Jack of Many Trades

A Long Post of Short Updates

Originally posted: 2022-11-23

NaNoWriMo status: I'm currently at about 25k, just decided that this story actually works much better in first person than tightly focused third, and am basically planning on rewriting it as soon as I finish it. Oops. Oh well.

Health status: Thyroid issues are officially "subclinical" and now my doctor wants me to do a different test I guess. I'm not sure if that means I won't see the endocrinologist at all or she just keeps adding things to the list. And then there was my MRI, and this is how I described it over on mastodon:

my doctor: time for your MRI checkup to make sure nothing's escaping the hole in your brain

me: ugh sure fine

my brain weasels: hey have you thought about dying lately because here's a comprehensive list of things you can worry about!


my doctor: I'm referring you to neurosurgery to go over your MRI results

me: ... okay I guess

my brain weasels: something changed time to panic lets freak out here's our revised list of things you can worry about!


neurosurgery: our next appointment to talk to you is the end of December

me: cool cool just gonna keep waiting that's fine I'm fine this is fine

my brain weasels: ... you know what we're just gonna sit this one out you seem to be having the anxious mess handled without our help

Family status: Bug's school has the kids do two big presentations each year, where they are led through brainstorming topics, coming up with a key question, researching the answer to the question, making a five to ten minute speech, and producing a "product" to demonstrate or enhance their work. Bug was absolutely determined to produce a book in Braille since her topic was about how Helen Keller learned. We tested multiple ways of producing Braille and there were basically none that she could successfully execute, so she wrote the book with P and I did the dots one by one with my awl, and then let her pick from my paper stash and we made a hard cover and bound the book into it together. She was SO HAPPY with the result and it made the ache in my wrist the next day worth it. I love that she's excited about making books and it's something we can do together.

P and Bug are going to visit P's mom in early December and I'm not going, because airfare is expensive enough as it is and it's hard for me to get a bunch of time off last minute this time of year anyway. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself while they're gone. Write, probably?

More writing status, I guess: I've had some decently productive writing days this month, but it's been really hit and miss. Even when I'm doing sprints or I'm in a full-screen focus mode, I feel like I just can't barrel through like I used to. I'm not sure how much of that is a certain amount of inner editor that I just can't turn off anymore, or if it's because I'm always expecting to get interrupted, or what. I did manage to have a 5k day, which I didn't think was possible for me anymore, honestly, by alternating sprints writing with sprints cleaning and then staying up until past three AM, which is definitely not sustainable.

I feel like I'm thinking about writing and posting fic differently than I used to. All of the writing I've done with P that is us-only has made me better at not needing an audience to keep going, but I do still struggle with finishing. With my Nano Project, I want to actually finish the whole thing before I post it, and that's going to have to include a ton of editing/rewriting because of the POV change, and I've never really done that before, I've always been more of a post-as-I-go person because I need the dopamine.

Fandom status: I've read a ton of Untamed fic and I keep thinking about wanting to get into writing for it, especially since it seems like such a busy fandom, but I've yet to find the thing that I just absolutely have to get out, which is usually my opening motivation. Either that or I have a weird dream, but the only weird dream I've had after reading MDZS so far was of Wei Wuxian teaching a bunch of seven and eight year olds how to play the recorder to stop zombies, and I blame that as much on Bug's music class at school as anything else.