Thursday, November 30, 2017

It's a Wrap: NaNoWriMo 2017




I achieved both of my goals this month, as I know I already posted: I wrote every day in November and I surpassed the 50,000 words written in 30 days.

I continued writing past the 50k target, and my validated word count for NaNoWriMo 2017 is officially 56,281. That isn't the highest number of words I've written in a month. My highest NaNoWriMo was last year, at just over 60,000 words. But I don't think I've ever written every day in November before. I tried to look at my stats to see - but they weren't tracking all of the stats in the same way (or data was lost in a website upgrade) my first three years, so I don't know.

A very successful NaNoWriMo this year. And some impressive "lifetime total" NaNoWriMo stats.

And I just successfully passed the goal for my tenth consecutive NaNoWriMo win!


Wednesday, November 29, 2017

NaNoWriMo Update Day 29



NaNoWriMo Winner for *10* consecutive years!

Yes, I did!

I wasn't ready for sleep, though I am getting tired.
I decided to work through and assignment about writing on each of the senses.
I have three senses done, so two to go,
and while I'm still not ready for sleep, I am ready to stop writing.
For today.
I compiled my project.
I opened the document and checked my word count.
I uploaded the project into the NaNoWriMo Validator and
voila
I am a 2017 NaNoWriMo Winner 
with a word count (so far) of 
50,725.

I will continue writing on Wednesday and Thursday.
I will update my word count at NaNoWriMo.
But I met the requirement of 50k words in 30 days.

Go, me!
*

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

NaNoWriMo Update - Day 28

Here is where I am

Oceanside, OR
Writing.

Current word count is 48,002.

I will break the 50,000 mark tomorrow. And I will keep writing. 
This is important.

I will make my secondary goal of writing every day.
Which is also important.

And when NaNoWriMo 2017 is done, I will keep writing.

I brought the printed version of my memoir with me to the coast. So after I sleep off the drinks and dinner and celebration after we both have posted and verified our 2017 wins on Thursday night before midnight, on Friday I will write more on what I've written this month. Then I will begin the next round of edits and rewrites in the memoir. 

All is good.

I also have the script for the next show with me, which I will not even touch until Friday.

And I have a book to finish reading, some short stories to fill in short breaks and between naps (if you know me, you know that's a joke; I don't take naps). I have a couple of new magazines which arrived the other day and I brought Big Magic (which I have listened to five times, but this is my first time reading the printed book and it is getting into me in new ways; I love it).

And I'm at the coast. With wind water trees birds salty air, and in a small town with only one restaurant, a teensy cafe, no stores, a cute quaint post office and fire department. 
Nestled in this cute true Oregon beach cabin with funky familiar comfortable features and unstable internet connections and little to no cell phone surface (unless I'm actually on the beach - go figure!). This is a perfect retreat for crossing the NaNoWriMo border into preparation on the next play, with time and space for thinking and breathing clean air.


Monday, November 27, 2017

Quick NaNo Update Day 27

I haven't been posting daily updates like I usually do during NaNoWriMo. But I am writing every day, which is also important.

I knew this year my word count, reaching 50,000 words in 30 days was going to be a bit more challenging than usual. I also knew it would probably be really close to the 11:59 pm November 30th deadline. And it is, all around.

I am confident I will make it. It may be on the 30th that I post passing the goal and verify my word count. And I am okay with that.

Right now I am sitting at 43,890. The target for today is 45,000. I don't think I'm going to hit it today.

But, plenty of time ahead to reach 50k. And I will.

That is all.

No story updates or outtakes from this year. No. It's all staying right where it is for now.

I've got this.

Here is where I'm heading tomorrow for a few days, to finish writing my NaNoBook and a day to recover and do, well, whatever I feel like (and make one business related phone call because it's that important; but I might have to drive a few miles away to get a signal).


Tuesday, November 21, 2017

NaNo Update Day 21

It has been a struggle to keep up with writing these past few days. Past two weeks, actually, but especially true the past few days.

