Caught up!

NANO STATUS: 40,403

I can’t believe it – but I wrote 10,000 words this weekend! Of course, it wasn’t easy but I DID IT! I’m so pleased with myself. Now I’m in the home stretch. I think I can get in 2,000 words a day until Sunday and get this puppy knocked out and done. If I don’t make it now…well, that’s just dumb and my own fault.

I like the story but most of it is just not good. Let’s face it: It’s crap. And I know this so hopefully I can take some time to edit it and polish it and actually make it a decent draft. It took some surprising twists and turns and I’m glad about that. It’s turning out somewhat the way I expected, though the way I’m getting there is definitely NOT the way I expected at all. I guess that’s the fun part about writing. 🙂

However, I really want to get back to Magic before I do the edits and so that’s my plan for December and January. Finish that darn rewrite at long last. Maybe I can actually start querying it in the Spring once I get through the final rewrites and polishing it.

Writing and editing is such a long tedious process sometimes. I just want to get to the finish line because I’m impatient and want to get to the end result. But all the hard work is really worth it.

Anyway, didn’t do much of anything on Sunday except lounge around the house, do some laundry, and write. Man came by in the afternoon for a bit. The kiddo played Wii – yes, I was a bad Mom and let him – and then I cooked dinner and let him watch the Indy movie yet again (yes, I have it memorized!). I did run out to Starbucks for two gift cards. I finally have an idea for that friend I was missing a gift on so now I just need the supplies to do it. I’ve decided to make something. I think that’ll be better than anything I could buy in a store.

I may seem organized, but really, I’m insane. I do it to myself every single year. You’d think by now I would have figured this all out. To give you an example of how terribly anal I am: I use Quicken to balance my checkbook and track expenses in Excel to make my bi-weekly budget so I know what bills to pay with what check. I even have my “Christmas Budget” set up in the Excel sheet and every time I spend money on Christmas, I subtract that from the spreadsheet AND Quicken. Yes, terribly anal.

I have a list of everything I’ve bought and who’s getting it. I keep ALL my receipts in an envelop for future reference (you know, just in case). If I order stuff online, I keep the email confirmations and shipping information in one central folder (again, anal). I even have a list of everything I’m going to bake and/or cook for the holidays, as well as a shopping list.

In the middle of all this planning and organizing for Christmas presents and baking/cooking, I’ve been running errands for the company banquet in two weeks. PLUS, I’m super busy at work getting banquet materials ready to ship to Corporate so they can distribute the stuff to the other 15 offices. Yes. I’m insane. So I NEED those lists and spreadsheets just to keep track of everything. And I can’t remember jack these days so I have to write EVERYTHING down on a calendar as well as set up a reminder in Outlook. It sucks to get old for sure.

Oh, and I got a jury summons for December 10. 🙁 I better not get picked because I REALLY want to be at my son’s holiday party at school.