about it. In that most rare of happenstances, the words simply flowed, without threats of violence to myself, coercion, or deals made with the devil at the crossroads.

To quote Ice Cube, "I didn't even have to use my A.K.; I got to say it was a good day."

And so it was. Even though it took me a while to get rolling on Snakebit, once I finally did get going I found it difficult to stop. I wrote right up until the time I had to get ready for my shift at work (getting close to the 1,900-word mark by then), and once I got home afterward, I sat back down at the computer with the goal of knocking out the last 600 words for the day. I ended up doubling that amount, and I was even able to get into bed at a decent hour.

Of course, yersterday's output is of dubious quality, as is a lot of what I've done so far. I'm not worried about it for now. Editing is for December (or possibly even January; I'm thinking I want to let the story cool for a month before I start working on the submission-ready manuscript). November and NaNoWriMo is all about quantity, and I'm gaining momentum. Watching my word count climb is a thrill; if I keep going like I have for the past few days, I'm beginning to think that I will easily surpass the 50,000-word goal by the end of the month. Heck, I might even try for 75,000. Why not?

I'll be working hard to keep my momentum going, writing as much as possible and making it fun while I do it. Who knows -- I might even try one of the NaNoWriMo "dares". I'm particularly intrigued by one that suggests sending an important message to one of my characters in a bowl of alphabet soup. Sure, it's a crazy idea, but I think that's one of the things I like the most about this entire NaNoWriMo adventure and the story I'm writing. For now, the best question I can ask myself regarding my story is not "why?", but rather "why not?"

I'll be asking that a lot in the days to come.

NaNoWriMo Update: Days 9 and 10 -- Gutting it out

Day 9

I just wasn't feelin' it as Monday rolled around. No sir, no way.

I could not get myself to sit down at the computer and hammer out some words -- any words -- yesterday morning. I'm not exactly certain why that was, but after some thought, I was able to produce some likely suspects.

First, Monday signified the end of my vacation, literally and figuratively. Fun time was over, and I was supposed to be getting back to business. I dreaded going to work for my evening shift at the Pork Palace; I think I dreaded even more the thought of having to work on something that wasn't even making me any money on that day.

For another thing, my Inner Editor decided that Monday would be a good time to make an appearance. My Inner Editor is a crotchety, cigar-chomping bastard who likes to run every writing effort of mine through the wringer -- often multiple times. He was in fine form on Monday, seething over every sentence I read. Every time I finally got myself to sit down and start writing, I would go back and re-write again and again until I could get my Inner Editor to begrudgingly acknowledge that what I had done was almost passable.

My rational self recognized that the situation was unacceptable. I was already more than a thousand words behind my quota; blowing off a full day would be tantamount to NaNoWriMo suicide. It was important for me to write that day. So I struggled on, and by the time I had to leave for work, I had knocked out an altogether unimpressive 600 words.

By the time my shift was over, my attitude had shifted. There is nothing like a crappy shift in a customer service role to reinvigorate your dream and make you realize why you are doing this in the first place. So I came home, and if I was not eager to sit down and write, at least I was more encouraged to do so.

I sat down at the keyboard and started reviewing my phase outline. I got about 500 words into the evening when the story started moving in an unexpected direction, moved by an almost-unknown character. I paused for a few minutes, went outside to have a smoke, then decided that my Inner Editor should very well go and take a hike for the evening. I let myself run with this change in direction for a while, and before the night was through I had written 2,540 words for the day. Quota was achieved. I was happy. And I may have even gotten some passable prose out of the night. I'm glad I gutted it out.

Day 10

Tuesdays are scheduled as non-quota days for me as my computer access is quite limited (Jean works from home those days, and money-making jobs get preferred computer time). I did knock out a new phase outline, with this section focusing on the proverbial fireworks and losing an eye situation. And yes, someone does actually lose an eye.

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 8

Day 8 Word Goal: 2,500
Day 8 Words Written: 1,233
Cumulative Word Count: 6,626

There's nothing like coming home from vacation to have inertia set in. Add in my girls and Jean's two yoga classes yesterday, and I was completely set to blow off the day's writing.

But I didn't. I sat down and hammered out more than 1,200 words, which was somewhat surprising. Not at my daily goal, but better than I thought I would do for the day. I'll do it all again for Day 9.

NaNoWriMo Update: Days 4-7

Days 4-7 Word Quota: 0
Days 4-7 Words Written: 0
Cumulative Word Count: 5,393

Ah, the best laid plans don't mean diddly when vacation is involved.

Wednesday through Saturday of this past week, Jean and I went to Orange Beach for a family trip to visit her parents and a number of other relatives. I was looking forward to the trip, but I was apprehensive to a degree; yes, I needed a week off, but how would I handle NaNoWriMo while I was out of town?

