Posts Tagged "Procrastination"

• One Hundred Days of Write-itude

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  The Romance Writers of America conference is in less than ten weeks! I wasn’t planning to attend this year, but after finding out that AN INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE is a finalist for a Golden Heart award, I immediately changed my mind.

  So, I’m going to DC, where I intend to meet the other lovely ladies I’m becoming acquainted with online, attend some great workshops and retreats, sightsee in our nation’s capital, and party my heart out until the awards ceremony. But, there is much to do before I get to Washington; while finding a dress and obsessing over shoes will take some significant thought, the main focus is trying to finish the first draft of Madeleine and Ferguson’s story. Obviously, I hope that I sell MARRIAGE and that all my wildest dreams come true, but I’m not holding my breath — and I think I’m on to something special with these characters, so I would like to have a finished draft in time to submit to the 2010 Golden Heart in December.

  This is doable; I’m about as far with them right now as I was with Amelia and Malcolm last year, so finishing by December is feasible. It just won’t be easy, given the demands of the day job, my summer travel schedule, and all the little things that seem to conspire against me.

  My hardcore writing was supposed to start today, but instead I did five loads of laundry, reread segments of a great book (Robin McKinley’s CHALICE — a nice blend of old-timey high fantasy, romance, and beekeeping), and talked to my parents for Mother’s Day. But, starting now, I’m recommitting to my hermitage; spending the next hundred (or, hopefully, only seventy) days holed up and working on Madeleine and Ferguson’s story should give me something complete enough that I can start working on the second draft after the RWA conference. I will either return elated and eager to get back to the book, or despondent and in need of a distraction, so having something to edit will be key.

  You can tell by the length of this post that I’m procrastinating No more of that — it’s time to get back to business!

  
  | Books | Hermitage | Procrastination | RWA Nationals | Sloth |
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  Posted 10 May 2009, 6:52 pm

• Broken Glass, Continued

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  I’m listening to “Walking on Broken Glass” again — I can’t work on the book because I’m at work, and I have a pressing mid-afternoon deadline that I feel loath to meet. I will meet it, of course, but “Walking on Broken Glass” is a good five-minute distraction.

  Madeleine and Ferguson will demand much of my time this weekend, but I will still call my mother on Mothers’ Day. What are your Mothers’ Day plans?

  
  | Inspirations | Procrastination |
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  Posted 8 May 2009, 10:07 am

• Writing, comma, How Not to Succeed At

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  The best way, hands down, to not succeed at writing is to never make time to write. And unfortunately, that is the position that I find myself in this week. Despite my best intentions, I have not written since Sunday. Three days is really not such a long break, but I’m so excited to get back to working on Madeleine and Ferguson’s story, and so a three- (or more likely, five-) day hiatus is frustrating.

  Then again, given the state of the economy in general and my expensive tastes in particular, having a day job is a good thing, even if the day job is keeping me so occupied this week that I can’t find time to write. Yes, I could make faster progress on the road to publication if I could devote sixty hours a week to it, but it’s hard to slog down that road if you have scurvy because you can only afford to eat ramen. I suppose I could give up my Sephora habit — but until they develop drugs to help ease the withdrawal pangs I would feel at never buying Nars eyeshadow or Shiseido lipstick again, I’m too hooked to drop it.

  What about you? What silly expense are you unwilling to drop?

  
  | J'adore | Procrastination | The Day Job |
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  Posted 6 May 2009, 10:13 pm