Is it Official? Did I Lose NaNoWriMo?

TBD

I began this November’s NaNoWriMo full of excitement, and my head was full of book to write. I had taken the time to rough out an outline of 2 pages which for me is a lot seeing as how scribbled notes are what I usually do, if that. But I was determined to do it right this time.

I began the challenge and wrote my heart out. I was ahead of the 1,667 words a day I needed to average to meet the 50k winning word count. The last I wrote was Thursday, November 10th, seven days ago. My count stands at 20,235 words.

And then, I got sick.

My husband got sick first. I took care of him while I was writing. He was sick a week before I ended up catching it. RSV. It’s like a bad cold. Coughing, you wouldn’t believe. My ribs hurt because of the coughing. Runny nose. I don’t feel like doing anything. My voice is altered. Not gone. Just sick. This is the first I’ve written in over a week. My husband missed a week of work. He is still coughing, though has been able to leave the office if he feels a fit coming on. The doctor told him he was no longer contagious.

My thoughts have been fuzzy. My dreams are weird. There were two nights when I rewrote the book. In my dreams. Those are the mornings you awaken tired.

It feels like I have been sick for months.

In the months leading up to NaNoWriMo, I had scheduled articles to publish at Medium, sparsing them out every other day. That worked well until the day before yesterday when my last one was published.

It is difficult for me to order my thoughts, though I am surprised that I can do this much. Now.

Being sick makes you take stock of the most basic things that are important. Every other concern, the meetings, the people wanting to talk to me, and even the stories I read at Medium fell away. I could read a couple of them each day, but that was all I could do.

I finally washed my hair yesterday. Perhaps that, to me, is the first sign of being on the mend. The next is writing this little piece.

The only good news out of all of this? I’ve lost 8 pounds. And I am not hungry. Last night I had apple juice for dinner. At 9:30 pm, I was hungry, but I knew it was too late, so I drank some water and went to bed. Unheard of.

I could pick something up off of the floor today without being dizzy or it being a major endeavor. I just picked it up. Like in the old days.

The worst of it? Because my vocal cords are damaged from all the coughing, when I lay on one side, every breath out sounds like a screechy violin. Very strange. But if I turn to the other side? The side where my ear is mostly deaf? I don’t hear it anymore.

I’ve been binge-watching “The Blacklist” on Netflix and enjoying the heck out of it. I find it interesting that a mostly spiritually-minded person would be so taken with all the violence there. Still, I enjoy reading Stephen King, so maybe it does make sense. People aren’t entirely good, nor are they completely bad. They are both. All at the same time.

So, did I lose NaNoWriMo? Not yet. I’ve still got another two weeks to go. And it looks like I might at least finish. I’ll let you know.

Subscribe here for an email every time I publish an article. Or become a follower. There’s a follow button on the right-hand side of the page. I try to look on the bright side of life knowing that is so very important for all of us.

As a psychic, sometimes I talk to invisible spirit guides, dead people, and animals. I’m still a novice at talking to animals. I don’t believe it is all that different from talking to Spirit. I think it is more along the lines of painting with watercolor and painting with oil. Just slightly different.

If the Folk in Spirit I talk to want to say something more than just a comment or two, I’ve set aside a portion of my articles called, “The Last Word” where they say whatever is on their minds. It gives you an insight into what it’s like to be a spiritual/psychic channel. It’s not every article, just some of them.

If you are not already a Medium member, consider using my affiliate link to join. It is less than 15¢ a day. A small portion of your membership fee will support my writing, and you will have access to all the great articles written by writers on Medium.

I’ve been a member at Medium.com since November 2021. In the 12 months I’ve been writing I have published 270 articles. That number, of course, will change as I write more of them. But I learned something I did not expect. I am an honest-to-God writer now. I have a daily writing habit, and I write the books I’ve always wanted to write. I learned how to do that here.

Imagine spending less than 15¢ a day using my membership link for the best writing course you could ever hope to buy. This is where you will find your motivation, creativity, and friends to support and encourage you in many areas of your life, especially as a writer.

Or maybe we can meet at the coffee shop for a chat. I’d like that. I don’t get out much these days. I almost miss work. Almost.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this piece.

Remember. Please hit that subscribe button or join up with my affiliate link.