However, I am thrilled to say that I am back on track. And that i just passed 35,000 words for the month. Which is what it would be for me to be on track, so, while 35k words is many words, it is also right where I should be today in order to keep up with the daily average.

And some great insights today. I am excited by what I wrote and, no, you don't get to read any of them. Not yet. At some point some of this will go into publishable words. But right now this is, truly, without any malice or negative intent, a very shitty first draft. Which makes it an excellent first draft because it means that I am pouring excitement and connections and raw energy of writing into this shitty collection of words.

My (maybe "so far") word count today is
35,773


Sunday, November 19, 2017

NaNoWriMo Day 20 - update

It is palindrome day for me! My total word count so far, and, no, I didn't plan it this way. But it is nice when it happens. Once in a while my word count is a palindrome and here it is!

30803

I will be writing more later in this day, but this is where it is at the end of another writing session. I am lagging behind, just a little. But I should be able to get the additional 858 words into day to be back on track.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

NaNo Update: Day 15

It is the middle of the month and - tada - I reached 25,521 words written today!

I will probably not get any more words in for today and I am fine with that. The target total for today is, obviously, 25,000 since it is the middle of the month, and I made it. I have also written something every day. I think my lowest daily count was around 325 words; but I was ahead at that time, so I was still on the daily target goal. And I am achieving my secondary goal of writing every day.

I updated my badges on my Author Dashboard on NaNoWriMo.org  and noticed this encouraging and interesting fact. This is, for the ten years I have been doing NaNoWriMo, my daily average.

Go, me!
   Average Writing Pace
1,765 words per day

Sunday, November 12, 2017

NaNo Day 12 - so far?

The target for the end of Day 12 is 20,000 words written. I just finished up my (first, I hope) writing session for today, November 12th.

My current word count is 20,066! Still on track. A little fussing to get me to this point. But the writing session I just finished was successful and satisfactory.

Whew.

Twenty thousand words down; thirty thousand to go!


Saturday, November 11, 2017

NaNo Day 10 into 11

I have still written every day.

Today, I am still on track. Even if I do not write another word today I am still on track; up by 280 words. I knew this would be the slow down time, with the plays. And it's all fine.

I have some built in writing times every week and a writing retreat at the end of the month. Yes, the writing retreat I usually do more toward the middle of the month - but it was delayed this year by theatre. Two of my passions which are vying for time: writing and theatre, rinse, repeat. No complaints, an admission that sometimes there are not enough hours in a week for me to do everything I'd like to do. That's life and I know it.

So. The writing itself is going. I am writing what I need to be writing and I am making progress.

No, no story synopsis to share. No excerpts. Just a vagueness that I am still writing, writing every day, and keeping up a decent pace.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

NaNo 4, 5, 6

I've already fallen behind on the daily posts here and not even through week one. That's okay, though, because I am still ahead of the word goals. Which is good. I am nearing that point where I will fall behind; and if I don't, well then. Okay!

My current word count at the end of the sixth day of NaNoWriMo is 12,417. That is an impressive number given everything else. The story did change, as I suspected it would. It has become a series of exploratory essays, I think, or something. I have committed to writing every day this month on this topic and seeing where it leads and what I discover. So I am a NaNo Rebel this year, and I am okay with that label. The goal is still 50k+ words in November and my own personal of write to this topic every day.

In other news, [besides the angst of rising health insurance costs (which were not a surprise but it doesn't lessen the impact) and the shock of the increased property tax bill (that was a surprise; a significant increase) and the car insurance raising the rates just because] our furnace has now stopped heating. It started acting up on Saturday. It still worked but was noisy; it heated and pushed the warmed air around. That continued Sunday and I asked a friend for a referral and got one. I called them Monday morning and they are coming Tuesday afternoon. But when I got home after my late night Monday shift, the furnace was humming quietly but no heat or fan. I reset it, the fan blew, then it stopped. No heat. At least it's not getting down into the 30s tonight; we do have a portable heater so I ran that in the bedroom to warm it a bit, then turned it off. Headed to bed now to get my side of the bed warmed while the chill is off the air. Tomorrow it will be fixed (I assume and hope). These are the facts of having a home, I know, it's just one thing. These are just a few of the little details of life which are encroaching on writing time. And I am grateful to have a home and insurance and a car and a job and a relationship and my cat which take up some of my time. Truly.

