Day 14

Happy Birthday Mom! My word count today is dedicated to you...23,637, which is 299 words ahead of the worst-case scenario plan. Hurrah!

Mom and Dad won't be able to check in for a couple of weeks, as they are on the road again - driving from North Dakota to Washington state to stay with Grandma Helen and Grandpa Bob through Thanksgiving. Talked to them this evening as they were driving through Billings, Montana and they were in high spirits, and planning on stopping for a birthday pizza dinner!

I don't know whether it is the crisp fall weather that has finally arrived here, or the almost full moon, or the fact that I AM NEARLY HALFWAY DONE with my 50,000 words, but I have been feeling positively cheerful all day.

Well, almost all day. While I was making dinner, Sonia got into the drawer that contains a variety of paints. Which one do you think she used to do her face, her shirt, her jeans, her shoes and her chair with?

a.) one of the three sets of water-colors
b.) the water-based face paints
c.) the set of oil paints for a paint-by-number kit that isn't quite finished yet.

Those who chose answers a. or b. are either true optimists or they have never had a two-year old in their house for more than five minutes. Aaaaargh.

I have made little progress in the area of daring to goof up. I mean, I am sure I am goofing up all over the place, but am not yet feeling that great expanse opening up before me where goofing up big will feel truly okay. In any case, I am still fleshing out earlier scenes, adding detail that will help me to tie things together and wrote two new sections touching on important events that have only been mentioned. All very respectable novelling, I assure you, but I supect I am again hypnotized by the Pure Potential factor (see Day ? post) - meaning as long as I resist pinning myself down to anything specific, this novel might still take an astonishing turn... ahem. Right. I know. I'm going already.