Heptadecagon

You had to know this was coming... That's right, we have only one day more of the crazyness! And then, I can walk away from this book for a while. (Did I do any writing yesterday? Not much--35 words to be exact. But I ran a 5k race in a respectable time, something I wouldn't have been able to do a year ago due to that not-sure-how-I-got-injured injury. So there's that.)

I am so, so glad this month is almost over. You'd think posting easy posts like those I've been putting together this month would be welcome. They are so not! I don't like focusing on how much I've written (or not) and I don't like that my posts lack merit and wit. (I know, stop laughing. My posts rarely have either.) And some days, like today, just frustrate me because... Yes, as you can see, if I had written just 35 more words on The Chocolate Garden yesterday, I'd be sitting at 61,000 words for the month (a nice round number). But I couldn't. I just couldn't. (Which is silly, really, because this post is longer than 35 words.) I guess I have my goal set for tomorrow. And tomorrow reminds me that we're one day closer back to the old grind. The break has been a pleasant one, to say the least. I hope you've enjoyed your little holiday as well.

Is this getting tedious for you yet? It is for me. But I said I'd keep a log of my NaNoWriMo writing for the month of November, so buckle up for a few more days, will ya? Yesterday I took some time to revise a short story I had written a long time ago. (Okay, not that long, but at least a year.) My writing group had looked at it, but I wasn't happy with the ending. Or the opening lines, for that matter. And I really don't know if it has potential. I'm certainly not wowed by it, but then again, I'm not wowed by this award winner , either. (I'm not going to apologize for that comment; writing is clearly a very subjective business.) I also took some time to simply look around the internet for what was trending. What did I find? Glitter beards. Yes, I said glitter beards and included a picture from the site as well. http://www.earthables.com/manscaping-trend-glitter-beards-1474751792.html I'm not going to judge. I mean, I wear a striped fleece after al

When day 26 lands on Thanksgiving, you can imagine that I didn't get any NaNoWriMo writing done. In fact, I only wrote 66 words for The Chocolate Garden yesterday. But we had a good day, and I'm thankful for the fact that both pies turned out well and so did the turkey. I'm also thankful for the crazy family I live with and the lack of silence I get on a daily basis. Someday, it will be so quiet around here, I might go looking for noise. And on that note, I thought I'd let someone else say (in more eloquent terms) a little something about gratitude. For it is important to be grateful every day of your life, not just on Thanksgiving Day: You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnack

This is how the 25th day went... It started out with a little writing. How much, I don't know. But Thanksgiving is today and the desserts needed to be made yesterday. (Yeah, Tim is a good cook, but baker, he is not.) And those kids of mine had made requests: 1. Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, 2. Cheesecake Pie, and 3. Brownies. Two of the three recipes come from my mom, and as you all know, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's this past summer. Most of the time I think about Mom, I'm okay with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's. I mean, what can I do? Worrying about the diagnosis, about Mom, or about my own possible diagnosis down the line would do nothing. But as I went through the motions of making those desserts yesterday, a sadness overwhelmed me. My mom can no longer follow a recipe. The desserts requested by the kids will no longer be made by my mom. Because I don't want to forget these recipes, I'm posting them. Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (recipe that Mary C. uses, from

You wanna know how the 24th day went? Day two of Thanksgiving vacation coincided with the 24th day of this writing journey--full of teaching, appointments, and running errands. But I gave an exam, so I had one full hour of uninterrupted writing/adding. I simply went through a few sections of my story and added some much needed action, setting, and the like (1057 words worth). My story still has a long way to go, but little by little, it's getting somewhere. And a major shout-out (since I neglected to do it before now) to my friends Bethany and Jude . They've accomplished this major goal as well, and without nudging from them, I would have never signed up for NaNoWriMo 2015 in the first place. Congrats, ladies!! I love this writing trophy. Wish I had one. (Picture taken from here .)

You wanna know how the 23rd day went? First day of Thanksgiving break for the kids--yes, they get the entire week off--so I didn't do much writing. Only 915 words left my brain and made it to the page. However, we started on crafts for teacher gifts today, so I can call today a success. Distracting thought of my day: Who the heck would send a picture of a great toe in distress? FRN would, that's who. Look away now, my friends, if you don't want to be grossed out. I think it's worse than the ulcerated cornea, but she tells me it's actually so much better than it was before. Blech! Nasty, right? Thank FRN for this one.

