SPARKLES OF MAGIC// A TRENTLEY AND JYNNIA CHRISTMAS STORY

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, EVERYONE!!

I'm gonna try to keep this short, since the rest of this post is kind of long. (oops.) But in my last post I told you guys I had a super special post planned, and here it is! I'm SUPER excited to share with you guys a new Trentley and Jynnia short story- CHRISTMAS EDITION! 

This was so much fun to write. I hope you guys enjoy it, and I especially hope you're having a wonderful, wonderful Christmas Eve! 

Jynnia glanced out the window when movement caught her eye. Snow was falling, and flakes stuck to the glass like powdered sugar to a freshly baked cinnamon roll. Jynnia gasped and set her knitting aside, rising from her chair. Overjoyed tears sprung to her eyes as she gazed out the window. Snow usually had that effect on her, especially this close to Christmas.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned. "Delga, look, it's snowing!" 

"Really?" Delga gasped and ran over to join Jynnia at the window. The two ladies stood there side by side for a while, staring out at the falling snow as if it were the only sight in the world. 

"If it gets deep enough, the kids can play in it tomorrow!" Jynnia said, clasping her hands together with a bright smile. "Sanner will love sledding down the hill by the sawmill."

"Wasn't Sanner the one that got a huge bump on his head from a rock?" Delga said pointedly. 

Jynnia winced. "Yeah... he can be a little reckless sometimes. But his mom understands it's not my fault." She laughed. 

They watched the snow for a few more moments, then Jynnia went back to her chair and picked up her knitting again. "Well, I've got to get back to work. Christmas Eve is tomorrow and Trentley's present is nowhere near being finished."

Delga turned from the window, her hands on her hips and her lips turned up in a knowing smile. "I told you you should have started earlier," she said gently. 

Jynnia glared at her, a grin tugging at her lips. "Shush, you. It's a little hard to work on a scarf when there are a bunch of little runts following me around all day."

"I'll say it again- you should have started earlier." Delga grinned. "Well, it's getting late. Good night. Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Don't stay up too late!" Delga's voice drifted from down the hallway.

"Sure." Jynnia sighed and glared down at the mass of royal blue yarn in her lap. It would be a beautiful scarf, if she ever got it finished. Delga was right- she should have started long ago. But her procrastinating nature had not allowed it. 

She had to finish the scarf. Telling Trentley "merry Christmas" without a gift to give him was not an option. She would finish this gift if it was the last thing she did.

Though her fingers ached, she picked up the knitting needles and went back to work. It was a matter of minutes before she dropped them again and drifted off to sleep.

*    *    *

A thick layer of snow was pressed up against the windowpane when Jynnia jolted awake the next morning. She immediately noticed that she was not in her bed, and then spent a few confusing moments trying to figure out why. 

Oh, no. She was supposed to stay up as late as it took to make some major progress on Trentley's present. Now she had lost precious time, and she would have to work extra hard today. If she got the chance. She didn't have to watch all her regular kids today, but even just having two in the house would make it hard to work on the scarf. 

She looked down, blinking her vision clear as she grabbed for her knitting needles. Her fingers found nothing but the fabric of her dress. Frowning, she leaned forward to look on the floor. 

But the scarf was not on the floor, nor anywhere else in the room. 

Walking slowly to the kitchen, she racked her brain. Had she gotten up in the middle of the night and put the scarf away? But if she had, she would have gone to her bed, not returned to the chair in the living room. 

Her eyes fell on the kitchen table, and she stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway. 

There on the able was the scarf, and the knitting needles beside it. The scarf was completely finished and neatly folded. 

Jynnia stared at the scarf, frozen. She was absolutely certain that she had not done this in her sleep. 

"Delga!" She took off down the hallway, pounding on her sister's bedroom door. 

"What?" Delga's sleepy, irritated voice came from the other side of the door. Jynnia didn't feel like waiting for her to get out of bed, so she barged in. 

"What on earth are you doing?!" Delga rubbed her eyes, blinking.

"You finished the scarf, didn't you?" Jynnia demanded. "You waited until I feel asleep and then took the scarf and finished it." She was not sure whether to be happy about this or upset. The scarf was supposed to be from her to Trentley, so of course being made completely by her would have been special. But at the same time, she sure appreciated having all the stress taken off her. 

"What are you talking about? I didn't take your scarf." Delga shivered and pulled her blankets more tightly around herself. Yawning, she asked, "Did you get much done on it?"

Jynnia stared at her, dumbfounded. Delga hadn't done it. "Was it Mom?" 

"Jynnia, what are you talking about? Did you get enough sleep? Don't tell me you stayed up all night." Delga tilted her head sympathetically. 

Jynnia lurched forward and grabbed Delga's arm, pulling her out of bed. 

"Ow! What are you doing?! Hey, your hand is cold!" Delga stumbled after her until they stood before the kitchen table. 

Jynnia gestured toward the scarf aggressively. "I woke up and it wasn't on my lap, and I saw it here, all finished." She shook her head. "I just don't get it." 

Delga's eyes wideneded for a moment, then she relaxed into her previous sleepy expression. "Mom didn't do it," she said with a chuckle, in answer to Jynnia's earlier question. "Aunt Kae was the one who taught us how to knit, remember?"

"Then who?" Jynnia threw her hands up again. 

Delga shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's just some Christmas magic. I'm going back to bed where it's warm." She turned and left Jynnia standing alone in the middle of the kitchen. 

Jynnia frowned at the scarf for a while. Finally, she just shook her head and walked away. Since it was Christmas Eve, she only had two kids to watch today. But she had a feeling the scarf would be following her thoughts around all day. 

* * *

"So, when the shoemaker woke up the next morning, he found that the shoes were completely finished!" Jynnia suddenly paused, lowering her big green fairy tale book and staring over the kids' heads into the kitchen. 

"And?" Gazel prodded. 

"Uh..." Jynnia cleared her throat and tried to focus on the story again. "Then the shoemaker sold the pair of shoes and was able to buy enough to make two pairs of shoes. So, he started working on them that night, but guess what happened when he went to sleep?"

"The elves finished the shoes again!" Gazel exclaimed, her eyes bright. 

