Nah, sod it...

...I *will* take part in JanNo24 after all, I'll just have a few hours/days off when the bathroom is done if necessary.  I've spent a small fortune on Glitterberry J2Os and NaNo and JanNo are the only times I allow myself to have them, so instead of it all going to waste, I *will* do JanNo, I'll just have a break before I've finished it is all.  I've got 30 days, so I'll spend the first week of January writing then potentially have a break for a while before I go back to it and finish it off.

I managed to finish NaNo in 8 days this year, so having a break for  a while is another experiment I'll be making.

It'll be far from my best work, but that's what editing is for, right?  😉

For the second year on the trot...

...I won't be writing getting involved in JanNo next year (so JanNo24).

Why?

Because I'm getting a whole new bathroom put in starting on Monday 8th so need to be around for that instead of having my head stuck in the fantasy novel I was going to write for it.

I'll still be around and working on the update to the S4CG site and the new, secret site, ready for the (re-)launch at the start of February, I just won't be writing anything until NaNo24.

Other than getting central heating put in and new flooring in the kitchen and bathroom, this is the last big thing happening, so I'm hoping things will be back to normal ready for JanNo25.

Important! Members please read!!

I came to a final decision at 3.30am that I’ve been pondering on for almost a year now and it affects you and your membership to the Stories 4 Children site.

 

My hubby was my tech guru for everything on the site and he produced the application form and ability to log in as well as the software.  He passed away on 21^st December 2022 so I’ve been totally unable to ask for guidance on the things he set up for me.

 

The webhosts for the site have recently set up the ability to have multiple sites hosted together, so that’s what I’ve done with my personal sites and because the Stories 4 Children site is on a decommissioned server, I haven't been able to access my domain name emails for months on end.  I decided in the early hours that I would use the opportunity to migrate the Stories 4 Children site to this new thing along with a new site that I’m starting to create.

 

Why am I telling you this?

 

Because when the S4C site is migrated, I will lose the ability to reinstate your membership because it involved databases and PHP and other stuff that I haven’t got the foggiest clue about!

 

Sooo, starting from when I’ve finished my JanNo24 novel I’m completely removing the members area and it will all be totally free (except for things in the shop) but it means that I’m able to understand how to code things instead of being left floundering if something goes wrong in future or there’s a question about some software or there’s a problem with the site or something else that I haven’t got the first clue about.

 

The site will still be available (except while it’s migrating) and I’ll still update it, there just won’t be a members area any more.  If there's anything you want to keep in the members area, please make sure you download it before the end of this year as it'll be lost forever after the migration.

 

Thank you so much for your faith and support and I’ll see you on the other side of JanNo.

AAAAAND...

...I've just won NaNo23!!!

As in by one single word over the minimum lol

I've brought my final J2O of the year in and I'm gonna have it after I've had my lunch, but I can now relax and have breakfasts again!

One down...

...just one more to go and only 38 hours slower than my personal best last year of 6 days too!

I'm hoping to get it finished before my lunchtime carer comes and I might end up blubbing, but I don't care, because it's my first NaNo since I became a young Yule widow last year so if I start blubbing then so be it!

I've got another decaff tea on the go to warm me up a bit and I've had my single chapter reward, so I'm on track to be having my can of J2O to celebrate finishing the manuscript at lunchtime then I'll be able to gradually ease back into real life again instead of crashing with a huge bump like I have done each year so far.

Comin' to get you, winners certificate!

Disappointingly...

...i won't get NaNo finished before my first carer of the day arrives today 'cos I didn't wake up until 4.41am instead of the 3.15ams that I have for the rest of NaNo, so I've got a mug of decaff tea on the go and I'll finish off the novel when my carer has been and gone instead.

A bit disappointing, but there's still a very good chance that I'll get it finished before lunchtime and that won't shock my body to have the J2O can so early in the morning  😉

Six down...

...just the last two chapters to go at sparrow's fart o'clock tomorrow morning, then I can enjoy my can of J2O and bar of chocolate for the last time until JanNoWriMo starts.

I'm gearing up for the final sprint of the competition and I reckon I'll be done by the time my first carer of the day arrives tomorrow morning, assuming I'm up before 5am again.

I can smell the champagne on ice and see the ice buckets getting moved to the finishing ribbon.  It'll've taken a couple of days longer than my PB of 6 days that I achieved last year, but I've enjoyed writing every word and I haven't got stressed out for not meeting my daily target.

Having the single chapter rewards as well as the bigger 5 chapter rewards and the start and end motivators have definitely helped and I reckon that's how I'm gonna keep doing it each time from now on... for the enjoyment and regular mini rewards rather than the sprint to the finish... it's a marathon rather than a sprint and I'd unfortunately forgotten that until this year.

Time for my last reward of the day then that's me finished writing until tomorrow morning now.