You wanna know how the 22nd day went? Geesh, I'm so glad I wrote so much in the first half of the month. The busyness that takes over November during this time is exactly why I haven't signed up to do NaNoWriMo before (only 568 words yesterday). Does that mean if I choose to participate next year I should just plan on trying to write the doggone novel in two weeks again? Maybe. Which means I better get thinking about a new novel idea. But here we are, on November 23, almost the end of the month, and what I'm finding is this: I'm still staying away from Facebook and other forms of internet diversion (doesn't that sound sinister?) and I'm concentrating on writing. So I miss things, like posts from friends, invitations to get together for coffee, and the like. I even miss the simple laughs that my friends provide to me on a daily basis, whether or not they mean it. I'm coming back soon, friends. I'm coming back. In the meantime, here's my littl

You wanna know how the 21st day went? It was a lovely day, but not for writing. And that's okay. Because I did so many things today. I sat around a table at Panera and discussed Yo Mama jokes with Zoe, Talia, and Aaron. My favorite: Yo Mama so fat that when she goes to Sea World the whales start singing We Are Family. (I'm sorry. I don't normally comment on weight or think fat jokes are funny, but that's funny. No, I'm not sorry. It is really funny, and I'm laughing again just writing this.) Zoe, Talia, Aaron, Tim, and I all watched Melina in her last little acting class performance of the fall.  The whole family made the trek to the music store to see about exchanging the girls' violas for a larger size. We saw some really cool looking ukuleles and a very old harp. We then headed to Home Depot to look for a Christmas tree. We didn't find one, but we did find a few other goodies. Once at home, we had lunch and watched some football.  For dinner

You wanna know how the 20th day went? I validated my novel yesterday, which means that I technically "won" NaNoWriMo. How do I feel? Just fine, thanks. I think I would have been disappointed in myself if I hadn't reached the 50,000 word mark, but on the other hand, if I'd simply added something to the story, I know I would have felt like I accomplished a goal. However, now I can truthfully post this: But, I still have ten days left to this whole thing, so I'll keep informing you of each day's events. (The kids are off school all next week. Should be some good times.)

You wanna know how the 19th day went? I knew I'd have at least one of these days, which is why I went with the flow of writing when it was in my grasp. For yesterday, I didn't have the time to write (I woke up late, had to teach, and to volunteer at the elementary school library) and I didn't have the inclination, either. I felt lazy and sluggish and didn't manage much. How much, you ask? A lowly 351 words by the end of the day. I did, however, manage to make burritos for dinner, some chocolate chip muffins for a snack, and correct my lab exams as well as make it to writing group. So I'm choosing to be happy about my day.  And why shouldn't I be, right? Like this flower? Find it here .

You wanna know how the 18th day went? I'll tell you. It started off with me sitting behind a computer and getting a few words in this morning on the story I said I was done with for a while. Don't know why I can't leave that darn manuscript alone? Go read yesterday's post . The day continued with a trip to the vet so that qualified personnel could check Shadow's eye. Yes, Shadow might have recovered very nicely from a splenectomy, but he hasn't recovered so well from an ulcerated cornea. Wondering what that is? Check this out: http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/derm/pages/ac21_6.htm That's probably a human eye (I'd have to ask John L. Bezzant,M.D.--the man whose credits were on the photo) , so Shadow's issue doesn't look exactly like that, but WOW, right? I know. After that, I ran into Kroger to get some fruit, ate some lunch, did some exercise, washed and folded laundry, answered a few school emails and finally, sat my rump back down i

You wanna know how the 17th day went? Have I ever told you that I cannot not write? Well, it's true. I say I'm not going to look at my draft, and then I go back--AGAIN--just because I have some time and I find myself adding a few words here and there. Writing. Not thousands of words writing, but writing nonetheless. What is wrong with me? (No, don't answer that. I don't even want to know what your hypotheses are.) And that, my friends, is why I added 1402 words to my story yesterday. (Thankfully, these were well-written, thoughtful words. They added VALUE to the draft. And they made me love it just that little bit more.)

You wanna know how the 16th day went? This is still the month of November and I have so much of it left, I could do some real work on that draft that I have sitting on my desktop. And yet, I could not do some real work, too. That's what I did yesterday. I got up early still, but DID NOT work on my manuscript. I messed around on some websites, sent a few outstanding emails, and window shopped online. And once everyone had left for school, I took a trip to the grocery store, dropped off a small present at a friend's house, picked up some Christmas decorations, made some soup, baked some cookies, and put together an exam for my lecture class. Toward the end of the afternoon, when I began to feel guilty that I should do something to make the manuscript better, I went back and worked on it. How many words did I add? A measly 678 words. And I'm okay with that number. Because sometime soon, when I have the chance, I'll make a new goal of revising and try to kick that one o

A revised version of this original post can be found here: https://writerrsj.com/2020/10/29/guest-post-christina-consolino-you-can-do-it-duffy-moon/

You wanna know how the 14th day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 14, 2015: 5016 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes. In fact, I'm done. Distracting thought of the day: I just wrote 50,093 words in 14 days. My novel, which has a beginning, a middle, and an ending, stands at 63,460 words. I'll have more to say about that tomorrow, in a (hopefully) more elegant post than this. (How did that happen?)

You wanna know how the 13th day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 9, 2015: 4810 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: These lovely snowflakes... I found them here , but it looks like you can find other templates as well with some of the links on the page. These designs reminded me of an old friend (Hi, Nate, if you're reading) who wielded a pair of scissors and created the most beautiful snowflakes. I have no intention of trying my hand at these. I've done enough in the creative arena already.