"That's right." Jynnia went through the rest of the story, but her mind was hardly on the shoemaker. She kept stealing a glance at the kitchen table, where the scarf still lay. She had almost dared not to touch it, just in case it had been a dream of some kind. And it seemed ven more dreamlike every second. 

She left the scarf alone until darkness began to fall, when the kids' parents came to get them. She absentmindedly wished them a merry Christmas and shut the door behind them.

Whirling around to face the kitchen table, she took a deep breath. With slow, measured steps, she approached the scarf, watching it as if it would jump out at her. What was she even looking for? A little note that said, "Merry Christmas, love, the elves"? 

She picked the scarf up, quickly, as if it might shock her when she removed it from the table. But it was just a normal scarf, whether it was made by elves or not. She turned it over in her hands- very nice workmanship. Better than she would have been able to do, actually. And now that she was looking at it up close, she noticed the little silver sparkles sprinkled throughout it. Those had definitely not been a part of the yarn she was using.

Jynnia dropped the scarf on the table and turned away. This was too crazy. Of course, she was far past used to the idea of magic by now. But little elves sneaking into her house, snatching her knitting project out of her lap, and finishing it for her? Why would they even have done that? They didn't know her. She hadn't invited any elves to her house. 

I have to talk to Trentley.

She threw on her coat, hat, and mittens as quickly as was humanly possible. She started to reach for her scarf, then remembered that one of her younger kids had completely unwound it recently. I guess now that Trentley's scarf is done, I can get started on one for myself. Maybe I'll make it to match his. She grinned at the cozy idea. 

Jynnia was reaching for the doorknob when somebody knocked from outside, making her jump. An unreasonable part of her brain prepared her to see a multitude of tiny little elves in the snow when she opened the door. 

But it was only Trentley. 

"Trentley!" She immediately felt a bit warmer. "I was just coming to see you." Remembering that his gift was sitting exposed on the kitchen table behind her, she pulled the door almost closed, poking only her head out. "What are you doing here?"

Trentley looked a bit bewildered. In fact, the look on his face perfectly described how she had been feeling all day. "Uh..." He cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the kitchen window at the front of the house. 

"What?" Jynnia stepped outside to peek around the wall. Some of the snow was knocked off the windowsill. But what made her gasp was the tiny, pointed footprints along the windowsill and the ground underneath. 

Jynnia turned her head slowly to look at Trentley, her eyes wide and heart pounding. "It was them," she said breathlessly. 

"Who?" Trentley's brows dipped low. 

Jynnia grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. She rushed to the table and picked up the scarf, handing it to him. His lips parted slightly and his eyes grew wide. "I'm sorry it's not wrapped," she said, out of breath. "But I was working on this last night, and I fell asleep. And when I woke up this morning, it was just... finished. Delga didn't do it, and my mom doesn't even know how to knit. But there it was, sitting on the kitchen table." She smiled excitedly. "I was so confused, but then today I was reading to the kids, and we read The Elves and the Shoemaker, and..." She shook her head. "Trentley, it was elves. Elves came into my house last night and finished your Christmas present for me. I just know it." 

To her astonishment, Trentley didn't look the least bit surprised. In fact, he was grinning. Pulling a lumpy package from behind him, he held it out to her. "Merry Christmas." 

Jynnia tilted her head, confused. Trentley was behaving rather strangely. But she ripped open the package- to reveal a knitted scarf of the same royal blue color as Trentley's- and with the same silver sparkles. 

She gasped and looked up at him. "What- what- why-"  

Trentley laughed. "Your sister told me you needed a new scarf," he said. "And she hinted that you'd like a royal blue one. I thought it was a little strange, since your favorite color is yellow, but now I understand." His eyes sparkled as he looked down at his own gift. 

"You made this?" Jynnia gaped at the scarf. She had no idea that Trentley had such skill with a pair of knitting needles. 

He laughed again. "No, no, no. I paid Delga to make it. But... she didn't quite get to finish it." 

Jynnia grabbed his arm and squeezed it. "You mean..." 

Trentley nodded. "She came by my house every evening on her way home, and chatted with my mom while she worked on the scarf. She didn't admit it, but last night I could tell she was getting a little worried that it wasn't going to be finished in time. Well, anyway, it was hidden away in my room, and when I woke up this morning..." He gestured toward it. "It was completely finished." He leaned toward her and whispered, "And there were little footprints outside my window, too."

"You're kidding." Jynnia couldn't stop grinning. "Trentley, this is amazing. But where did they come from?" 

"Well... I found this." Trentley pulled a little note out of his pocket and held it out. 

Jynnia frowned. "I didn't get one!" 

"Maybe the elves are forgetful." Trentley chuckled. 

Thought I'd send a little magic your way. Hope you don't mind my peculiar little friends. Merry Christmas, dear, dear, Trentley and Jynnia. I hope we get to see each other soon. -Winlie

"Oh my gosh!" Jynnia clutched her heart. "Winlie sent the elves!" 

"I don't know how she did it, but she did it." Trentley shook his head. "She's really something else." 

"Something tells me she had some help from her sisters." Jynnia smiled. "They're all so wonderful."

Something moved in the window, and Jynnia glanced over to see something jump down off the windowsill. She gasped and rushed to the door. 

She ran outside just in time to seeabout a half-dozen tiny men in pointed hats rushing away through the snow, which came up almost to their waists. The faint sound of bell-like laughter drifted back to her. 

"Wow." Trentley came up behind her, and Jynnia turned to look up at his smiling face. He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood there in the doorway slowly rocking back and forth as snow began to fall again. 

* * *

Snow still fell when the night was dark and Jynnia's family was gathered together around the fireplace. The fire crackled, the smell of homemade apple cider drifted from the kitchen, and the candles on the Christmas tree sent flickering lights across the dim room. Trentley and Jynnia sat on the floor together, their backs against the couch. Delga sat a few feet away with the two younger kids, and Mr. Trace mediated some kind of game from the big chair by the bookshelf while Mrs. Trace perched on the arm of the chair beside him. Tantalizing boxes hid beneath the branches of the tree, waiting to be opened the next morning. 

Jynnia looked around the room, slowly, taking it all in. Her father's animated voice making the kids laugh, her mother smiling until her eyes crinkled. Delga shifting into childhood again as she got involved in the game with her little siblings. And Trentley's arm around Jynnia's shoulders as they watched the cozy scene. 