I am still confident I will make this my tenth consecutive NaNoWriMo win. I have a small retreat built in later in the month where I will catch up and get it done if I need to; or just continue to write every day on this topic if I've already passed the 50k.

Now, to bed, before all the heat leaks out of the bedroom.

Friday, November 3, 2017

NaNo Day 3

Posting this now in case I don't get back to it before midnight. Which I might not. But I am still ahead of the 1667 per day; and I did write today.


Thursday, November 2, 2017

NaNo Day 2 and a Rant

An update on my NaNoWriMo progress. It is! I am writing. I had my opening words from the midnight write-in on November 1st. After a play rehearsal the evening of November 1st, I went home and wrote a little bit more.

Today (Thu 11/2), a writer friend and I met at the Corporeal Center and had a write-in, with other writers coming to use the space and Domi greeting and conversing. I managed to write a good chunk of words while there. Then relocated and a little while later I wrote more words.

The words were kind of flowing! It was a good writing day.

I closed out the day with a total of 5556 words - which is over the average target word count of 1667 words per day (which would make day 2's target 3334). I am deliberately over because I know there will be some minimal days ahead.

One of my goals this November is to write something every day. Last year I wrote most days; this year my goal, in addition to the 50k, is to write every day. Even if I meet the 50k target ahead of time, is to continue writing every day. (Can you hear me laughing? it will be a struggle to do this year, even though I usually finish around Thanksgiving.)

No, I'm not going to post much of anything about what I'm writing. What I started at the midnight write-in is probably not the story I'm writing. It was words and I thought that would be it. But there has been a major shift. A good shift and I feel on track. But I am not going to talk much about content this year. And I'm fine with that.

* * Warning: Stop here if you don't want to read my rant! * *

Now for the rant: health insurance (with mention of car insurance and taxes).

Maybe I should just stop right there.

No, here are the details, which I know many others are experiencing, as well. I am not alone and I know that I am in a better place on this issue right now than some. Though I am in that group of people who feel the ground slipping and resources changing.

I am so disgusted. Don't even ask me because I don't believe that the "health care" talks from Washington DC would make this any better - I believe 100% that it would be even worse. Does this system need to be fixed? Yes. Is the GOP/T plan any better - oh, no, not at all.

So - my insurance rant 2017 heading into 2018.

My new health care insurance packet arrived. Look at that screen shot, no, this is not comparable. It is not comparable at all. Another $90 per month rate increase for slashing my "benefits" - which I never use because the only thing I use them for is the requisite periodic lab work due to a genetic mutation, which I pay in full, and the requisite one medication I pay for in full, which has a total cost that is below the minimum copay for rx? So I pay you for the privilege of paying everything out of pocket and I get to pay you more for it? Does this look comparable to you? I mean, yes, I knew rate hikes and slashes were coming. But. Still. 

One difference not shown is that my 2017 plan I pay $70 for office visits with my primary dr until deductible is met; and $150 per visit to a specialist. Now I will have those 2 visits per year at $50 and then 50% after deductible? What about that gap of 2 visits to deductible, if needed? In full? At, what, $300 per pop?. 

Oh - I do go to the doctor when needed : My primary care is a Naturopath and Acupuncturist; I also do chiropractic and massage (necessary for the work I do; it has kept me from repetitive motion injury) - none of that is covered by my insurance, so also paid 100% out of pocket. 

With our property tax hike, the car insurance premium hike (no accidents or anything to raise it, it just went up because they could), my health insurance premium increase - is an additional $200 per month; and I don't know what my partner's health insurance rate increase will be, yet - I'm sure there will be something, but don't have those numbers yet.