I could have soldiered on while I was on the coast, staying hunched over a laptop in the condo while Jean and her family went to the beach or had some amazing seafood dinner, but that wasn't going to happen. For one thing, I don't even own a laptop and there was no way I would be writing longhand. For another, I WAS ON VACATION, for crying out loud! Through these two realizations, I was eventually able to rationalize not doing any "real" writing -- "real" meaning adding to my word count -- while I was at the beach. NaNoWriMo could wait a few days.

But I wouldn't ignore the project; there is too much at stake to take off that kind of time right at the beginning of something like this. So I made a plan: While Jean and I enjoyed some much-needed beach time, I would knock out seventeen or eighteen phase outlines (in a most relaxed-and-groovy manner, of course). Doing so would give me momentum to come back for my first non-vacation WriMo week; when I got back, so the plan went, I would simply have to flesh out the rest of the phases. The goal of 50,000 words would be easy to reach.

Yeah, yeah, sure.

As it worked out, I did much more vacationing than outlining. There was good food, good company, and I even had an opportunity to visit with my own aunt and uncle while we were down there. Crowds were nonexistent, and the weather was nice -- if a bit breezy. I saw dolphins swimming in the morning, and a sunset that caught the breakers with a light like nothing I had ever seen before.

It's not difficult to understand how NaNoWriMo was pushed to the background, at least for a few days -- except when I was excitedly telling one of Jean's third cousins all about the project.

I wasn't a complete beach bum during the trip. I worked out three nice outlines, two of which come next in the storyline. The third just popped up out of nowhere, and I'm saving it for later on. These phase outlines give me enough material to work out the story through Tuesday, my next non-writing day -- and the day I will work on phase outlines again. Yes, I've put myself a bit behind. But not so much that I can't make it up, and quickly.

Besides, the trip was totally worth it.

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 3 - My planned gamble

It is a calculated gamble, yet one with which I am -- almost -- comfortable.

Tuesday was the first of what will be five straight days with no additions to my NaNoWriMo word count on Snakebit. I have to admit that I'm nervous about this. Momentum means a lot to me as a writer, and with two good days in a row under my belt, it seems a shame to put the brakes on my progress. But it's all part of the plan, a plan into which I put much thought and effort. I just have to keep reassuring myself that it will all work out.

Why the sudden stop? There are a couple of reasons. First, yesterday was Tuesday, and Tuesdays are planned non-writing days for me -- it's part of the plan. Today, however, is when we head to Orange Beach for a family trip. We will on the gulf through Saturday morning, and I expect not to have access to the internet during that time -- much less a computer. Besides, what kind of family vacation includes hammering out a novel while everybody else has fun? I wouldn't do that to myself nor the rest of the family, so I included trip days as non-writing days in the plan as well.

Phase Outlines

However, just because I'm not adding to my word count doesn't mean I'll not be working on the story. I will be.

One of the tools I've found quite helpful is a free PDF download of a book by Lazette Gifford: NaNo for the New and the Insane. The book contains lots of helpful tips and tricks, but one that has really helped me is her "Phase Outlines". As she puts it:

Phases are written out as key phrases
that will bring the action into focus.
A phase can be clues to dialogue,
if that's what the section's
focus is centered around,
or it might be a little bit of description,
or a set of actions... anything
that will make the story move
another few hundred words.

I used these for the first two days of writing. I wrote down a list of ten or so phrases before I sat down at the computer, then used those as buliding blocks, expanding on each phrase until I had said all I wanted to say for that particular bit before I moved on to the next phase. Looking at a blank computer screen knowing you need 2,500 words is daunting; knowing you only need 250-300 words to complete a phase is much less intimidating.

So while I am enjoying the salt air at Orange Beach, I'll be working on phase outlines for much of the story; with some hard work and good luck, I'll have phases written out for the rest of the story by the time we get home on Saturday. On Sunday, I will begin hammering out words again.

So, there won't be any updates for a few days, and I'm going to hate seeing my word count stay the same for the better part of the week. I'm also concerned about losing my momentum. We'll see how it turns out.

Sure, it's a calculated gamble. But I'm feeling like a winner right now.

Day 2 excerpt from Snakebit

In this excerpt, Chuck is revisiting an incident from his early childhood in which he used up the majority of his life's allotment of luck:

Grandma and the professor started running after me, but they were too late. I was on my own version of Mister Toad's Wild Ride, laughing and giggling as the stroller picked up speed.

This is where my luck kicked in, and I was too young to even know it.

My ride in the stroller that day quickly became the stuff of local legend. Verified eyewitness accounts, from students, instructors and staff who either attempted to corral me or watched helplessly as I careened past, detailed no fewer than seventeen separate instances in a twelve-minute span where I should have been killed. I went around corners on two wheels, the stroller straining to fall over but somehow remaining upright as it bounced up and down the sidewalk. I zipped in and out of traffic, narrowly missing not one, but two speeding Buick Rivieras being used by the television bigwigs in town for the game. I traveled through a construction zone, edging along the side of a newly-opened trench, then ducking under a pipe that was being lowered into the trench by a small crane. The construction workers fell all over each other trying to catch me, yet somehow I eluded their grasp, zipping on down the hill.

