I was born, er, a lot of years earlier than your DH. I was encouraged to use my right hand as a kid - which may have encouraged by cross-dominance. So I ended up with really terrible handwriting. But what really messed me was in middle school, a "progressive" principle decided that I was really a lefty who had been switched to the right against my will (even though I did not remember it that way) and put me through special tutoring to switch me to my left. I never learned to write with my left hand, but the writing in my right had (which had been bad but legible) turned completely unreadable.

The machinery drabble is now closed.

The new prompt is in the dark.

bring light

The booth smells like cigarettes and plywood. She knows her way around it by touch; she moves invisibly behind the glass. Leather gloves on the pads of her palms, black clothing, black hair, black eyes. In the depths it bustles with unseen activity, here all is stillness in preparation. She is alone.

The squeak of the stool as she slides into place, muffled chatter on the radio. Out there the audience waiting, breathless, in the dark.

"And...go spot." Her machine flares suddenly into life, setting the stage ablaze with its flesh toned glow. The show is on. Sit back, enjoy.

In the dark. God, the most terrifying place to be is in this darkness.

Not a mere absence of light dark, but a mental blackout: I am IN THE DARK.

And there's no way for light to illuminate those lost hours. No dim corridor through which I can struggle my way to understanding, even a partial one. For I have been in the dark, and the darkness is following me. I can never be rid of it. I can learn things about it, but those things do not make the whole brighter; they simply add another level of stygian to the blackout that eats my soul.

In the dark? No; that would be too simple. It infers an egress, eventually. I have been swallowed, just a bit, by the dark, and the culpability for my consumption is mine.

I walked blithely into the monster's maw, and though I have escaped total destruction, I have always now a park of that darkness with me. And I am not a hero. And I walk afraid where once I walked proud.

Oooh, Erin, that gave me shivers. And made me sad, very sad.

Yeah, well done.

So it's that time again. And I've thought about it because of all y'alls comments and I think I'm going to try. I've got a pretty clear schedule this month. So I figured I'd better make it public here and you guys can hold me accountable.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year. Who else is in?

I have the opposite of a clear schedule, which means I'll be looking to procrastinate. Might as well do something constructive while I'm work-avoidy. I'm in.

I'm in.

Me, too!

My user name is, uh, bottleofbooze. It seemed fitting.

ARGH, but the NaNo website is aggravating. The "author" tab seems to have disappeared so there doesn't appear to be any way to add new friends. Like those with the moniker "bottleofbooze"

(which actually makes me wonder if I should've signed up as GropyMcGroperson...)