Progress? Not So Much

Yes, it's been a month since i last posted.  No, the progress hasn't been so good of late.  Seems I have a touch of SAD, plus some life stress stuff going on, and I'm struggling to make a schedule that works in the sense that I actually get things done, and all of this has interfered with just about everything.  The one thing that is getting done is my editing work, but that's purely because it's for someone else...and there hasn't been that much coming in or to do of late.

For about 2 weeks, I did nothing but sleep -- the consistently overcast skies made me more and more down, more and more lethargic, until, somewhere near the end of those two weeks, there was no doubt about it: I was depressed.  The sun finally came out for a few days and I was instantly better despite the fact that the other issues in real life were still issues.  Since then the clouds have been in and out, and so has the lagging, dragging, put me to bed feeling.  The biggest frustration is how this also affects my night time work -- I'm just too plain tired to want to do much of anything at any time.

I finished A.C. chapter 27 in a timely manner, then 28 took 2 weeks.  Now I'm trying to slog through 29, but finding myself dragging on it as well.  As a result, I'm so far behind on my novel challenge that I dropped it.  I am still working on my crit challenge (a little behind, but I think it's still doable) and the world building challenge (also behind with a 4500 word count required for each of the next 2 weeks to make it, but I think I can do it).  I've switched from A.C. world building to Phoenix world building for the challenge just to be sure to make my word counts.  Besides, once the basics are down, I find it hard to world build too far ahead of where I'm at in the revisions.  With the way revisions are going on A.C. now, it looks like it will come to about 130k, give or take, but I suspect cuts are coming in a few chapters towards the end, so we shall see how close that is.

I have another project starting to tug at me a bit, but it definitely needs some background work before I can start developing the plot and actual novel(s).  I'm considering picking up a notebook and just fiddling around with it while I continue to work on A.C. and Phoenix -- nothing major: basic world development, character histories, working out some of the decisions I need to make before I can start writing.  Those things will take awhile, so I doubt I'd start the actual writing until well after A.C. is off my plate, so to speak.  Of course, then I have Quest to worry about, but hopefully it won't be nearly as difficult to put together.

I do have to say, A.C. has been quite a journey.  Sometimes it's been as frustrating as hell, but I think I've learned quite a bit about writing in general and my process in particular.  Even if it never gets published, that right there makes it a success.  At least it will once I actually finish it.  ;)