#thiswritinglife
Must be Tuesday
…ten days from deadline…
4:20a Eyes pop open in realization that expository lump in Chapter 11 is neither informative nor amusing.
4:44a Bitterly acknowledge that there is no getting back to sleep and stagger into the kitchen in search of coffee.
5a Sit down at desk, open book, find section, rewrite, wonder if there is a hope in hell of getting any more sleep.
5:15a Nope. Shower, dress, breakfast, back at work by 5:45a
…working…
6a Jump when the clock radio comes alive with the weather report on KBBI. Get up to turn off radio.
…working…
7:30a British editor emails. They want a video of me talking about next book. No longer than a minute and a half, landscape format, please.
…working…
8a Remember this is the day the window washers come. Armor up in raingear and go outside to take down screens.
…working…
9a Business interferes with creativity because of course it does. Lengthy email chains all day long with agents and editors and publishers in Portland, New York, and London.
…working…
10:30a Call from Storyknife donor who makes amazing offer of matching gift. Call Storyknife ED Erin to shriek down the phone. Time spent on mutual happy dance and strategizing and not writing.
…working…
1:14p Stomach growls loud enough to be heard over the prose. Lunchtime.
…working…
2p Guy shows up to mow grass.
…working…
2:15p Mower kicks rock against window, noise like a rifle shot. Get up to investigate. No chips or cracks or bullet holes.
…working…
2:30p Knock at door. People here to clean windows, which badly need it after Japeth cleaned out the gutters. Warn them about wasps’ nest on cabin. I’ve bombed it twice but it won’t fall down. They say they’ll knock it down if they can reach it.
…working…
3p Knock on door. Window washers say mission accomplished. Write check.
…working…
3:30p Mirabile visu, it has stopped raining. Go out into the yard for a breath of fresh air. Wasps’ nest still there.
…working…
3:52p Remember I haven’t written a thank you to Scott who introduced me to Japeth. Do so.
…working…
6:34p Ravn Alaska calls to let me know my flight time has changed. Would I like to change my flight at this time?
…working…
10:45p Eyes blurring because of too much screen time. Application of BioTrue no longer helping.
…working…
Midnight. Literally can no longer see out of my eyes. Manage to brush teeth and put on pajamas. Lights out.
…nine days from deadline…
12:17a Eyes pop open in realization that character first introduced to main character in Chapter 11 by name is a big mystery to main character in Chapter 27…
…working…
The third Eye of Isis novel publishes on November 3rd.
Order a signed hardcover here.
Order on Kindle.US here.
Order on Kindle.UK here.
Thank you for all your hard work. I love your writing, but I worry about your schedule. Surely, you need more breaks?
Sometimes everything happens at once and ya just gotta deal. Holds true for nonwriters, too.
Amazing how the brain sees things when you’re ready to sleep lol
Reads like me fretting over papers I wrote in college. A misplaced comma, or incorrectly spelled word, would result in an F scrawled across the cover-sheet.
Aaaaaaiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…