My plan to get my book to my editor before Christmas was to have finished it by the end of November, let it rest for a couple of weeks and then polish, perfect and send.
This hasn't quite happened. In my day job, I do 40 hrs of marketing a month. I can choose when I do them, but generally break it down to a couple of hours a day. Perfectly manageable you'd think. But you'd be wrong.
It doesn't help that emails needing attention come in thoughout the day, but this week every time I've settled down to deal with them, I've felt guilty for not writing and whenever I've started writing I've felt guilty for not racking up my hours. Consequently I've achieved nothing except a huge inadequacy complex.
So last night I came to a decision: not to write anything today or tomorrow, but to concentrate on the marketing. Then at the weekend I'll be able to look at my story with fresh eyes and attack the last 5000 or so words with gusto.
Bit nuts with my self-imposed deadline looming, but the alternative is total meltdown. How do you juggle writing with everything else that's going on?
8 comments:
Juggling is SUCH a pain. I feel for you. I gave up my job as a librarian earlier this year because of those dilemmas. Luckily the husband is able to support us while I'm trying to get published. Funnily enough, while I was never a workaholic while I was employed, I am now an obsessive writer - worked over the weekend to get my revisions in to M&B for the contest entry and never thought anything of it!
Feeling guilty - ah, how I know that feeling! Work/family/writing and always one of those things miss out. Now however, I get round those guilty feelings by knowing that writing makes me happy and if I'm happy then the rest of the household is happy too (you don't want to know what happens when I'm grumpy. The Hulk 'aint got nothing on me).
Anyway, concentrating on one thing at a time sounds like the right approach. Good luck with it, Lucy!
Right. I'll shut up now. :-)
Jackie's got it all right. I feel like I'm neglecting my family when I write (not to mention the housework!). It is never an easy process.
I think taking a couple of days off from the writing is a good idea.
Barbara
You're both so right! Writing kind of takes over, doesn't it? Empty fridge, dusty flat, abandoned husband...
I think I'd probably feel less guilty if the writing was going well, but at the moment it's more sluggish than a slug.
An afternoon or retail therapy may be the only answer!
Sounds like you've got a workable plan there. Think writing (when not yet published) can bring so much guilt no matter what other things you're supposed to be doing. I feel guilty whenever I'm writing - thinking I should be with my kids instead.
I am so jealous of both you and JAckie. I STILL haven't heard back about my entry and it's driving me INSANE!!!
I find the only way it works for me is to divide my days up very strictly into boring accountancy work and nice writing segments :-)
So unless there's a panic on I do the boring work in the mornings and then have the afternoons to write and am very strict about the division of the day. I think you have to be rigid about it and you also have to forget the housework sometimes...
Ah, food in the fridge, clean flat and a lovely warm fleece purchased - all set for a weekend of writing.
Lorraine, you've hit the nail on the head. I need to be much more ruthless about dividing up my time.
Rachael, how can you bear it!!?? Have you emailed your editor?
I can't bare it!! Have sent one email but don't want to appear too pushy.
Hope your weekend of writing went well... can't wait to hear about it!
Be pushy Rach! I think waiting 3 months is long enough surely??
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