I continued bouncing down the sidewalk, sending pretty coeds sprawling onto the grass as I passed, their books and long hair flying haphazardly.

I was rapidly approaching an intersection, and at any other place in the United States at the time, I would have come to a curb, ending my ride and almost certainly causing me serious bodily harm. Yet luck intervened yet again. Mississippi Tech was at the forefront of the movement for easy public access for the disabled, owing mainly due the university's history in prosthetics engineering. In the early days of mechanized farming, thousands of farmers lost limbs as the result of gruesome harvesting accidents. Many of these men and women were sharecroppers in the east Mississippi farmlands, and it became a goal of the university to help these disabled farmers lead normal, productive lives. The work with false arms and legs eventually led to research and development for all disabilities, and the university was the first place in the United States where wheelchair-friendly sidewalk access ramps were installed.

So I didn't hit a curb and die. I zoomed across the intersection, narrowly dodging a carload of brothers from Kappa Sigma who were on their way to the county line to get a keg of beer. Down, down I went, weaving and laughing, until I reached the top of the steps in front of the coliseum and stopped.

The stroller's front wheels dangled menacingly at the edge of the stairs. It was a good fifty feet from the top of the stairs to the sidewalk below, fifty feet of cold, hard concrete, broken regularly by steel handrails.

More to come!

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 2

Two days in, two word count goals met. I'm pleased.

And a little bit (but quite pleasantly) surprised.

Today wasn't as easy as yesterday was, but of course I'd been working on the first 2,500 words in my head from the time I started thinking about taking on NaNoWriMo. Even suffering the after-effects of a too-much-fun Halloween party, I was able to ride excitement and adrenaline through the first word goal. Not so much today. It was work at some points, but I muscled my way through and ended up 300 words ahead of my goal. I'm more than 10 percent done. Only eighteen more days like the past two, and I'll hit that magical 50,000 word mark.

I'll be taking a planned break from actual writing on the novel starting tomorrow through Saturday. Tuesdays will generally be non-writing days, as Jean works from home on those days and will be needing the computer. Even though we are both on vacation this week, I'm planning to stick to the Tuesday schedule. It also works out because I'll be attending a class at the Birmingham Blogging Academy tomorrow.

We will be leaving for a family trip to Orange Beach on Wednesday, and while we're away I'll be working on some phase outlines for the story. We'll return home on Saturday, and I'll pick up the writing again next Sunday. I'm a little worried about breaking my momentum right here at the beginning, and I'm also slightly concerned about how I will react next week to having to work my regular schedule and write at the same time. The 2,500-word-a-day goal is just about what I would write in an entire week for an episode of Committed, and I've had trouble getting those out on a timely basis.

(As an aside, Committed is going on hiatus for the month of Novemeber, and possibly a little beyond. I'll make a more formal announcement later on.)

Nonetheless, I'm confident I can do it. I've planned well. If I stick to the plan, and I keep meeting -- and exceeding -- my daily word goals, it will all end up just fine. The story is coming. My characters are talking to me. I'm having -- dare I say it -- fun with this whole thing.

So I'm done with Day Two. Time to crack open a well-deserved beer and raise a toast to Day Three! Bring it!

An excerpt from Day One of Snakebit

For your enjoyment: An excerpt from Day One of NaNoWriMo. In this passage, protagonist Charles Nelson Riley Sturgis is reminiscing in his cell at the Chocolocco County (MS) Detention Center:

I've got a cell to myself, with bunk beds against one wall, a toilet and sink against the opposite wall, and a small chair and desk against the back wall. Above the desk, near the top of the wall, is a small window that lets in light, but nothing else. If I stand on the chair, I can look out the window and see the lights of the Mississippi Tech football stadium a few miles away.

I'm at the desk now, writing all this because I need something to do to pass the time. There's not a whole lot to do in jail, especially if you're trying to go straight, and I am. There's even less to do if you are a near-cripple with one eye who can't go on work detail or even go out to exercise. So, instead of doing anything with my broken body, I'm trying to exercise my mind. Maybe writing all this down will help me figure out why I'm here, or maybe give me some of that "closure" the state psychiatrist has told me about. I could just lie on my bunk, and I often do, but time passes really slowly when you're looking at the metal frame of the bunk bed above you. I think writing down my story will help me pass the time.

I said I was a near-cripple, and I am. The state has determined that I am officially disabled, thanks to two screws in my thighbone that were put in from a surgery I had in high school as well as from complications related to a broken back I suffered three years ago. This means that most of the time, while I'm awake, I hurt like a sumbitch. Today, for example, the screws in my leg are burning deep inside my thigh, my empty eye socket is itching like hell, and my back is so stiff that I can barely do anything besides sit at this desk -- it just hurts too bad to even stand up. I had to take my morning piss today sitting on the crapper like a woman. I'm glad I don't have a cellmate, because if I had one I'm pretty sure he would have laughed at me about that, and I wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing about it.

More to come!