Status (Day 13)

21841 / 50000 words. 44% done!

Creativ-O-Meter Scale Rating = 3.5 – Though, this is more due to getting sick than the story itself. Apparently, sleep is a good idea.

What Is Slowing Me Down?

THE FLU

But will any of these instruments bring her brain back?

I thought I had a namby pamby cold, but I think it can officially be upgraded to The Flu. While I entered this past weekend with grand visions of what I would accomplish, both for NaNoWriMo, and for other projects, my body decided to disagree. Instead, I spent approximately 80% of Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday sleeping – and only 60% on Sunday because I was teaching a lesson at church. In between, I ate, and worked on my Great Novel.

(I also happened to dog sit four of the most docile and well-behaved dogs in the world on Saturday. This entailed me sleeping on the couch while they slept on the floor or outside. Now and then, I would wake with a dog face near mine as they insinuated the couch would be more comfortable with them on it.)

I think I may have slept in all of these positions myself.

Good Things About Having The Flu During NaNoWriM0:

• The Internal Editor tends to be taking a nap too.
• Fever dreams are great source material for fantasy stories.
• Typing is a low energy activity that can be done wrapped in a blanket.

Bad Things About Having The Flu During NaNoWriM0:

• When you look back at some things you have written, you wish your Internal Editor was there to explain it to you.
• What was that plot line I was trying to follow again?
• Why does all the text on the screen look sideways?

I’ve got a lingering headache and sore throat, but am otherwise functional today. However, I think my word count may slow down a little as I work to recover, and I am reminded of other obligations I had planned on taking care of on Monday.

One thing that has helped me even while my brain has been less functional is the soundtrack I had put together in the beginning. Having a soundtrack helps me: 1. outline the story arc 2. have mood music to help me get into the world of the story 3. have a song that reminds me of the story’s tone or a character’s core personality.

So, in between sleeping, I have also been lying with my eyes shut, letting my imagination run while listening to this story’s soundtrack.

Just to give you a sample, this is the song that would play during the movie version’s opening montage introducing the mise-en-scene and main characters:

Now, I’m off to other exciting adventures. Hopefully, I can rest a little today and be able to return to full creative power later. I need to get well and push through the next plot point or two to get back to the 4-5 range on my Creative-O-Meter.

• What stage is your Creative-O-Meter at?
• Have you come up for air yet, or are you still in a deep dive with your story? – Well, I guess you’ve come up for air if you’re reading this.
• Did you take a break to see Thor 2? – I heard it was awesome. I decided I would wait until I could stay awake through the whole thing to watch it.
• We’re almost half-way through! You can do it!

Side Note: 

The awesome trailer to the Day of the Doctor. I might be really excited.