Tomorrow was Christmas. The most wondrous day of the year. Yet it was hard to imagine a day more filled with magic than today had been. Jynnia still had to work her way past the disbelief whenever she pictured the little elves running away in the snow earlier. She couldn't wait to walk down the street tomorrow with Trentley, wearing their matching scarves. She hoped it would be snowing then, too. And it gave her a little thrill to think that only she, Trentley, and Delga would know about the sparkles of magic in the scarves' warm folds.

She snuggled closer to Trentley's side, and he looked down her. The firelight danced in his blue eyes as he smiled, straight into her soul. "Merry Christmas Eve, Jynnia," he whispered. 

"Merry Christmas Eve." Jynnia's whispered words were barely past her lips before Trentley leaned down and kissed her. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, gazing at the Christmas tree with all the wonder in her heart that she had had as a child. 

I hope this story brought a smile to your face this Christmas Eve! I was really wanting to get it up earlier this week but it just didn't work out. Oh well. xD

Merry Christmas, everyone! Love you all! *all the tinsel and sugar cookies*

TWICE UPON: KNOW THE NOVEL PART THREE!

Happy December!! *throws Christmas cookies everywhere like confetti*

I hope you've all been having a lovely Christmas season! I've been baking, watching Christmas movies, listening to as much Christmas music as I can cram in, and regretting waiting until mid-November to start my Christmas shopping. XD It's going by quickly, but it's been a good season so far. Also, the semester is finally winding down, and I've only got a couple more assignments to finish up before freedom! 

Today I'm doing the final part of Know the Novel! Remember how NaNoWriMo ended just a couple weeks ago? O_O It's so strange how, for me, anyway, NaNo CONSUMES MY LIFE for a month and then when it's over it just fades into the background. Maybe it's because Christmas takes my mind off it. Or maybe it's because I don't go on after November 30 to finish my book like a lot of people do. But NaNo is just like a weird phantom that haunts you for a while and then goes away until you think about it again. xD (and apparently it's still messing with me because as you can tell, my blogging schedule is still nonexistent oops)

I had a ton of fun writing Trentley and Jynnia's second story this year! My precious babies are so adorable and I just love writing them so much. Read on to see how they treated me last month! ;)

1. Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?

It went really well! This pantser definitely had her moments of sitting here staring at the computer screen as if it were going to come to life before her very eyes, but I really have no complaints. Things flowed pretty well and I had a great time writing!

2. Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome? 

HAHA! You assume I expected anything from this book. (see above, where I identify as a "pantser") 

If you've been around here for more than five minutes, you might have realized that the way I write a book is to start at the beginning and then stumble through the rest of the book as if I'm trying to wallow my way through the Dead Marshes blindfolded. I have no idea where I'm going or what's going to happen or how many people are going to end up dead on the bottom of a lake. wow that got dark fast 

That being said, I think what I wrote turned out well in terms of the (very small) expectations I went in with. The story has roughly the same feel as the first one, but I think it's also taking on its own feel at the same time, which is good! Like I said before week, I don't want this story to just be a repeat of the first one. 

So, overall, I think it turned out well! Though it's not done yet (if it comes out like the first book, it's a little over halfway finished), so we'll see how the rest of it goes.

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

Characterssss! I've stated an obnoxious amount of times how much I love these guys, and I don't think they'll ever not be my favorite part. But I've also been digging into some more fairy tales, which is SUPER fun. I just love finding ways to sneak hints of the fairy tales into the world's history and then incorporate different characters and objects.

4. How about your least favorite part?

Um... none of it? Seriously, this story is just so fun. Though I suppose if I had to choose a least favorite aspect, it would be that like in book 1, my characters are traveling a lot, and it's hard to keep things interesting when they're just constantly going from location to location. (Actually, I feel like I ALWAYS write books where the characters are constantly on a journey?? Help xD)

I wish I knew.

5. What do you feel like needs the most work?

Maybe the fact that everybody's always traveling. xD But no, I think what needs the most work is probably just the general half-of-this-isn't-going-to-make-it-to-draft-two problem. These are pantser probs, everyone. 

6. How do you feel about your characters now? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

I adore them, of course. Trentley will always be my favorite. Least favorite? Probably, ah, a certain dwarf who doesn't quite share everybody else's cheery dispositions. He needs to stop bringing everybody down, but he's still a blast to write. xD 

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

Finish it? xD Like I said, it's probably around a little more than halfway finished. The definite plan is to finish it for Camp in April, if I don't get to it before then (anybody else totally depend on NaNo events for first drafts???)- which, honestly, I kind of don't see happening. But I could surprise myself! (I would actually really love to finish it sooner, so it's still fresh on my mind.)

And yes, someone did surprise me: my villain. When he showed up, he was all suave and charming and kind of cool and then he threw one tantrum and NOW HE'S JUST A HUGE CHAOTIC MESS. Like, a conceited, impatient, slightly drama-king-ish chaotic mess. I... I don't even know what happened. xD

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

For it to be published alongside the rest of its series and make people cry and make Trentley and Jynnia their OTPs and ship them harder than anything else they've done in their LIFE. these are good goals

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

(enjoy this first one in which Jynnia FaceTimes Deston using a magic mirror xDD) 

Deston rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? You reached out to me in a way mysterious to me- because you won't say how you're doing it- just to check on your fairy friends?" He leaned his head sideways on his templed fingers, glancing off beyond the glass. "They're fine," he said, waving his hand toward them and looking quite tired, if Jynnia was correct. "Annoying, if they're anything, but fine," he added in a mutter, shaking his head and letting his gaze roll away from the glass. 

Jynnia grinned. Winlie, she suspected. Although perhaps Quinnie would join in the shenanigans, as well. Her heart warmed at the thought of the two sisters bonding over their captivity. 

Huh. Now we're all in captivity. 

"Well, we need you to tell these crazy dwarves to leave us alone," Jynnia said. She glanced over at Tane and Fenny and shook her head to keep them from talking. It was probably best if Deston did not know that they were with them. 

"Crazy dwarves? What in heaven's name are you talking about?" Deston said, shaking his head hopelessly. 

"You said that if we ran into any dwarves, they wouldn't bother us," Jynnia said. "Well, guess what? We ran into some dwarves, and they bothered us. Look." She turned the glass to show him the hole they were in, quickly turning it back to herself before it revealed Tane and Fenny. 