On the left my deductible and my maximum out of pockets are the same (6500/6500). On the right, my out of pocket maximum is 7350 and my deductible is 6500. Whoopee; $850 "savings."

The left column, with the exception of right now having $70 primary OV/$150 specialist OV until deductible is met, is what my 2017 plan has been.

This screen shot shows the 2018 Marketplace version (left) and the KP version (right). I have been a direct KP individual member for years. I haven't wanted to do the Marketplace because I've heard of many problems with losing rights and access to information due to being Marketplace instead of KP direct. Now, staying with the direct KP plan will cost me $14 more per month than the Marketplace version and the direct KP plan will give me worse coverage; that is reversed from how it was in the past.

I don't get it.

Especially when I don't use it and what I use is so cheap that, in the case of the medication, it is below the minimum copay for a medication.

And, what I haven't said, is that I don't like my primary care physician. I ended up with her when my longtime doctor moved away. Doctors recommended by friends and my ND are not taking new patients.

I realize it is a privilege to have resources to make the premium payments. To have the choice to use natural medicines and chiropractic as my primary care and pay out of pocket. I do work - I have a part-time job at which I have no health care insurance benefits and we are kept under that hours cap where they would have to provide insurance. I also do some freelance work, including performance interpreting and coordinating.

One thing I wonder is at what point does the amount of work I have to do to be able to afford the insurance premiums become a factor in my need for health care? And at what point will it become unaffordable and what will I do? Work more which will increase mental and emotional and physical stress which will cause more need for health care which will .... and so it goes. As of 2018, my health care insurance premiums will have gone up $260 in three years. And this includes going from a Silver plan down to a Bronze plan; I had to decrease my coverage last year because, without it, my insurance would have been almost another $100 per month, in addition to the $70 increase I had to settle for.

I am not dwelling on the cycle right now. Because this is where things are. As the costs of living go up and insurance premiums go up for no reason and even without use, it does raise the question of where is that line of working more to keep making the insurance payments, when the working more becomes a factor in decreasing the standard of living and the need for more health care to address the stress.

There is more. But this is already long enough. And some of the other things I have to say do not belong in this space.

*

Added note: I know my health care insurance situation is not the worst. I have been hearing stories the past couple of days from people whose situation is worse. One whose monthly premium is going up $350 just for herself. I don't know if hers includes dental and vision or what plan she's on. I don't have those; only medical. There are people going without insurance because they cannot afford the premiums. The ACA is not affordable; the alternatives proposed are far worse. I feel like I am being strangled by insurance and the mangling of health care and destruction of the environment and more. And some people have it worse than me, I know.

*

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

November? Really? Really.

It is now officially November, which means, what?
Mu
That's right! It is NaNoWriMo time again.

I am currently at the Portland International Airport, PDX, with about 50 other writers. We started gathering at 11:00 pm on October 31st and at midnight on November 1st, the ML (Municipal Liaison) said "go" and we did.

It took me a couple of minutes to get started, but I did.

The opening is a bit rambling, but that's okay. It will probably take a little while for me to kick into gear and get the flow going. Right now I'm looking to get my footing and the story on a smooth track (in a NaNoWriMo kind of way) and then I will be able to clip along at a nice pace.

I will get there.

I almost always do.

And I know this story is going to take a turn at some point and become dystopian. I can feel it. I don't know what or when or how, but it is there. I have a feeling it's just outside the door of the room and what seems kind of normal and la la la is going to start getting a bit weird.

Or magical realism/surrealism.

I reached the first 1667 words (one day's count) at 12:58 AM. Not bad. Not bad at all. It's a start.

Now to get a little more written before I go home. These first couple of weeks are going to be a little challenging with the shows in rep at Profile and NaNoWriMo and all of the regular things I do.

I've go this. Wings on my fingers and a river of words in my brain.

Back to it.

#amwriting