My apologies and an update

Firstly, my apologies for posting ZERO times last week. My computer decided that its hard drive didn't exist, so I've been working on unfamiliar library computers and generally adapting to computers that aren't my own and connecting to things like Facebook and Blogger through my phone. (Yes, I can access Blogger through my phone, but I've had to use my phone for a lot more now, which tends to run down the battery.) Hopefully I'll be able to sort out my computer soon; if worst comes to worst, fall break is this weekend and I can take it to the Apple store.
Right now, though, my academics are taking precedence. It's weird how something like that works. My computer was kind of a big distraction - after all, there were games, podcasts, music, and an Internet connection in my lap! Who wouldn't get distracted? The sudden deprivation of all of those at once was kind of jarring, but it pointed out where all my lost time was going. At the same time, I really want to be able to get my computer sorted out. It's partly motivated by all the music and other entertainment-based things on there that won't (or can't) go onto my phone, but it's also motivated by preservation. I have photos on there that I haven't put online; there are bits of writing and editing that aren't on flash drives. I'm glad I hand-write my novels, because I still have the notebooks; what I don't have is the typed-up versions that have been already edited. The edited versions often have notes on them - the bits, for example, that are highlighted to remind myself that "THIS IS THE FIRST MENTION OF THIS IMPORTANT DETAIL; MAKE A NOTE OF THIS NUMBER BECAUSE YOU DEFINITELY REFERENCE IT LATER."
Luckily, I do have the handwritten drafts of my novels, which is always important, and I've found other writing on the various flash drives in my backpack. I'm pretty sure I have printed out copies of some of my writing elsewhere, too - though now I'm worrying whether I threw those out in the Great Paper Purge of Summer 2014.
If I had to assign a moral to this story, the moral would be in four parts.
The first part is to back up your files in a place that isn't your computer's hard drive.
The second part would be to back up your files somewhere else. If the first layer is your hard drive and the second layer is something like iCloud or DropBox, get yourself an external hard drive or a flash drive or something. Put everything there, too.
The third part, of course, is to take care of your computer. Make sure your software is up to date - both with the manufacturer and with the antivirus company.
The fourth and final part is to hand write or print out at least one draft of all the files you hold dear, especially with something like writing. This is to have a square one to go back to: if your hard drive gets infected, and DropBox crashes, and someone steals your external hard drive, your super important files will still have at least one copy. It might not have the important updates and the edit with THAT REALLY IMPORTANT REVELATION THAT CHANGES YOUR STORY FOREVER, but it will give you a chance to take a second look at that scene that you considered deleting.

Day 16: when in doubt, switch universes

Current Page: 84
Target Page: GAH!
Place in Story: Well, while I try and buy myself some time to figure out how to get Spencer out of the craphole I've dug her into, I'm revisiting Myrtle for the first time in a while.  I spent a week ignoring her, but I'm pretty sure she's actually useful now in padding my word count.  So, Myrtle is at a sorority party now (one she got dragged along to because she hadn't been out of the house in weeks because NOVELING!); she just got sat on by a drunk freshman who thinks that Myrtle is trans* because the freshman sat on Myrtle's pen while Myrtle was sneakily trying to write.

With regards to Spencer, I'm sure you're wondering what craphole she's gotten into.  Well, her navigation and communications systems are both down (she had an idea that didn't work; instead of successfully leading the enemy ship away from the base planet of the rebellion, the King's Stiletto was brought onto the enemy flagship and sabotaged); also, the base planet of the rebellion - the only definitively friendly planet in the only definitively friendly system within a range where navigation is simple - has been overtaken by beings of a malicious nature.  She found this out when getting the coordinates to the base planet (she was calling the commander of the rebellion on their backup communicator, which is kind old), and then the bad guy took over.

I have no idea what to do about this.  Suggestions?

On that note, I'm going to continue to write this awkward encounter in Myrtle's world, to the sounds of drunken frolicking outside.  (Since today was the game against our rivals, there's even more drunken frolicking than normal, even though we lost).

Day 12: stress?

Current Page: 67
Target Page: beyond that
Written today: nothing
What's going on: a lot of things.

Right now, the internet on my computer is being really dumb - for some reason, it won't connect to the server, so I can only access a few academic sites as well as Facebook and Twitter and, occasionally, the NaNoWriMo site.  (This is the reason that I haven't posted for the last two days.  My apologies for that.)
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write too much over the last few days. I've been involved in a lot of things with my fraternity, and I have an essay due tonight at midnight (I'm mostly done with it, which is nice).  Additionally, homework is starting to get to me, because all my professors have realized that there are about three weeks before finals (if you count the rest of this week and the two days before Thanksgiving as one whole week), and so they've all decided that now is the time to give out ALL OF THE ASSIGNMENTS.  So I had an econ test yesterday, an honors essay tonight, a Greek test on Friday (as well as a bunch of translations), and a bunch of math quizzes before finals begin.  Needless to say, there's been a lot going on.
Hopefully I'll find the time to write today and tomorrow and catch up - I'm now running behind, even on NaNo terms, so that needs to get fixed.

Finals.  Gah.
Grades.  Gah.

NaNoWriMo approaches!

Yes, tomorrow is National Novel Writing Month. I've tried to get hyped, and I kind of am. More than I was last year, anyway. (I was in slight panic mode last year). I don't really have a complete plot. I don't even have three-quarters of a plot. I'm not sure I even have time. But I have a world and a bunch of pens and a notebook that has already been decked out with NaNoWriMo stickers, and... really, what sort of Wrimo would I be if I didn't do NaNo this year? (don't answer that.)

Right, well, this is where the slight panic sets in. I'm not sure I can do it because of time. I keep telling myself that I can work on it - that I can work in the world I've set up for myself (mostly) and that the words will just come. It's happened before. But it hasn't happened in a while. I'm possibly less prepared than I was last year - at least I knew all the character names last year. This year, I keep mixing up Tobias with whatever I named my villain (Joshua? No, he was a protagonist last year.  Jericho?  No, he was last year's villain, and I don't recycle names. Oh right, his name is Jeremy. Damn you, J-names! Come to think of it, maybe I should change his name...); also, I can't keep my character sheets straight. For example, I can't find the definitive sheet that I have (I KNOW I WROTE ONE UP) that says the Players' names, strengths, and weaknesses. Gah!

Also, I tried to get into the NaNoWriMo spirit by putting a countdown on the whiteboard on the door of my room. Every day - sometimes multiple times a day - someone would come and erase the number. With 9 days to go, someone erased it and drew a penis.

So, this is my life right now. Will be back tomorrow to begin the hooliganry!