"I must be missing a crucial detail."

"We ran into some dwarves and they captured us and threw us in a hole!" Jynnia hissed, holding the glass too close to her face. Deston's eyes grew wide, and he pulled the glass away from himself. 

in which jynnia and delga are fangirls 

"So, Snow White knew Cinderella," Jynnia said, taking Trentley's hand in hers as they continued walking. She checked the comb to be sure it was still glowing. It was. "That's amazing. And kind of not surprising at all. I mean, of course two of the best-known princesses would be the ones to know each other personally." 

"That's what I was thinking," Delga said with a laugh. "I was kind of hoping it would be somebody different, like, I don't know... the girl from Rumpelstiltskin or something."

"Or Snow White, from Snow White and Rose Red," Jynnia added. "Wouldn't that have been funny, the two Snow Whites being friends?"

"Would you stop talking about them as if they were book characters?" Fenny growled. 

Jynnia blinked and looked at him in surprise. 

"Oh, come off it, Fen," Tane said. "They are book characters to them. We all are. They've only just recently learned that we were all real." 

Jynnia gave him an appreciative smile. "We try to honor you all and recognize that you were real people. But you've been nothing but fairy tales to us our entire lives. Please forgive us if we slip up."

Fenny merely glared and looked away. Tane nodded at her apologetically. 

"Okay, so anyway. Snow White and Cinderella-"

"Ella," Fenny stressed. "Don't call her by that awful name her stepsisters gave her. She nearly became suicidal because of that name, you know."

all right you guys have been wanting to see trentley and jynnia together so here you go try not to melt

She walked out the balcony doors, wondering too late as she did so whether the balcony was sturdy. Fortunately, it supported her just fine and did not creak as she walked out toward the railing. 

She hoped nobody would follow her. Except-

"Hey." 

Trentley stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, as he had done earlier when she first looked out the window. 

"Hey." Jynnia dipped her head and looked over her shoulder, seeing his face out of the corner of her eye. "I'm fine, really."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure."

"I know. Thank you." She leaned her cheek on his hand grasping her shoulder. There was nothing more comforting than his touch. "I just feel like it's going to take forever to find all this stuff, if we even do. And we've already come here because we thought it was the right way to come, and apparently we already messed up by doing that."

"Yeah, but there's a whole castle to search," Trentley said. Jynnia groaned, and she heard the slight smile in his voice when he spoke. "That's a good thing," he said gently. "It means just because we didn't find the comb here, doesn't mean it's not in the rest of the castle. Besides, we've got a couple different things helping us."

Jynnia frowned, thinking he was referring to the dwarves and Delga as things. Then she chuckled at herself as she realized that he meant the tracking spell and the other pieces of the set. "I just hope Winlie, Quinnie, and Sarden are all right. What if Deston's torturing them?"

"Honestly?" Trentley huffed out a hollow laugh. "I don't think he'd be able to stomach torturing anybody."

Jynnia laughed. "Yeah, I think you're right. But what if he's not feeding them?"

"They're in Quinnie's own house. I have a feeling they're fine." He squeezed her shoulders. "Just relax. Panicking won't help anybody. We can do this."

"Yeah. With you I can." She turned around to smile up at him, holding onto the front of his shirt with both hands. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He held her close a few extra moments. 

I still so greatly enjoy sharing snippets with absolutely no context and no guarantee that they're in order and just letting you guys take from them what you will. xD There are so many little things throughout these snippets that make no sense unless you know what's going on and it's great. sorry to be so cruel I am a writer after all 

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

Well, I learned that I can write a book (or most of one, anyway) while in college! I was seriously concerned that NaNo wasn't going to pan out the way I hoped this year. And of course, if it hadn't, it would have been okay. I haven't won every NaNo I've participated in, and I learned to appreciate the progress I did make. But I knew that I would be very disappointed if writing took a backseat this November, because NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite things and I did NOT want to let it suffer just because I was a little (okay, a lot) busier this year.. 

BUT it worked out. Granted, like I said last week, I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have won if I hadn't gotten COVID and had almost two whole weeks stuck in my house. And, well, I guess I also learned that I could write 25k in six days, and 10k in one day. needless to say, I went all in that last week

Basically, what (I think) I'm trying to say: I learned that I could still make time to write. No, I didn't write as much as I would have liked until the last week, and I didn't write every day. But I wrote, and that's all I can really ask for. Honestly, NaNoWriMo is so beneficial because it helps me realize that I make way too many excuses. I say I don't have time to write until something like NaNo comes along which (good-naturedly) forces me to write, and then I write 50k words in a month. So, I know building a writing habit even when I'm busy is possible. I'm just lazy. xD 

And that's it! Know the Novel comes to a close for another year. I always have so much fun participating! :D

Honestly, I'm kind of missing my story already and want to finish it. But I also want to take a break and do some other things. I've really been wanting to write and submit some flash fiction, and that just has NOT happened for several months. I haven't done any writing this month (that isn't school related), and I've just been letting it sit on the sidelines until I'm done with school. This is not the season that I want to be stressed out trying to do a million things at once. So, after the semester's finally over, I'm super excited to get back to writing again! 

I have a special post planned next week that I'm SUPER excited about, so stay tuned for that. I think you'll like it. ;) Until then, eat lots of Christmas cookies and watch all the Christmas movies!

So, how's your month going? Still writing or taking a break? What's your favorite thing to do during the Christmas season? 

NANOWRIMO 2020 WRAPUP (IN WHICH COVID HELPS ME WIN NANO)

IT'S OVER. 

NANOWRIMO 2020 IS DONE. 

how we all feel right now

YOU. GUYS. I can't BELIEVE NaNoWriMo is already over!! (Technically the last day's not over yet buuut... you get the idea.) I feel like I just spent a month in the quantum realm and then got ejected in the middle of the desert. Like... what just happened?? Am I still alive? What even is the real world?? 

But somewhere along in that mad craziness that is NaNo, I WROTE 50K. So, I guess it was a productive time in the quantum realm, anyway. ;P 

Partway through the month I kind of... gave up on keeping track of my day-to-day progress? I guess with my daily word count being so up-and-down, I just kind of lost my motivation to record them. It's not exactly a lot of fun to write update posts when I go days without writing. 

