Really, not writer's block!
So, all my reader has probably noticed that I haven't updated in a bit. There are a few reasons for that.

Reason the onest: this winter story was incredibly dull, and even though I blocked out pretty much the whole arc, I'm not going back to it. It's lame.

Reason the twost: I have been participating in my own halfass NaNoWriMo (can it really keep the "na" bit if it's Interna?) and trying to produce 1000 words per day. So far I have managed, and I started with a story I'd begun ages before, so I am actually a bit ahead. Which means as of the end of the day yesterday, I am at 14,100 words or so. I've learned a lot from this, which I will detail below, so as to avoid embedding a list in this list.

Reason the threest: The Tudors. This show is like crack for history nerds (well, history nerds who aren't too picky about creative liberties). If history nerdage doesn't sell you, then perhaps NIGH-CONSTANT shirtlessness, both on the part of Johnathan Rhys Meyers and 90% of the female cast will! Seriously, watch this show on TV, or find an alternative viewing method, or wait for DVD, I guess... it's good.

Reason the fourst: As many of you know, in addition to a history nerd, I am a gaming nerd. I am currently participating in two weekly tabletop RPGs in various capacities, and trying to beat Half-Life 2 (Yes, I was the target audience for the Orange Box; I'm the guy who bought a two-year-old game because he'd never played it. And also for the cake).

Reason the fivest: I used to update my LJ at work a lot, but since becoming a lawyer in more-or-less private practice, I just leave the office if I have nothing to do. No salary means no demands on my time!

Alright, that list is done. New list time.

Things I have learned trying to produce a consistent number of words per day:

Unus: When I can't think of what to write, I add a new character;

Duo: When I feel like I have too many characters, I have a character remember something from their past marginally related to what's going on;

Tres: 1000 words is a nice length for a fast-paced scene;

Quattor: Writing without an overall plan for a story adds a lot of flexibility, but also results in a lot of evenings sitting in front of the computer, saying "OK, and then what?";

Quinque: Writing in a historical setting makes certain things easier (adding references to dates and historical events or personages) but makes certain things harder (the constant dread that you might write an anachronism -- even in a speculative fiction story; the struggle to get the details right; the desire to reference every interesting historical occurrence in your chosen period);

Sex: *Snort*. The Latin word for six is sex... and apparently I'm in grade six;

Septem: Say what you will about utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham was a forward-thinking cat.

So, there you have it. Now you know what I know, and why I am not doing what I used to be doing.