I am always 15 minutes or more early for everything. I don't like to be late for appointments or publishing books. But lately...I feel like I am constantly behind. I HATE this feeling.
When I'm late or behind, acid boils in my stomach and my right eyelid twitches. Lately both have been happening more and more often. And it doesn't help having hubby say, "I thought you wrote for fun."
I do write for fun. I love coming up with characters and building stories around them. That is the fun part. The not so fun part is promoting and trying to keep new books out in front of the readers so they don't forget my characters or me. So they are ready to buy the next book I put out.
But lately...I made a decision to stick to one genre for a while. Which I am ecstatic to stick with mystery. It is my first genre love! LOL But it seems as if since I decided to do that instead of getting books out faster, I'm slower.
Of course the last month I spent 12 of the 30 days traveling and the days before traveling getting ready for traveling. However, that doesn't mean a thing since I am back at my desk. Haha to me! I may be back at my desk but I'm not jumping in with both feet and getting the book I have half written going or getting rewrites from my Critique Partner on another project out to the next reader.
No. Instead I spent half of today finding a system that worked for me to keep track of what happens each day in the work in progress. After printing and discarding several different calendar pages, I realized I wanted something I could put sticky notes on. As I go through the WIP to get reacquainted with it, I wanted to make notes.
I came up with this:
I can read along, make a note on a sticky, and place it on the board under the day something happened. So much easier than scribbling everything that happens that day on a 1" by 1" square.
After making my board I did get through more chapters in my WIP.
While sitting at the computer and not really writing, because I was thinking about the next book I'm going to write- yes it's a curse. I can't just have one book in my head at a time. I have the one I finished the one I'm working on and at least one to two books that are coming in each series in my head. The day I am only thinking about one book will be the day I decide to stop writing.
As I was whining, I was thinking about the next book in another series and how I really need to write it now while the area I visited was still fresh in my mind. Even though it is a book that will come down the road in the line up in the series. As I was thinking about it I googled what I needed to look up to get the premise and plot of the book rolling and *POW* the perfect event for my character to attend is a huge thing in the country where he will be going. I love it when all the factors of making a book fall into place.
I'm still behind, but slowly pulling out of the procrastination and looking forward to the next 6 books flashing in and out of my brain at any given time during the day and night.
Are you a procrastinator? Or do you get ill when your are late or behind?
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Oh, Paty, your post comes at an excellent time in my life. I'm having the same problem and getting bent out of shape when my husband says, "I thought you weren't going to let your writing drive you." I'm going to look at your board and see if it can help me. My planner sure isn't working. And, I'm so weary of having to market my books which steals time from my writing. Life is one big juggling act.
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