Which is fine! Sometimes you can't write every day, and that's absolutely okay. I had to keep reminding myself of that this month, and surprisingly, it wasn't that hard. I was actually pretty easy on myself this NaNo, because I knew I couldn't afford not to be. I also knew I couldn't afford not to write like a crazy person so hahaha that was a great balance

I also fell by the wayside with my vlogging. I don't think I've picked my camera up since the second week. I'm still trying to decide if I want to throw together the footage I got that week and go ahead and post it; and maybe film a wrapup video so I don't just leave it hanging. But we'll see what happens there. 

So I hear you asking: How did NaNo go? Well, funny you should ask. It was an interesting one, to be sure. 

I mean, look at my stats:

Definitely the most inconsistent NaNo I've ever had. xD

I hit the halfway point on the 19th, and then... stopped writing for like five days. Yeah. Not what you want to do when the month's coming to a close and you're only at 25k. But I kept telling myself, Thanksgiving break is coming up, x day's coming up, etc., and you'll have time to catch up then. 

Then I got COVID. 

Yep, the 'rona officially hit me. Actually, it hit over half of my family. (We're all doing fine!) And you can probably guess the frustration. My little introverted self has been longing for the extra time at home it seems the rest of the world has been getting this year, and when do I finally get it? RIGHT before Thanksgiving. Meaning- my family wasn't able to get together as planned. 

BUT. It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because I'm not gonna lie, if it weren't for the extra time off work, I may not have been able to crawl back out of my writing ditch. So, hey, a mild case of COVID in exchange for extra writing time? I guess I'll take it. xD 

So, with all that new free time, I hit a couple milestones during the last week! First of all, I HAD MY FIRST 10K DAY. 

I've been wanting to do a 10k day for a while. I mean, it's not on my bucket list or anything, but in the back of my mind I just always knew that eventually I wanted to do it. And I've come close, with my highest word count being around 8.5k, I think? But it just never happened. 

BUT. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I COMMITTED and IT HAPPENED. I hit 10k!! And the weird thing? Was that I felt like I could have done more. Not like I felt let down or anything, and even though it was early in the evening when I hit 10k I stopped writing for the day and did some reading. But it just didn't feel like I'd written that much AT ALL, and I hadn't even spent every waking moment writing. I had taken plenty of breaks throughout the day. Basically, it just didn't leave me as drained of time and energy as I thought it would.

Guess that just leaves room for a 15k day. ;)

So, long story short, somehow I completed the last half of NaNo in the last week. 25k in 6 days. I hit 50k yesterday, on the 29th, winning my third NaNoWriMo in a row! :D This also means that I've now won as many NaNos as I haven't won. 2021, I'm coming for you to break the tie. ;)

(how perfect is this year's NaNo theme for my story???)

Oh, and I forgot to mention: COVID took my sense of smell. And taste. Which means... I couldn't burn candles to write by. And I COULDN'T. TASTE. MY. COFFEE. OR. CHOCOLATE. 

Yeeeeah. All that chocolate I stocked up on before NaNo? Oh, don't get me wrong, I ate a good bit of it. And I still had my share of coffee this month. But in the last week or so, there just wasn't any point because I couldn't TASTE any of it. Honestly, I don't know how I made it to 50k like that. xD but you can bet when my taste comes back I'll be hitting the rest of that chocolate stash HARD

So there it is- COVID helped me win NaNo AND set a personal daily word count record. In a weird twist of fate, 2020 actually did something good. xD And no, I haven't given you much information about my actual book in this post... but that's for next time. ;) 

As far my writing plans going forward? Well, as much as I'd like to, I most likely will NOT be attempting to finish my book this year. Chances are, I'll pick up the tail end of that project in April for Camp, as tends to be my pattern now. I might continue writing a bit just to get the scenes that are still in my head out, but we'll see. 

But I DO want to keep writing through December, because I'm in somewhat of a groove now and I don't want it to stop. Plus, with the semester (finallyyy) being almost over, I'll have some extra time there, too. Originally, I planned to try to bring Roots to Claim back out and finish the second draft of it. But I'm also wanting to kick back and write some flash fiction, so we'll see which wins out. Who knows, maybe I'll do both? All I know is, I'm so relieved for NaNo to be over. You guys know I LOVE NaNoWriMo every year, but if you've ever done it, you also know how great it is to be done with it, too. xD

Thank you all SO much for your support during this NaNo! You'll never know how much it means to me and inspires me to keep writing. (And Trentley and Jynnia think it's pretty cool to have fans before their book is even close to being in the condition to publish!) I truly appreciate you all so much. *chocolate and hugs* *especially if you made it to the end of this rambly post*

But enough about me!! Fellow Wrimos, how did your month go?? What's the current status of your story? Tell me everything in the comments!! And celebrate with me because NANO IS OVER!! *confetti*

TWICE UPON: KNOW THE NOVEL PART TWO!

WE'RE IN THE HOME STRETCH OF NANOWRIMO. WHAAAAAT. 

Somehow it's already November 23rd and??? I'm pretty sure I blinked and the entire month went by. Still not quite sure how that happened. But here we are, and it's time for part two of none another than Know the Novel! 

You may have noticed that I didn't post a week 3 update... that's because not enough happened to update you on. xD So, just enjoy me answering these questions and rambling about my story instead. 

And on to it we go!

1. How’s the writing going overall?

Pretty well! I've had minimal moments of "okay where in the world do I go from here" (which is a normal part of my writing routine). Things are flowing pretty well, and I'm liking the direction they're going in. Although of course, that could change tomorrow. xD

2. What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

Getting to know Trentley and Jynnia better and just being back with them in general has been so fun! I'm fangirled many a time over my characters, but it's true: I enjoy being with these characters SO much- I think more than any of my other characters, actually. They're just so adorable and fun. 

I'm also getting to explore some different fairy tales for this one! That's one of the things that excites me the most about this series- all the different fairy tales I have to choose from. There are so many aspects that I can play with. 

3. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Um... do you really have to ask? *gathers all my characters into a big, suffocating group hug*

*then remembers social distancing*

*oops*

So far I haven't had too many characters playing a huge part in this story. But of the ones I have, of COURSE my favorites are Trentley and Jynnia. MY BABIES.

