It's been a busy few weeks and this week in particular has been difficult, though I can't quite put my finger on why. I feel like I'm playing catch-up, and off and on I feel like I'm catching a cold. My writing has been suffering though I'm working to keep from adding to the backlog. If I get three pages done tomorrow I won't add to it. My goal is to be done with this extremely rough draft by the end of September. Here's some good news, though: even though I haven't done much aside from sporadic jogging for the past few months I was able to jog a mile today, in the heat, without too much difficulty. Looking back, I think I might have been able to go further. At the time, I was thrilled with finishing the mile, trying to keep track of my form, thinking about getting home, and trying not to collide with a pair of walkers. Even with this heat -- we're heading back up to 110 F here, hot even when the sun is beginning to set -- the park is relatively busy. Nice that people are getting out, annoying to have to dodge obstacles. Anyway, I need to get to sleep so I can get my writing done tomorrow morning. And hopefully avoid getting sick. I was feeling fine today. Now, runny nose and drippy sinuses. Ugh.
I'm just noting quickly that I got an extra page written today, so dropping from 47 to 46 pages behind. Yay for that, and I suppose I should pat myself on the back for staying current and not adding to the pages I have to make up. But now to bed.
Another weekend has passed and I've done no better than stay current. Where does the time go? Well, I suppose upon thinking back I wasted time here and there. I mean, if it only takes me half an hour to write a page, I certainly could have done more than two a day. Could have, should have, and if wishes were fishes we'd be swimming in trout. I guess this writing thing still intimidates me a little. I'll do better.
Well, the weekend wasn't as productive as I'd hoped, of course, but I did get an extra page written on Saturday. 49-1=48 pages left to make up. I'm not falling any further behind, but it's taking me forever to catch all the way up. And anyway, what does it say about my desire to be an author that I can only do the minimum? I'm going to have to schedule in writing on the weekends the way I do during the week. At the moment, it's the usual thing of putting it off until right before bed. Or else I bargain with myself, "I'll just get my writing done, then I can do (whatever)." Which means the writing gets done, but, as I said only the minimum. I want to get this book done faster. I have what I think is a good idea for my next book. It'll be another gay romance fantasy set in a modern alternate reality. There will be vampires, elves, a corrupt government/authority. Lots of sex and fighting. The idea's still vague right now and I'm hesitant to flesh it out any further lest I neglect my current story. Oops, late for work.
I've done an extra two pages tonight, so yay! I'm not sure I'll be able to use what I've written -- I suspect I'll have to at least condense it -- but it's down and the relationship between my two main characters is developing naturally I think. I could have kept going but I'm out of time. Hopefully I can keep the flow going for tomorrow morning. So, 51-2=49 pages left before I'm completely caught up.
It's been a rough few weeks. Among other things, my 18 year old stepson decided to go live with his mother for his last year of high school. I'm hoping against logic that he'll actually manage to graduate high school there. Let's just say there are reasons she doesn't have custody of the kids. His departure was far from peaceful. Now the rest of us are trying to settle down into a new family structure and we're all a bit tense. I'm still writing in the morning and it's been a challenge to focus, so the good news is that I've managed to write my daily two pages. The better news is that before posting here I got an extra page out. 52-1=51 pages in arrears. Did I mention this going slow? But at least I'm making some progress.
Three pages written today; the daily two I do as a minimum in the morning and now an extra one. 53-1=52 pages of backlog. I'm making progress, albeit rather slow.
I did get the extra page done yesterday, so arrears is back to 53. And I've gotten my two pages done this morning. Perhaps if time allows I can get another page done tonight. Depends on how many dogs I end up walking. I have a little table to write on now, out here in the carport. This has helped my comfort level quite alot; it's hard to keep one's mind on the story when one's laptop feels like a space heater on one's legs. Not in the summertime in the desert. So my loving husband found me a folding camp table that I can set up out here every morning and, up on a chair now, I'm also out of reach of any adventurous bugs. Vast improvement. Now I need to work on getting to bed on time so I can get out here by 5:15 instead of 5:45. That could be an extra page in the morning.
A quick note to 'fess up before I go to bed. I'd been doing well; nothing extra, just staying current. Then today, I decided to play a pc game before I got on with my writing and next thing I knew it was time to get on with other things (cat food, grocery shopping, dog walking, etc) and then it was 8:30 and time to go to bed. I decided to get at least one page done, though I'm really tired, mildly headachey, and feel just a bit sick. Probably the tiredness is contributing to the other two. Anyway, I got the page done, it's almost 9, and I need to get to bed if I am to have any hope of getting any writing done in the morning. So that's one page added to the 53 I have in arrears, now 54. I'll try to get three done in the morning.
I haven't done much more than stay current, but I suppose that's an accomplishment considering my track record. But today I just finished a third page, so two to stay current and one extra that I can deduct from my backlog: 54-1=53 pages in arrears. It's something, but now to bed so I can get up in the morning and get at least tomorrow's two pages done.
Here's my status report: Wednesday I did two pages, so things stayed the same. Thursday I got three pages done, all in the morning. So, 55-1=54 in arrears. This morning's not going to so well. I don't think it's the story so much as me being tired and one of the houses across the street is having the roof redone. So all the noise from that; scraping, crashing, talking in Spanish and English. Anyway, I've started the second page and I plan to finish it tonight.
Just a quick post before I get ready for bed. I got three pages done today, though I had to finish the third just now. Writing in the morning is proving to be not nearly as difficult as I'd expected. Now I need to get to bed on time so I don't end up hitting the snooze button three times like this morning. If I'd gotten up a half hour earlier I might have gotten more writing done. If, if, if... Anyway, three pages today. So that's my daily two and then one more subtracted from my 56 pages of backlog. Down to 55 in arrears.
The weekend (a long one for me, I had Memorial Day off) didn't go as planned. I'm still not exactly sure how that happened, but no doubt if I'd tried harder I could have done my writing every day like I should have. Anyway, I missed Saturday and Sunday so today I finally put nose to grindstone and tried to get out six pages. I wanted to start the weekend without added to my backlog. But ikwith one interruption after another -- and getting started on it later than I should have -- I'm finishing the night with only five pages done so one more page added to my infamous backlog. (As a sidenote, I don't like that word. I'll think up a better one or check a thesaurus. At the moment, I can't think of anything.) That brings the total to 56 pages. 56 is a large number but I'm not going to give up. If I do an extra page each day that would mean I'd be caught up in two months. And I might have the first draft done as well. 60 days, 2 pages a day = 120 Add the 56 = 176 more pages. I suppose my story might drag on past another 176 pages but surely not much more than that and I'd probably have to cut bunches of ramblings.
Another two pages done, both today and yesterday. I just have dog walking after work today, so I'll plan to get another two done after that. Those will count toward my 57 pages of backlog. Depending on if I have workout class tomorrow morning, I might be able to stay up late and get more done. That's the plan; I won't let laziness sabotage me.
Things are looking up. I only had an hour to write, but I got three pages done. Go me! And my story's clipping along. I've sort of managed to tie the threads of the plotlines together. Anyway, I think I'm definitely in the last quarter of the story. So, got my daily two pages done and one extra, so my backlog is down to 57. Well, that's progress, however small.