Imagine my surprise to discover I was completing my book and now, a year later, my book has just been released and I have two book signings scheduled for Ohio in four weeks.
Life certainly is full of surprises!
Enjoy the piece from twelve calendar changes...
Happy Writing?
Okay, so I’m not a realist!
I had to chuckle to myself as a result of my lofty goals. I am attempting to complete My Life as a Dog… so it can be sent to the editor/critique person so the publishing of my book can come more quickly. Currently, I have 24 stories finished and have ideas for at least four more. So it would only make sense to devote all my time and efforts to this ambition, right?
In addition, I joined National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo) which to goal is to complete a novel of 50,000 words in one month. That sounds obtainable, doesn’t it?
Well, both would have they not been on variant roads to crash at the intersection of November. I realized this morning when my husband Scott came back from running with me at my usual sitting place, the computer room. He puts his nose in the air and said, ‘Oh, I thought I smelled grits, but I guess not!’
SLAM…’But I thought you wanted me to write?’
‘Yes, but I also want you to pay attention to me!’ Ahhh, so he wants the best of both worlds; as do I. It is not easy taking time away from my family to devote to writing, plus teaching, plus whatever it is I do all day. I’m not a self-centered person so this is not an easy path to navigate.
So what if I want it all? Would anyone like to add additional hours to the day so I have time for everything? What will it be that is put on the back burner? I’m at 6,393 words on my novel for NaNo, and My Life as a Dog is at 14,668. No, I didn’t write all of those 14 thousand words but probably a third of them within the past week which should account for something.
Meanwhile, I have clothes to wash, the floor to vacuum, and bathrooms to clean so if you’re looking for me, that’s where I’ll be; obtaining my lofty goals~
4 comments:
Definitely write "My Life..." first. That's the more important project. There's always next year for NaNo! Or, count the words for "My Life..." as part of your NaNo words. Yes, it's against the rules, but I promise there aren't NaNo police who will come after you!
And of course, your family is more important than either one of the above. As for teaching, well, you know my thoughts about that. =)
I thought Scott did the cooking and cleaning? And if he can go run, you can go write, right? (Yeah, I know I'm getting myself into trouble. =) Don't tell him I said that!)
Have a great weekend!
My thoughts are that you can have it all and you should have it all. Maybe try to set a schedule of Scott time, family time,writing time, and school time. "My Life..." should come first and use the NaNo as an outlet for your writing. You write because you love to be creative and now in editing "My Life.." it may seem more like a job and less like an outlet, so as you are working on editing take some time to stress relief write for NaNo. As for your other writing ideas, let me simmer for a while. One day you will get them out.
You have some really great comments so far on this. I agree with them both. I struggle with this idea that I can achieve 35 hours of work in 24 hours and still sleep -- We both know that isn't possible. Yesterday I took the time to clean up the house, because it was needed. My writing suffered for it, but at the end of the day, we were back on speaking terms, and I was able to complete my word goal for Nano - Prioritize, and don't feel guilty about your decisions! You have to come first, and then everything else will magically fall into place - at least that is what I keep telling myself.
You mean I CAN'T be Superwoman?
Thanks for your comments and support. I realized that I don't NEED to do NaNo so I'm not eliminating it, just putting it on the back burner for now until my book is complete. I went scrapbooking last night and cleaned the house today while managing to add to my book...sometimes I just need to hear it from others.
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