NaNoWriMo: Survival and Recovery

Good luck charms and luxury items

Okay. I know, I know. This post is way past overdue! You see, my brain took longer than expected to put its little self back together after NaNo, and I’ve had some technical issues I haven’t had the time, or mindset, to deal with.

But, as promised, here are some of the writing good luck charms and luxury items I’ve been talking about. And I’m posting this picture (which I took in November) even though it’s late, because NaNo or not, they still work.

The first thing you probably noticed were the paper Sesame Street dishes. Yes, they were on sale, and yes, during NaNo I really didn’t feel like washing dishes. I love Sesame Street, more than most adults, but I’m not so into Elmo. Like I said, the dishes were on sale.

My iPhone also made the list. I used it as a timer, an iPod (I’m very into making book soundtracks) and a way of calling my poor uncle to complain about writer’s block. 

Then, there were the Apples to Apples cards. Looking at random words every morning usually helped spark story ideas. In fact, my first card was “Angry Hornets” which made it into the first paragraph of my book and will hopefully stay there. Can you believe it actually fit? It was metaphorical though.

I also had my NaNo and WWfW mugs. Why? No other reason that good vibes I guess. You’ll notice the coaster too, which I won last April. It’s just about the only thing I’ve ever won, and I got it with a signed copy of the fabulous Out of Time by Samantha Graves! Squee! (The wine stain was already on the coaster. The coffee stain, which I just noticed now, was put there by me as artistic expression of. . . well, let’s just say I drank a ton of coffee in November.)

The Japanese doll is always on my desk. I think she’s cute. If I close my computer lid, she looks at me like “You’re done already? Come on! You can squeeze out a thousand more words, you lazy wimp!”  (In case you’re wondering, this is what’s known as writer crazy.)

And then there’s my computer, who got way too much use in November. Thank you, computer, for keeping up with me even when you wanted to crash. (Believe me, there were a few times there when it came close.)

The best good luck charms, of course, were the Wiffers! Enough said.

Stay warm everybody, and thanks for reading! I’m off to get my clothes out of the dryer, and then I’m going to continue the NaNo recovery process with a cup of hot chocolate and reading Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell.