Chugging along
On this the sixth day of NaNo, I finished a second novel chapter (which puts me halfway, or maybe two-fifths of the way, through my writing goal for the novel for this month; I was a little vague). This puts me at nineteen chapters complete (out of probably twenty-five), 71,601 words, 301 manuscript pages. I think another two thousand words or so will make this the longest original work I've ever written, surpassing the novel I wrote in high school. In word count and so very many other ways.
I totally failed to write yesterday, being busy with various social activities and the first college football game I'd gotten to watch since September (...good try, Wolverines), so today's writing (so far) puts me about 770 words behind winning pace. I can absolutely knock off 770 words before bedtime.
I also sent a story off to Asimov's and a story to Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and at this point I'm just going to be assured that the one with aliens went to Asimov's and the one with magic went to Beneath Ceaseless Skies, because yes. I am assured of this.
On an entirely different note: I've been running every other day for the last few weeks. Very slowly, and with a lot of walking in between--following Doctor Mama's instructions for maggots with some influence from the couch to 5k program. (When I realized that it was okay to stop running before I was totally exhausted, walk until I caught my breath, and then start running again, that was when I started thinking maybe I could do this running thing.)
That said, I run literally no faster than I walk, and I'm sure I don't cut an impressive figure in my maize and blue hoodie and fleece pants here in Badger country. But yesterday, in the walk between minute eleven and minute twelve of running, I was huffing along, catching my breath and assuring myself that I just had to run one more time and then I'd be home, and it was okay to be tired and I'd get my breath back any second now, and then I heard someone crunching through the leaves behind me, actually running.
I moved all the way over on the sidewalk to let him past, and as he drew even with me he looked over. He nodded and gave me a sort of good-work-keep-it-up smile.
The twelfth minute was the easiest one I ran, with a huge grin on my face. That was the most I've felt like A Runner yet.
I totally failed to write yesterday, being busy with various social activities and the first college football game I'd gotten to watch since September (...good try, Wolverines), so today's writing (so far) puts me about 770 words behind winning pace. I can absolutely knock off 770 words before bedtime.
I also sent a story off to Asimov's and a story to Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and at this point I'm just going to be assured that the one with aliens went to Asimov's and the one with magic went to Beneath Ceaseless Skies, because yes. I am assured of this.
On an entirely different note: I've been running every other day for the last few weeks. Very slowly, and with a lot of walking in between--following Doctor Mama's instructions for maggots with some influence from the couch to 5k program. (When I realized that it was okay to stop running before I was totally exhausted, walk until I caught my breath, and then start running again, that was when I started thinking maybe I could do this running thing.)
That said, I run literally no faster than I walk, and I'm sure I don't cut an impressive figure in my maize and blue hoodie and fleece pants here in Badger country. But yesterday, in the walk between minute eleven and minute twelve of running, I was huffing along, catching my breath and assuring myself that I just had to run one more time and then I'd be home, and it was okay to be tired and I'd get my breath back any second now, and then I heard someone crunching through the leaves behind me, actually running.
I moved all the way over on the sidewalk to let him past, and as he drew even with me he looked over. He nodded and gave me a sort of good-work-keep-it-up smile.
The twelfth minute was the easiest one I ran, with a huge grin on my face. That was the most I've felt like A Runner yet.