Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

July's been a busy month. Took the kids to the Rooster Teeth con in Austin. Did a lot of work for the Source. Took another freelance job that had me writing nine stories this month. And spent a week in Louisville helping Tori clean up (both literally and legally) her brother's estate, which was no fun at all.

You'll notice what I did NOT write in that graf – That I worked on my book. Hell, I barely had time to sleep. I scribbled ideas in a notebook, mostly about motivation which, in retrospect, I had neglected in earlier versions. But no actual writing except for the paycheck.

Right now I'm tired, and I'm sore pretty much everywhere. The freelance work was submitted yesterday, I have my "day job," the Source to take care of these two days, but other than that I'm mostly planning to rest. Then Monday – or I may give myself until Tuesday, I'm that tired – I'll finally get back to work.

Someone a Lot Smarter Than Me

“People on the outside think there’s something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn’t like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that’s all there is to it.” 

Harlan Ellison

Where DOES the Time Go?

Hmmm. More than eight months since I've posted anything here.

It's not like I haven't been working. In fact, quite the contrary. Just didn't feel like I had anything to say here. But that's kind of cheating. If you're a writer, you write.

So where do things stand?

The WIP is still IP, so to speak. In November I got Scurvy Dogs back from Eddie the Agent with some notes about what it needed. I saw what he meant, instantly realized he was right. How could I have thought it was ready? Big hole. Big problem with the story. I could see it clearly. So I went right to work on it, thinking I knew exactly what it needed. Several months later I found myself in the position of the mechanic who took the car engine apart, had the pieces spread all over the floor and couldn't quite recall how they went back together. It was a kind of scary moment. Then I reminded myself – "It's all about the hero journey. Every story is about the hero journey, and you know how that goes. So get busy!" (See Joseph Campbell if you need to know about the hero journey. Or just Google the phrase.)

Finally got a handle on it and it's almost done. All I need is some time.

Which of course is what I don't have a lot of. Still have to work for a living – the freelancing for the Source. And now I've added a second freelance job because who doesn't need a little more money. But that deadline is approaching so I'll be able to get that off my plate, the maybe I can concentrate on writing for me again.

Except Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming, as it does every year on Sept. 19, and that requires a little attention from me as well. But I have to make the book a priority or it'll never get done. 

And I want it to get done.