4. Has your novel surprised you in any way?

Surprisingly, not yet. Last year I had a bunch of random sassy fairies showing up uninvited, so this year is pretty tame so far. xD

5. Have you come across any problem areas?

Just my usual "where do I go from here" problems. Also, I have run into a bit of a challenge differentiating this book from the first. There are parts where the characters are reminiscing events from the first book, and also revisiting some of the places they went; so I'm trying to not just make it a rehash of the first story. *cough*likethestarwarssequeltrilogy*cough*

6. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Honestly? Just making time to write. I don't want to keep talking about how busy I am with college and everything, but, well, you guys know what's going on. And it's hard. There have been some days when I haven't written at all, which usually just doesn't happen for me during NaNo. 

But, I guess you could say, my biggest victory is just proving to myself that I CAN write, work, and go to college. I was really worried I was going to have to sacrifice my writing, and while I still don't have enough time to write as much as I'd like, I now know that I can juggle it all if I work hard enough.

And actually, there has been minimal juggling as of late. Some weeks I end up a little more weighed down with assignments, but for the most part I've managed to create a system that allows me to get everything done and still have time to write. (Now if I can keep that up AFTER NaNo, I'll be really pleased with myself. xD)

7. If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

Well, given we're working with basically the same characters as I was last year, my answer would be the same as last year: if we're talking who would I WANT to be, it would be Jynnia so I could marry Trentley. But as for who I would actually be, it would definitely be Trentley. We have the most in common (other than the way me and Jynnia share the same fangirling skills). 

As for any different actions? I'm not sure about that one. He's very much a "stay quiet and let everybody else talk" person in new situations, which is basically me. 

8. Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

I shared the beginning paragraphs in my first update post, but I'll gladly share it again!

Once upon a time, a warm breeze played with the dark strands of hair flowing just above a young girl's shoulders. She smiled and brushed the strands back into submission, letting her fingers linger at the ends for a moment. 

"What if I knocked the jailer unconscious?" Winlie said. 

All eyes turned to her. Jynnia could not help but burst out laughing, not at the idea itself but the visual in her head. If she was being honest, there was not much she would not give to see short little Winlie knock out a jailer. 

"I don't mean with brute force," Winlie said impatiently. "I mean with magic. I get him out of the way long enough for Deston to go in and do whatever it is he's doing, and Delga pretends to be the jailer."

"Excuse me?" Delga said for the second time in five minutes. 

"Um, it's a great plan and all, but how is Delga going to pass for a jailer?" Jynnia gestured toward her sister. "She's clearly a woman. And I don't think I've ever seen a lady jailer."

Winlie shrugged. "It'll do in a pinch, don't you think? Maybe she can say that the other jailer is sick, and she's his daughter and she's taking over for him for the day."

"Hm." Jynnia tilted her head to consider the idea. 

"If you don't like it, tough, because that's all we have," Winlie said. 

"I like it!" Jynnia grinned. 

"I don't like it!" Delga protested. 

"You!" 

Trentley's heart fell. He looked up, pretending to be surprised. "Uh, hi there. We met before, didn't we?" Might as well try to act the least suspicious he could. 

"Yes, and I met your girlfriend as well." Deston's voice was tense and irritated, surprising Trentley. Jynnia had said he was irritatingly polite when she had spoken to him. Maybe he only spoke that way to girls. 

Wait a minute. "My girlfriend?" He had never seen them together, and Trentley knew Jynnia had not mentioned him to him. The only time Trentley had ever even seen the guy was when he had walked by the sawmill whistling and eating a poisoned apple. Or least, what looked like a poisoned apple. 

"Yes, Miss Jynnia Trace," Deston said, speaking to Trentley as if he were a child and Deston were an adult who needed to explain a simple concept to him. Trentley immediately felt hate rise up in his chest for the guy. He tried to tamp it down, but as long as Trentley was looking at his face, he felt nothing but contempt. 

"I'm aware who my girlfriend is," Trentley said, surprising even himself. "But how do you know? I've never even met you before."

Deston sighed and put his hands on his hips, eyes darting back and forth between two points of focus Trentley did not know, in what he suspected to be a stalling tactic to hide the fact that he had nothing to say. "She told me about you," he finally said, looking up and trying to appear confident. At least that was what Trentley chose to see. 

Trentley lifted his chin and leaned a little closer to Deston. The other man did not flinch, but Trentley felt good knowing he had imposed on his space, anyway. "Listen, I don't know what I did to you, but I have to get back to work." He only wished he was a little taller so he could look down on Deston. "If you're stalking me, I would like to politely ask that you stop. And if you're stalking Jynnia, I would like to inform you that if you bother her one. Time. You will be making a visit to the town doctor." Without breaking eye contact, Trentley raised a hand and pointed down the street. "It's that direction."

(just to drive y'all crazy I want to say that I omitted a sentence from one of these snippets that would have been mad spoilerish so hahahahaha) (it's actually killing me having to hide it more than it's killing you)

9. Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)

I don't recall any typos yet. At least, nothing like last year's napkin in the lapkin. I haven't killed anyone off. Outlines? 

So, well, I guess this has been a pretty chill NaNo so far. 

Oh, I guess I could mention the random daughter that I gave my villain and then completely abandoned?? Like, we haven't even met the girl "on screen". The guy just mentioned her and she was supposed to come into play, but then kind of... didn't? So I don't know how that's going to turn out. xD #pantserlife

10. Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

Much of my writing this year has been completed late at night, although there has been surprisingly little irresponsibly late writing. This has nothing to do with my being responsible and everything to do with that fact that I'm getting old and apparently can't stay up past my bedtime anymore. maybeishouldstartdrinkingcoffeebeforebed justkiddingthatsterribleadvice

I usually alternate between my chair and my bed, though sometimes I end up downstairs at the kitchen table. And I think I pretty much always listen to my story playlist?

And thus concludes part 2 of Know the Novel! Whew. Can't believe we're already so close to part 3 and December!

As of the time I'm writing this, my word count is at 25,854. Yeah... not exactly what I want to see a week away from the end of NaNo. Will I close the gap between here and 50k? Who knows. But I have some extra free time right now, so we'll see what I can do!

