Home at Last

I had surgery to remove the remainder of my right lung on Dec. 16, on the 18th back under the knife to repair a hematoma, then on the 20th back for a perforated bowel. Spent 70 long days hospitalized. One thing that helped was the support of a new friend, Elise (Cella). She not only brought me a plant, but visited a few times and even gave my wife (whom she'd never met) a Christmas present. I still have one more surgery coming up, to reverse the ostomy from the bowel-issue. Can't wait. I have to wear a colostomy bag on my stomach, and it's a pain in the a**. But I'm home now. Back with the family who loves me, and writing again. Things are pretty great.

It's Almost Over

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, for you non-writers; the whole dirty, unkempt lot of you! Just Kidding, really!) is almost at its end. I'm only at 14,000+/- words as of today. I had expected to get about halfway through, but I hit a snag about three days ago, and haven't been able to make that final push. The snag is in the direction the story veered off in. I didn't see it coming. If you're not a writer and you're reading this, you probably wondering how a person can write a book and not know where its going. But novels are a funny beast--they take on a life and a consciousness of their own. The book rarely winds up where you planned for it to. I had my mini-plot for it written out (first time I'd ever plotted a novel before I even wrote the first word) as a road trip with a writer and a man who just got off parole for manslaughter. The killing was really more murder, but lack of evidence, yadda-yadda. Anyway, the writer is stuck in a rut, and thinks a week or so on the road with a man who's lived on the other side of the law will help him get his edge back and write a great crime thriller. In my plan the killer terrorizes the writer, forcing him to commit crimes, threatening his loved ones. Somehow it has become a fight against a malevolent alien being that starts out like a parasite. Both the ex-con and the writer are in it together, fighting for their lives, and the lives of every man woman and child on the planet.

It's more exciting a story now, but my pace has slowed as I try to keep the flow going. And a great short story is making me its slave. I'm not divulging the details of that yet, it's getting to the 2/3 point, and I don't want to jinx it.

Ain't writing fun?

Stalling

Well, I'm sitting here, procrastinating. I need to work on my NaNo novel, I have the next few scenes basically in my mind, so why am I writing a blog instead? Because I can. What other reason should there be? I need to get a blog out just because, so dammit, I'm going to do it.

What it really is, is that I've spread myself thin lately. I reopened my Facebook page, and have been doing a little catching up with people I haven't talked to in fifteen years. My wife wanted me to get a Farmville account on it so I can be her neighbor, so I have to keep up on that. I'm doing some flash fiction pieces to keep a little newness and diversity in my writing, and my Grandma just had two heart surgeries. The baby had her shots on Wednesday. I'm fighting a cold. But it's all good. Keeps me busy, and when you're a stay-at-home dad with four+ years sober, busy is good. Of course, relaxation is good, too. I just don't know how to do that.

And for inquiring minds: Grandma had an eblasion--they seperated her heart (the top from the bottom), so know she lives off the pacemaker. She was already feeling better from that. Better than she's been in a LONG time. But one of her valves was bad, and leaking into her lungs. So they knew they'd have to fix that. Yesterday they replaced it with a pig valve, keeping some of her original valve. They are very optimistic, and so are we. Her old heart doctors didn't do much for her, these new ones are really on the ball. So all is well.

50th Post

Well, here we are--my 50th blog post. I've ben lax in keeping up with the blog for the last few months. Now, with NaNo going on I have no time to blog either, but I thought I'd make an appearance and tell you of my progress. I'm right at 8,000 words. Not bad for a novel I started 9 days ago, except that to hit 50k by Nov. 30 I should be at 15,003. But I can still catch up. We were busy last week preparing for my son's birthday, it was a three day event with all the different grandparents wanting to see him on different days. And my wonderful angel Rachel was not feeling great, so she's been fussy at night more than usual, during my usual writing time. But she's asleep now, so time for work! Good luck to any other NaNo-ers who read this, and go St. Louis!

My Story is Out

Issue #9 of Horror Bound is out! Check out my story for a scare (or a laugh--depending on your sense of humor).

Upcoming Story

Most of my friends from Absolute Write have already heard the good news: I have a story to be published in an upcoming issue of Horror Bound Online Magazine. Hard work is finally paying off! I'm absolutely psyched! Now, I have to keep going, and build my reputation and my publishing credits, and this is the first step. I have to thank my friend Effie for pushing me to submit the story--though she doesn't want the thanks, but if she hadn't pushed I might not have submitted it. So, thanks Effie (and I mustn't forget Bettielee! Thanks Bettielee!), now, it's off to write some more! (Yes, I LOVE exclamation points!)

Four Years

Yesterday, September 29, 2009, I celebrated four years of sobriety. It's great to not have to rely on alcohol to function, and I never thought I would make it this far. But here I am, sober, happy, I pray for many years to come.