Day 10 of 30: Ode to coffee

As it’s 5:05 AM my time and I’m still up writing (I slept until 3 PM on Wednesday after staying up all night writing and researching), which seems to be par for the course for me these days. OH HOW I WISH I was back on my normal sleep schedule… As I stare longingly at my sleeping husband…My desk is right beside our bed and I get to watch him sleep as I write. Makes it worse and better at the same time. Except this morning I will be watching the little man, my almost 9 month old grandson for a few hours while my daughter goes job hunting. This should be fun. (I’ll take some pictures. I don’t have many pictures of him for this month–I have tons from last month. So it’s time for some more pics anyway. I love that little guy. 😀 I just really hope the pain dissipates between now and then so that I can enjoy my visit with him. As a first time grandmother the joys of spending time with the little man are somewhat hampered because I am in such pain most of the time.

I’m currently writing Chapter 6 and I’m at the part where my main female character finally remembers she has her grandmother’s journal and she’s about to start reading some of it. It’s a crucial part of the story. And I’m having a bit of writer’s block. My current word count is: almost 20,000 words. I think it’s 19.953 and holding until I figure out how to insert bits and pieces of the journal without inserting whole journal entries. I’ve only written one journal entry anyway, and that’s my prologue. Oh FUN! I get to write the journal entries first, then figure out how insert bits and pieces of them, or maybe I’ll just write the actual bits and pieces. Except the journal entry is part and parcel of the other book I want to write (maybe a series????? in the making). Hell, right now I’m so tired, and my neck, back, and legs are so stiff all I can think about is crawling into bed with my husband and getting at least a few hours sleep before my daughter and grandson show up at around 11 AM, which is a little over 5 1/2 hours from now. I am taking a much needed pain pill and calling it a night (or day as the case may be) for now. I’ll be right back at once I am awake and have had some more coffee–after my grandson goes back home, that it is.

Maybe my journal entries will invade my dreams and I’ll wake up with them bouncing around in my mind and be able jot it all down before I forget them. Now that’s a great idea! (I’m smiling as I say this–I’ve read in quite a few books, blogs, etc that a great many writer’s wake up with ideas for their novels from dreams.) No pics tonight. And since I have no idea of how to insert a video except via YouTube I won’t be inserting my video that I made with the intention of perhaps one day vlogging, especially since so many do it for NaNoWriMo. Of course, it’s probably for the best that I don’t vlog, and that I am unable to insert my video into the post because I’ve realized I am in no way shape or form comfortable in front of a video camera. I am happier behind the lens. I like to be the one taking pictures. And I’m thinking that I would much rather be the one behind the video camera as well. Videos are different than photographs though. You can  tilt your head a certain way (chin out a little), lean in a little towards the camera, and you lose the double chin (most of the time), but with a video it’s a bit harder to maintain a pose or the tilt of one’s head when you’re talking. So I’m going to leave the vlogs to those who are good at it. I have gained a great deal of insight from their vlogs about NaNoWriMo though. And I really do enjoy watching most of the vlogs on YouTube… Just not sure it’s for me until I lose the 20+ pounds I need to lose and am more comfortable in front of a video camera.

Which brings me to the fact that I also noticed just how heavy I’ve become while watching the video. The uterine tumors have put an additional 10-20 lbs on me, but I was at least a little overweight before that so I began a routine today. I walked 1 mile today. I also stretched and did a few exercises, and have been getting up and moving around during intermittent breaks from writing. Something I should be doing anyway since I’m sitting for long periods of time in front of the computer typing away so that I can finish my novel in the required 30 days. I’m also working on eating healthier. For dinner I made chicken parmesan with garlic bread and with that we had a delicious salad with 3 different types of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, those tomatoes that look like grapes (I cannot think of the name of them right now), bell peppers, and dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. I had Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette with mine. I have also had 2 bottles of water today, and 2 glasses of green tea with honey (the cold kind–I live in the South and we drink sweet iced tea round here), along with my 4+ cups of coffee (I believe I’ve had about 1 pot of coffee today total (in a 24 hour period of time). Vast improvement and I’m patting myself on the back. I don’t want to end up at the ER because I’ve become dehydrated–however would I finish my novel if I’m hooked to IV’s and such?

So I’m off to curl up next to my husband and attempt to get a few hours sleep and hopefully dream of my MC’s ancestor who began the journal in the 1700’s–she was in Scotland. This oughtta be fun…I have a lot of research ahead of me about Scotland in the 1700’s (food, dialect, words, area, clothes, etc). But it will be interesting because that’s where my 7th great grandfather came from. He was naturalized in the mid 1800’s after he settled in SC.

Good Night/Good Morning! Have a great one!

Credit for Snoopy pics goes to the Snoopy Page on Facebook.

Related articles

• A day in the life of a sleep-deprived writer… (authorallsorts.wordpress.com)
• First Cup of Coffee and Camp NaNo Induced Craziness (adriejf.com)
• Ode to Coffee (autobiographicalreflections.wordpress.com)