Trying Not to Die is Hard Work

So I am surprised to find myself here again. Not the part where I am trying to figure out what happened to months on end, but the part where I am trying to write again. I don't think I officially said what the conclusion to the fun week long hospital stay in early April 2015 was, but the diagnosis is Multiple Sclerosis. I have been working hard on taking care of myself and for the most part am doing significantly better. There is still a long way to go and it is a forever battle with no cure, but I am managing much more efficiently than I was before the diagnosis. However, as the title stated trying not to die has been a lot of hard work. I hope you all have been well since I last checked on you and I am looking forward to connecting with you again and finding out what you are up to.

I am going well enough now that I am missing writing again. Sadly, my laptop is out of commision at the moment and I no longer have a geek to help me. I know after the million times (OK, like 2, but still.) I have posted about backing up all the things all the time I would have a recent backup, but no. Insert something about if you don't learn from history you are doomed to repeat it, shed a tear and move on. A long while back I realized I had based the antagonist of Most Magical Place on a combination of Alan Rickman's performance of Colonel Brandon and Severus Snape as far as mannerisms and looks. With his death I am sad everytime I look at my printed outline so I am thinking that it is time to work on something else for a bit.

Conveniently enough I have a character that is basically poking my brain with a freaking 6 foot sharpened stick pretty much constantly. I have him largely fleshed out (because he showed up that way) on Hiveword, but I have no idea what to do with him. I have 2 scenes in my head, but where they are going to or what lead to them I have no idea. There's a girl and her best friend that came barreling along shortly after him, but still no idea what they are planning. Yes, I have been told that they aren't real and I am the one planning, but it really does feel like I am watching these people and they are doing whatever the heck they please. I would think something like wouldn't it be nice if she stopped to talk to him. Then she would stop in her tracks as she is walking away, look at me and say, "Whatever, I am busy storming away right now and if he gets in my way I'm going to run him down." What is that about?

I am hopping on the ROW80 bandwagon again. It is a great place to find support and help as well as people to cheer when you have successes. I am only starting with 3 goals and planning to stay with them for the rest of this round. My goals are:

1. To make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays
2. To visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in
3. To write 500 words every day 

What do you do when you have a character or several, but no story to put them in? Where are the best places you have found prompts to help jump start a story idea? Please leave me a comment to say hello. Don't forget to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

Photos by Pixabay.
photo credit: Distaste for Photography via photopin (license)

Baffled By Falling Behind Again

I set the goal lower than NaNoWriMo and still I am loosing steam. I went to the memorial service today for my Great Uncle Joe and realized that I didn't recognize half the people there, though I was related to them. It made me so sad because it seems that our extended family has stopped gathering except for funerals and weddings. They are kind and amazing people, but everyone is so busy with life and we always think there will be tomorrow. I tried to write tonight, but I am having trouble concentrating so I will leave this short check-in and go to bed.

PSA: Not sure I have said this recently so I will say it now. Back up your files! Go on, do it now. You don't want to loose what you have been working so hard on, do you?

ROW80 July Goals Rundown

1. Write at least 800 words per day on my Camp NaNo novel The Most Magical Place.
I think I wrote on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but all the days are running together. There is no

time where there is peace long enough to write while people are awake and the more I need some time alone the harder it seems to get people to go to bed. I am still ahead of my projected goal, but just barely. Hoping it holds out and I can make it across the finish line.

2. Post for every ROW80 check-in.
I am on target for this. So far so good.

3. Spend 1 Pom per day visiting ROW80 friends.
I did a lot of reading, but was having some trouble commenting on Wordpress blogs on my phone so didn't say hello to as many as I would have liked.

4. Post to Twitter every day.
So much no. I really want to and I think I will, but it seems to slip through my fingers every day. I am wondering if I should just change this one. Must think on it.

Photos by Pixabay.

Hard Feels and ROW80 Check In

I am so mad or upset or frustrated or something like that. I was working my fist NaNo from years ago, but I can't do it anymore. I lost what I had already written when the computer crashed. Take this as a lesson and BACK UP YOUR FILES! This did not just happen, but it is still upsetting. I pulled back out what I have left in paper notes and it was a huge mess. Then I was thinking about it and am thinking that it is a lot like The Last Air Bender, which I had NEVER seen when I had the idea. Now I wonder if it is worth creating because it is so much like another product which is probably better. I am not sure that all of that came out right or even remotely intelligible. The emotions I am wrestling with are kinda undefined, but still very powerful. **Insert screaming here**

ROW80 rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.
Monday - 343 on late post + 50 on WIP
Tuesday - 379 on WIP
Wednesday - 100 on WIP + 332 on this post

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
This post is done so there's that.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I was only able to get to 15.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
I have definitely been on more than once a day.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
This one is eluding me. Must try harder. I think I will look for writing related memes to share.

6. Read 1 book per week.
I have until the end of the day to finish a book or I'm officially behind. So of course there's no pressure.

What do you do when you just feel like throwing up your hands and screaming?

photo credit: Amy McTigue via photopin cc