Also- GUYS. It's almost Thanksgiving. What even is time anymore? 

So, I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving and find plenty to be thankful for! And also lots of pie because pie is fantastic. 

NaNo's almost over- how are y'all doing?? Is your story/characters behaving or running off in a completely different direction? Any special plans for Thanksgiving? And who's excited about the Christmas season?? So many exciting things!

NANOWRIMO WEEK 2

WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH NANOWRIMO 2020. 

Whoa. o_o

How have two weeks passed already?? For real, wasn't it just Halloween?? I think this NaNo is going by more quickly than usual. I need it to slow down, please.

Today I bring you my week two update! Okay, let's face it, I'm not getting any awards this year for writing every day. xD I already knew the NaNo website wouldn't give it to me (see my last update for the annoying story of how I failed to update my word count one day because I was tired), but I thought I'd still be able to give myself an imaginary one. But, well, nope. I haven't been able to write every day, but I'm actually okay with it. I told myself from day one of this NaNo that things would be different this year, and I had to accept it if they didn't go quite the way they have in past NaNos. And surprisingly, I've managed to stay pretty positive about it so far.

BUT. I did still get a good bit of writing done. Here's the recap!

Nope. No writing these days. I'm not even sure why? Sunday I was mostly free, so I guess it was just laziness. xD I WAS working on finishing up my week 1 vlog, though, so I suppose that contributed. 

I made myself complete all my Adult responsibilities during the day so I could commit to writing that night. I had work and school in the morning, homework in the afternoon, and a couple other things I wanted to get done. But that evening, I sat down with a chai and WROTE. It was one of the better writing days I've had this month, I think. 

Word count: 3628

No class thanks to Veterans' Day, which should have meant more writing but really just meant more time doing useless things. xD Actually, I discovered a super fun podcast called Small Fry, created by Amanda Brown (editor of Oh Beloved One). As a fast food worker, a homeschooler, and an introvert, these lighthearted chats hit the spot. xD (And she was an American Girl kid, too! My CHILDHOOD.)

Anyway, I did get some writing done that night, although my big plans for staying up late and doing even more writing kind of fell through. Did I stay up late more last NaNo, when I wasn't in college? I don't remember, but the midnight oil has just not been burning for me lately. xD which let's be honest is probably a good thing

Word count: 855

If I haven't mentioned it before, my college is literally like 30 seconds away from a coffee shop. That, my friends, was the single most exciting thing about starting college this year. xD I only have to go to campus twice a week, and the coffee shop is closed on one of those days again probably a good thing, but I make it there pretty regularly nowadays and I kept telling myself I would stop in there sometime and write. And of course NaNoWriMo month seems like the best time to do that.

On this day I had every intention of taking my laptop with me and settling into a corner of the shop to write for a while. (I've actually never written at a coffee shop before!) But I decided I didn't want to go through the trouble and changed my mind. xD (You know how at college and coffee shops or whatever, whenever you see someone with a laptop it's one of those sleek little travel-friendly ones and there's no charging cord in sight? Well, my laptop's not that big but it's big compared to those and I can't use it unplugged for more than like 30 minutes anymore which means I have to carry the cord literally everywhere... so yeah, it just didn't sound like a good time. xD) BUT I did take my story notebook with the intention of doing some brainstorming (NaNo always finds me hitting a wall not knowing what to write next). 

So, I got my coffee (a caramel pumpkin spice latte, if you were wondering) and sat at a little table outside. (Have you ever sat outside a coffee shop by yourself? It's a very adult-y-feeling thing to do.) I put in my earbuds and started my story playlist and just started writing ideas in my notebook. 

While I was sitting there, I looked down next to me and THERE WAS THIS ADORABLE DOG. It just came out of nowhere and came up to me and when I pet it, it acted like it was going to lean on my leg like my own dog does.

But then its owner called for it and it left. :( Still, it made my day. xD (My camera also stopped working while I was trying to vlog. So that was fun.)

I didn't get very many words written that evening, but I got some good ideas. So I call the day a success!

Word count: 409

Apparently I wrote this day? I thought I didn't but the NaNo website says otherwise. Go me, I guess. xD

Word count: 179

No writing this day. Something came up that kind of threw everything off track so it just didn't happen (which is also why I didn't write much yesterday). Not the strongest end to the week. xD

"Wow, last time I left this house we were being attacked by a crazy dwarf." Jynnia grinned and looked around at the hills surrounding the cottage, imagining Barnen throwing little magic smoke bombs at them. She frowned. "We never did get our horses back."

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that." Winlie locked the door behind her and hid the key away in her little pouch. 

"What happened to the horses?" Delga asked. 

"We had to leave them when we flew away," Jynnia said. 

Delga's eyes went round. "You flew away?"

Oh, yeah. Jynnia had forgotten that flying was not common. Or, at least, that people did not commonly know that it could be done. "Yeah. Winlie carried us."

"And so I shall be doing again," Winlie said, shaking her wings out as if refreshing them. "I do hope you didn't think I meant I would be walking to your village."

Delga squealed in excitement, but Jynnia's shoulders slumped. "Winlie, we can't," she said, her responsible babysitter voice kicking in. "These horses don't belong to us. We have to return them or they'll make us pay for them."

Winlie threw her head back and groaned. "But horses are so slow," she said, holding her hands out toward the animals. "I can't fly slowly. I feel stifled."

"Well, then you'll have to fly circles around us as we go." Jynnia untied her horse and checked the saddle. "The horses go with us. That's non-negotiable."

Winlie groaned again but did not argue further. "Fine. But I'll hate every second of it."

"You could try riding," Delga suggested, offering the first input since she had arrived there. 

Winlie appeared shocked at even the possibility. "Fairies do not ride horses," she said, her lip curling. "If we do not utilize our wings, we are not fairies."

Jynnia smirked, but a tiny part of her grew sad at that declaration. She thought of one of Winlie's sisters, who had voluntarily given up her wings to be with a human. Winlie was less angry with her than she used to be, but Jynnia imagined she was still having a hard time coming to terms with it. 

"Well, fairy or no fairy, we have to get going," Jynnia said. "We'll still have to stop for the night, but if we go now we should be almost there by tonight."

