I did a bit of a disappearing act these last couple of weeks. It’s been hard to fit in anything but the essentials in life, and I’ve been admitting that and getting the rest I need to stay healthy instead of pushing all hours to get writing done. I got a few hundred words in here and there, but didn’t blog or comment on blogs at all. Sorry!
From what I’ve been reading on other writers’ blogs, I think many of us have been in the same boat, pushing hard on our goals after minimal post-holiday season rest. We can’t expect the impossible from our bodies or our minds. And it’s impossible to keep going like the Energizer bunny without refreshing with decent rest. Some nights my mind has felt like a blank slate — a creepy feeling for a woman who’s always cranking through my “lists” in my mind, not to mention hatching plots.
The only place to go is forward. So ROWers, take care of yourselves so you have those reserves needed for the imagination to thrive. And take heart — the future holds great things if you just keep plugging away one day at a time toward your goals. Now I’m going to take my own advice. 🙂
I finally got back into Flight, writing 2,400 words (including the first love scene!) between two writing sessions on Friday. Saturday, I added 700 words. My total word count on this draft is now 13,300. Not terrible for a month’s work.
I really have to knuckle down and commit to finishing this draft. I’ve given myself plenty of forgiveness due to kids being sick and backlog of work around the day job and home — but the time for excuses is at an end. Honestly, I’ve felt a little scattered these past few weeks, with that “shiny and new” idea popping up and continuing to surprise me. Now is the time to hone in on my goal and really live in my characters’ skins for the next few weeks. I will finish the first draft of this novella in February, in time to begin edits on my novel Queen Witch in the final weeks of ROW80.
Exercise? Yeah, right. Besides walking the dog and dance party with my daughters, I haven’t exercised. Given thirty minutes and the choice between hitting the exercise bike and writing 500 words, I’ll choose writing every time. And that dance party I mentioned will lift my kids moods no matter what; that’s worth missing the bike for. Since my two kids weigh a total of about 50 pounds, I can get a pretty good workout with dance party. The workout has to be better when your free-weights wiggle. 🙂
There’s nothing wrong with being busy taking care of important things. Sometimes you just have to back off and do what needs to be done.
I’m anxious to read your next work when it’s finished. You were talking about writing a love scene and I was thinking, “No one writes a love scene like J.R.!” LOL
That’s great progress with you jumping back into Flight! Best wishes getting a lot of done on it. Sometimes life does intrude on the writing, and that’s okay. I love the idea of dance party with the kids. I like playing Just Dance Wii with my sons, and it’s really not a bad work-out! Have a great week.