12 Days to Nano ... and the Disappearing Blog

OMG ... I hope this isn't a premonition of things to come in November!  I worked all afternoon to craft an excellent blog for your enjoyment.  Now it's gone.  Just disappeared into the ether.  I guarantee you, if anything like this happens to my novel, I won't have to blog about it ... you will hear my screaming.

So, generally my lost masterpieces can't be rebuilt, but I'll try to reclaim at least a little of the spirit of the magically 5:16 PM post.The gist being, it was a busy weekend, catching up on errands and chores unique to Real Life and Owning a House.  Not directly writing-directed, but necessary to get taken care of before writing starts in earnest.  Getting the preNaNo to-do list pared down, while keeping myself distracted from worrying that all the great characters and ideas careening around in my head will wear themselves out, or get bored and leave, just as I'm ready to start writing.  Realistically, I know that won't happen, but it wouldn't be countdown to NaNo without all the angst.

Hey!  Did you ever think that you could be a writer?  Ever read something and think "Man, I could write better than that"?  Want to take a wild ride in November?  Well, I've got a plan for you.  Get yourself over to www.nanowrimo.org, and sign up for National Novel Writing Month!!  It doesn't cost anything (although I'll warn you, they've got cool swag for you to buy, and they'd be so happy to get a contribution!), there are lots of really awesome people, a totally fun forum, and a month's worth of literary insanity like you can't imagine.  And after you're all signed in, look up glynes on the author search, let me know you're aboard, and send a buddy request.

The biggest excitement in my day ... my AlphaSmart Neo arrived! 

I've heard nothing but good things about them, and I have to say I was impressed with it right out of the box.  Put the batteries in, turned it on, and started writing.  Just like that.  Love the feel of the keyboard (typing speed right 'up there'), the display (easily-readable with these old eyes, and 4 lines, just enough that I can catch boo-boos and fix on the fly, but not look further back and be tempted to stop writing to backtrack for repairs) the lightweight on my lap, no cables and cords to worry about if I want to take it from the livingroom couch, to the study recliner, to bed, to the deck, to the library, to a write-in, or to Harborview Park to sit in my car and write while I watch the comings and goings on the bay.   It was shipped quickly, and the accessories were very reasonably priced.  Still have software to install on the desktop, and loads of features to learn about, but I like that I could just sit down and write with no muss or fuss.

So, there's my endorsement.  I can see the bulk of my 2009 NaNo novel being written on this little puppy.  We hope that means it'll be good for the book.

In Geocaching news, several of my trackables were on the move today ... the coin that made it to Holland is just zipping through those dutch caches at an amazing speed.  One of my greatest enjoyments of the (sport?) (game?) is getting comments back on trackables I've sent out, that people appreciate and enjoy finding them.  Great artwork and craftsmanship.  Is it any wonder that I buy two of everything, and keep one in my private collection?

Keep checking back, to read more exciting adventures in Glynes' alternate universe!