Winlie sighed. "Very well. Just don't expect me to not complain about your speed." She fluttered into the air, the sparkly sound of her wings making Jynnia smile as she mounted her horse. As they got going, Winlie said, "Imagine. All those years cooped up in my cottage alone and now I'm headed out on my second adventure in five months."

      "You know how all the magic is hidden away somewhere?" Very stupid question. Winlie and her sisters had been the ones to take care of it last year, after parting ways with Trentley and Jynnia. 

"Of course."

It occurred to Jynnia that she still did not know where they had hidden the magic this time. She would ask about that later. "Well... I've been thinking. And I don't think it's right that it be hidden away like that."

Winlie lowered herself to flutter in front of Jynnia, turning to face her as she hovered backwards. 

"So... I want to revive it."

Delga turned to look at her sharply. This was the first she had heard of it, too. Before now, only Trentley had known of it. 

Winlie furrowed her brow as if trying to decipher Jynnia's meaning. 

"I mean... so what if some people don't want to deal with it? I get that some bad things happened, but it's not all bad." Jynnia felt the passion rising up within her, and as she got more worked up she began throwing her hands around. "After all, the magic was here before all the people who complained about it were."

A corner of Winlie's mouth hinted upward for just a moment. Jynnia gathered from her expression that she liked where this was going. 

"So, I want to bring it back. I want to bring the fairy tales to light and make the world stop hiding from its past." Wow. Sounds a lot more unrealistic when I put it like that. 

"Jynnia, you already almost got arrested once," Delga said, shaking her head. "Don't push it, or we'll never see you again without bars between us."

"Somebody's got to put an end to this, Delga," Jynnia said. "It's not right that fairies and wizards have to live isolated and hide their magic just because people want it outlawed. Besides, the plan is to make people accept magic again so that nobody will be put in jail just for talking about it." She grinned. 

"But you can't guarantee you can make that happen," Delga said. "That's a big job, Jynnia. Much bigger than just you."

"Well, it's not just her." Winlie's voice was determined, as if there had never even been a thought of it just being Jynnia. 

Jynnia turned to look at her sharply, feeling hope rising up within her. Winlie's arms were crossed, and Jynnia could tell by looking at her face that there was absolutely no amount of persuasion that could change her mind now. "You're with me?" Jynnia said, raising her eyebrows and dipping her chin toward her in question. 

"There's no way I could not be with you," Winlie said. "I was never for the magic going away. I just went along with it because there seemed to be nothing else we could do. But you..." She smiled, a genuine, content smile that was rare to see on her face. "You give me hope that that might not have to be the case."

"Afternoon."

Trentley jumped and turned to see a soldier walking toward him, hands behind his back. Trentley smiled uncomfortably, realizing how dumb he must have looked sitting there on his horse in the middle of the street, staring at a strange-looking apple. "Hi." He was just about to start his horse forward, but the man kept talking. 

"What's that you have there?" The man nodded toward the apple in Trentley's hand. 

Trentley frowned and turned slowly to look at it. Yes. It was indeed an easily identifiable apple. "Um... it's an apple."

"May I see it?"

Well, so much for eating it. If some stranger whose hands had been who-knows-where was going to handle it, Trentley was not interested. Bewildered, he handed the apple over. 

The soldier turned the apple over in his hand, observing all sides. "Interesting apple. Where'd you get it?"

"I... found it." That was very true. 

The reason why this soldier might be grilling him was beginning to come together in Trentley's head. 

"Son, what were you planning on doing with this apple?"

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. There's no law against eating an apple. "I was going to eat it," he said, gripping the reins a little too tightly. His fingernails digging into the soft skin of his palms made him realize how angry he was getting. "I was planning on eating it." He cut himself off from adding a sarcastic comment. Something like "Is that allowed in your town?" Jynnia's sass is really rubbing off on me. 

"Do you know what other apple looks this?" The soldier did not give Trentley time to answer. "Ever heard of Snow White?"

Trentley furrowed his brow, hoping to make the soldier feel silly. "Yes, I think it rings a bell."

"Well, the apple in that tale..." The soldier began slowly circling Trentley's horse, tossing the apple up and down like a ball. "...that tale of magic..." He hissed the word, leaning close to Trentley as if afraid his own fellow soldiers would hear him and arrest him. "...looked exactly like this one."

"Well, I suppose somebody thought it would be funny to paint one like it, then," Trentley said. "Sir, if you'll excuse me, I really have somewhere I need to be."

"Could have fooled me," the soldier said. "The way you were sitting there on that horse staring at this apple." His eyes narrowed. "Almost like you were... planning something." 

Trentley shook his head. "What do you think I was planning with an apple?" His voice was rising with his frustration. He did not have time to stand around and argue with a petty soldier. 

I realized that Trentley says the same thing twice in a paragraph in that last snippet, but hey, first drafts, am I right? Might as well let you read it in all its NaNoWriMo glory. xD

I screenshotted this a day late, but you get the idea.

Week 2 word count: 5,063

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 17,226

Though I didn't get as much writing done as I would have hoped, the week was still a success! I wrote words (always a victory, no matter how many words), got my week 1 vlog up (HERE if you want to watch!), and brainstormed at a coffee shop. So, overall, I'd say it was a lovely week. 

I've also found a nice balance between my writing and school. Of course, there's no telling how long this will last. xD But this week I've been able to keep up with everything and not drown, which has been really nice. Making small goals every day instead of trying to accomplish tons of things in a day or two seems to work better for me. 

And as far as my story itself, things are starting to pick up. YAY! Also, it was brought to my attention last week that I didn't post any snippets that had both Trentley and Jynnia in them! That was a total accident, but, well, bad news: you don't get any this week, either. xD See, it's tricky... and I'm just gonna leave it at that because Trentley and Jynnia don't know what's going on, either. xD

I have pretty high hopes for the next couple of weeks, because *ahem* quarantine has officially hit my house, so no classes to go to this week. And then next week is Thanksgiving (!!!!), and I took a couple of extra days off work to relax. So, I expect big things. xD

Anyway! I'll stop rambling about myself now. Let me know how you guys are doing! ONWARD TO THE SECOND HALF OF NANOWRIMO.

NaNo or not, how's November treating you? Have you watched any Christmas movies yet? (because I tragically have not and that is something that must be remedied ASAP) Fellow college students- we've almost made it to the end of the semester!! How are we doing??