You wanna know how the 12th day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 9, 2015: 3465 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: I don't know what in the heck is going on, but I'm so bloated, I could float away. Is it that I'm sitting all day these days, bum to the chair so I can write? Is it that I'm not running as much? It is something more sinister at work? I DON'T KNOW. But people, I'll be praying for poop very soon because I'm pretty sure a backup is the cause of the bloat. (Open book people, I'm an open book.)

Tonight, Melina -- known to her siblings as The Perfect Child --  is doing her first reconciliation. She reminded me this morning before we left for the school bus. She told me, "But I don't know what my sin is going to be." So I said to her, "Maybe you should do something at school so you have one for tonight." I received The Look of Horror. The idea of misbehaving deliberately so she'd have some material for the priest is, evidently, antithetical to the whole idea of Melinaness.  Maybe I should have told her just to make something up. WWGCD?

You wanna know how the 11th day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 9, 2015: 3050 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: It doesn't matter that I only need 13,198 words to reach 50,000 words during the month of November (crazy, right?). If I reach the goal of 50,000 words and the story isn't done, I won't have succeeded, at least in my mind. And so, since I know the ending of the story, I wonder if I shouldn't just go ahead and write that, and then work backwards because I might be drawing out too much of the in between. Who knows?

Here's how the writing is looking on a per day basis.  Our writer is well above the average number of words per day to reach the goal of 50,000 by the end of the month. Cumulatively, she's doing well.  A cubic fit (not shown in this graph) to the cumulative words written curve puts her on track to hit 50,000 on November 20.

You wanna know how the tenth day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 9, 2015: 3158 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day:It was dark and dreary and I needed a good laugh. I knew that something over at Buzzfeed would do the trick. And sure enough I found something to help me through the day. A little preview... And while I'm at it, I need to say Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all the veterans I know out there. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

You wanna know how the ninth day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 9, 2015: 3247 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: I picked up one of Stephen King's newer novels, Revival. I have to hold judgment on what type of book it is, and if I like it. I know pretty much nothing about it. But so far, I am amazed at how a man who puts simple sentences together can be so successful. I don't mean that statement to be rude; I'd like to know how I can do the same thing. 

You wanna know how the eighth day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 8, 2015: 2325 (Almost exactly like yesterday.) 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: My kids have been playing Just Dance on the Wii. I love Just Dance. Good music and moves that I just can't seem to replicate. No matter, I'm supposed to be writing, right? Well for whatever reason, they adore the theme from the Love Boat. And so, here you have it--the video for you to relish. I hope it provides a good chuckle for you on a Monday morning.

You wanna know how the seventh day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 7, 2015: 2321 (Lower, I know. I was busy.) 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: After this whole NaNoWriMo thing is over, I still have to revise. And that, my friends, is where the whole process gets really difficult. Thus, I'm posting a link to a good reminder for what to cut out when I start revising. (You can find the link here ...it gives a good collection of overused and unnecessary words.)

You wanna know how the sixth day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 6, 2015: 3703 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: Not that I ever had a summer tan, but with winter coming, and my skin being even more pale, I'm now rocking the Bella Swan look. I think it's time to go back to my roots, so to speak. (That was really bad. I'm sorry.) Okay, take away the ear buds. I don't own a set. And my hair is shorter. Minor details.

You wanna know how the fifth day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 5, 2015: 4057 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: Never say never. As in, I would have never thought I'd find myself on the FOX News website, but there I was yesterday, researching the names of certain news anchors. (True fact.)

You wanna know how the fourth day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 4, 2015: 3970 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: True facts are awesome, maybe even epic , if I might use Aaron's favorite word. But I don't want to know true facts about some people. And that's a true fact. Bonus: Need a laugh? Watch this:

You wanna know how the third day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 3, 2015: 3604 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: Britney Spears is 33 years old and is starting to look every day of those 33 years.

You wanna know how the second day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 2, 2015: 3539 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: Slow and steady wins the race, right? I might need to pull back on the reins before I tire myself out.

You wanna know how the first day went? 1. How many words I wrote on November 1, 2015: 3828 2. Did I make the word count goal for the day? (1,667 words) Yes 3. Am I on track to finish 50,000 words by November 30? Yes Distracting thought of my day: It's a good thing I put away a book my sister left here, Pornology , because my in-laws stayed in our bedroom this weekend.

After today, for about one month, I will not be writing on this blog. I will only be posting . That fact makes me think that I should write the blog post of all blog posts today. I should be able to...it's my third child's birthday, after all. And today, Aaron turns 11 years old. Holy crap, how did that happen? I mean, where in the heck did that time go? (Imagine as I whip my head from side to side, looking for the lost minutes that have essentially evaporated.) As I'm wont to do on my children's birthdays, I think back to all the days that came before... The very warm Halloween I went into labor (I remember sitting on the front porch, in pain, and yet still handing out candy), the fact that I gave birth to a pale red-headed child (I was convinced he'd have dark hair), and the terror I felt when we had to decide on whether or not to circumcise the male child (we chose not to, but as many of you know, we had to reverse that decision when Aaron was five years o