I wanted to apologize to my friends and readers. Things have been really rough in my personal and professional life lately. Some of it has leveled out, some has not. I really don't know if or when I'll start writing again or rejoin the lj community. I don't want to get into the details right now, but no one has lost their life or is about to, nor is my marriage in trouble. I just hope the new year brings some new possibilities. Thank you to everyone who has been reading, and I will try to get around to replying to comments when I've got the emotional wherewithall. Happy New Year!

Okay, third chapter is out for review, so it's time to post chapter two. Thanks so much to zanth for all her help and encouragment, and to rebcake for the rec! Please let me know what you think. In this chapter there are visits and arrivals. Eventually I'll come up with a title for this, but in the meantime ( Chapter TwoCollapse )

Prelude posted just before. You will probably need it to understand what's happening here. Thanks to zanthinegirl for advice and encouragement. And now, on to ( Chapter OneCollapse )

But I just couldn't get it together in time. And I'm a bit stuck, so despite wanting to avoid doing another WIP, I'm going to start posting it as a WIP. Maybe feedback will inspire me.

This story is going to work it's way toward Spuffy, but it will take a little while to get there. And the first little bit, which is written in a very non-graphic way, includes some Bangel (yeah, I know, I kinda can't believe I wrote it either). But it's necessary to the entire premise of the story.

So enough talking, ( preludeCollapse )

:(

Yeah. Between my in-laws visit, my computer problems, and did I mention Mini and I have swine flu? So there's also that. Fic writing is a little behind schedule. I do have an idea on how to get around the giant roadblock I was facing. Maybe I should write when the tylenol wears off again. Fever dream delirium writing could be fun! Hopefully I can get something decent ready for free-for-all posting day. Bah. I hate blowing a deadline.

Okay, so I'm still working on my seasonal spuffy story. But I just can't get the emotional tone right. It might be rustiness. Or work stress. Or the fact that my in-laws are coming into town. Or that my stupid Vista OS is stuck in one of those hell loops where it keeps trying to install updates, the updates wreck the machine, it has to do a restore/repair, and repeat every time I turn the machine on.

But: I am behind on my story. I know how I want it to end. I just have to get there, with characters I recognize.

Okay, made the mistake of tuning into A&E. Am currently watching Hoarders for the first time, and am bolted to my chair by sickened fascination. Especially given that my grandmother built an array of sheds to store decade's worth of junk, this is something I've avoided watching before.

Anyway, work may be starting to get less crazy. I've been writing in little fits and starts, so the project is still going. We'll see how much progress I make by my posting date!

So, I actually have four chapters drafted, which is shocking to me. And more importantly I think I finally have a way to get Spike back in the picture. Partly inspired by the needy-Spike? debate going on Barb's journal.

Work is crazy stressful right now, but I always feel most inspired when I have the least time to actually write (when I'm bored I find myself staring at the blank page). So maybe I'll actually have a story, or a big chunk of one, ready for my Seasonal Spuffy date. I'm trying!

I have been felled by a particularly nasty virus. On Monday, Mini was a little sick and had to be sent home from school. By that evening I was feeling semi-lousy but she was just fine. Tuesday she went back to school and I went back to work. I barely made it through a mandatory training (thank god it was via telecon) -- although I did have to duck out twice for necessity's sake. I went to tell my manager that I was going home; didn't have to. She took one look at me and was like 'get out! go home!' That night I was up at least once an hour and Wednesday I was so kitten weak I couldn't sit at the computer for more than thirty minutes without needing to lay down. That's right people -- too sick to sit up.

Which means no fanfic is getting written. I've been too tired even to *read*. I've mostly slept and staggered to the wc for going on four days now. Today I am able to completely fill a water glass without getting too dizzy. Maybe I can drag the laptop to the couch with me and prop myself up to write a little today. Blech.

So the story ideas I've been working on are going nowhere. I need to find a good challenge and tackle it. I've been looking at the various archives and the challenges posted there. Maybe they'll spark something. Anyone have a place they check for good challenges?