October delays, and a synopsis draft

October won't be filled with as much writing as I'd hoped.  I recently realized that, although I don't know for certain what I would do, I really am ready to leave my lab manager position behind.  The best thing I can think to do next is try going to grad school... if I can figure out what I would go for.  In order to leave the option for grad school open, I've been preparing to take a GRE later this month.  (Is it strange that I'm writing a novel and yet it is the verbal section I'm worried about?  I did grow up with a physics professor as a father, though.)  I really should do better and study to take the one in psychology, too... but I kind of hate the idea of studying for that when I'm trying to get ready for Nano.  This is discouraging, because it tells me a few things about my priorities for my future.  I would love to write for a living, but realistically I would not be able to support myself, so I need to pick a career.  This is where I turn into a whiner and start complaining about how I don't want to do that.  I really really really need to get serious and freaking pick a path.

Plus Jordan and I have finally gotten bicycles, so we've been riding them alllllll over town.

Since I can't write about having actually written... I've decided to release a draft of my synopsis.  It's a work in progress, but I guess I don't see the need to be quite as secretive anymore.

Initially, Allie Hepner thinks the hospital room she has been visiting every night is part of a dream.  As they return and grow longer she must face the possibility that she is not dreaming.  Rather, she is waking up in the life of Candice Waybright, a woman who was involved in a car wreck Allie caused a week prior.  She suddenly finds herself surrounded by Candice’s family and husband who believe she has retrograde amnesia.  As they teach her about Candice’s life and try to rebuild their relationships Allie must figure out whether the life she worked so hard for is everything she thought it was, and what happened to the real Candice Waybright.

My biggest problem right now is not knowing what to do with Allie's life.  I have all sorts of ideas about life as Candice.  I'm excited to write it and it is much more fun... but I need to figure out how to make life as Allie more interesting.  If not, I may have trouble trying to write 50k words for Nano.

I am trying to do as little traveling as possible in November, because I would love to have weekends to shut myself off to the world and write so I can stay on track.  The problem is, I've got plans for 2 weekends and plans for another undetermined weekend.  Something tells me I may used some of my paid time off days in November to make it work.

I do plan on doing virtually nothing else in November, though.  Sorry in advance if I turn down any invitations.

I'm still at about 16,000 words.  Ack.