3 posts tagged “work & writing”

I'm trying to get back on track here, but it's proving to be slower going than I imagined.  I still have the cough from being sick, though I suspect that, for the first time in almost 4 years, some of the issue is my asthma flaring.up.  It's weird having to deal with that again after so long without it.  There's also a little congestion left and the two are waking me up intermittently through the night.  The lack of uninterrupted sleep isn't helping any, either.

One of the biggest things I'm having trouble with is working on my own stuff during the week.  The only thing I can think of as being a hindrance is that I do editing all day.  So, when ti comes time to work on my own writing, I'm about writing-ed out.  I've already processed a couple of thousand words.  A couple thousand more, even if it's my own, just overwhelms the brain.  I'll have to work on that, obviously, in the meantime, it looks like it was a very good idea to make Friday a part of my writing weekend.  Even though I'm not getting much done during the week, I do seem to be fairly productive on weekends (over 7k this past Saturday and Sunday alone).  I just know I could get more done if I would just take advantage of my evenings.

Motivation.  It's such a fickle thing.

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to work on this little problem in the near future, however.  Because of being sick, I'm behind in my editing work, so I've had to drop the hour I reserve at the end of my work day (before my son gets home) for my own writing—I need to use that time to get a little more done on the manuscripts in my care.  I'm also stepping in for the Acquisitions Editor who needed some personal time, and had to adjust my daily schedule as a result.  So, right now, work is very busy, which makes me even less inclined to work on my own writing in the evenings.

I'm about 25k behind on my word count goal and 4 chapters behind with A.C.  I still have world building I really need to get done for A.C. (and my other Alden novels in general), and I've picked up Novel Plot Building as an in progress project again.  I really need to find a way to get past this block I have on doing my own writing in the evenings.  I'm participating in a writing challenge to hit my problem areas, but that won't do any good if I don't find a way to get past my own blocks.

It's sad.  I rarely suffer writers block, but I do have large amounts of motivation block.  All these ideas and projects, and I just can't seem to push myself to get them done.

Have to find a way.

As has been most this past year, it's been a busy few months, but some major changes are going to allow me to change my focus in the future.  It's all good, but requires me to come up with a routine for my day that works.  I'm very excited about it all though.  :)

The best news right now is that I'm no longer subbing.  A lot of reasons went into it, including a boss change for my husband, which also means a schedule change.  The new boss expects people to be in to work at 7 A.M.  and they generally don't leave until 3 or 3:30 p.m.  Our son's bus picks him up at 9 and drops him off at 4, and my husband's new schedule prevents him from being home for the boy at either time.  At the same time, the latest I can be in a classroom as a sub is about 8:30.  My husband's job makes more money, so I resigned my subbing position.  And happily so.  The one thing subbing showed me is that I'm not nearly as suited to being a teacher as I once was.  If I had started when I was younger, it might be different now; but a lot has changed about me since my days in college, and my patience with snarky kids appears to be one of the changes.

This does not mean I'm not working, though.  I've resigned my editor position with one small press to accept the Senior Editing position for Lilley Press, a new, Canadian, small press.  I read slush (guidelines, guys, guidelines!  Yeesh!), hire editors, assign accepted manuscripts to editors, and do some editing myself.  Our first publications should come out in ebook format early in 2008.  First hard copies, depending on how well the ebooks do, should come out in 2009.  That's the hope anyway.  I'm very excited about it, but the slush alone is going to keep me very busy.

I'm about 8 chapters behind in my A.C. revisions, but they are getting done and reactions from people who have seen the new v5 have been good.  A new Alden novel, Phoenix Rising, is in the notes draft stage.  I need to work on world building for both as well.  As usual, my shorts are getting the least attention, but I'm okay with that.  Some of my newer stuff is on the dark end of things--rather pessimistic in their view of humanity.  It's an interesting change in my writing, but one i hope isn't permanent.  ;)

As for other projects, Alden.nu is still a mess, but on my list to tackle early in the year.  Most of my other web related work is on target.  The house things I've been trying to tackle will take time since they need some financial investment and we don't have enough for that right now.  I am working on healthier living--a journey you can read in my new journal  It's About Time.  I'm mostly working on the routine and adding exercise into my day.  I'm not really working on food changes, but I am watching my food and will eventually make changes that are healthier.  Become unhealthy is easy; turning it around is a step-by-step thing that takes time.

The plan is to write in Journeys at least once a week now.  My old writing journal is unlikely to become active again since to pull it together means re-posting 100s of entries.  I'll probably leave what's done as it is, but I can't easily create new entries for it.  It was probably about time, though.  My LJ has become home to most of my word count and other writer related posts, and Journeys is home to writing and whatever is left.  Sometimes, you just have to accept the changes and move on.

I started subbing again (got to make the rent somehow!), but only part time--meaning only 2 or 3 days a week.  So far I haven't had to turn anyone down for have my 2 (preferred) or 3 (if one of my fave teachers begs really hard) booked, but I'm sure that will change once the weather finally goes from sweltering to "Is it cold enough to snow yet?  No?  Could have fooled me!"  This should start sometime in November, maybe earlier.  I'm also going to try to limit the number of schools this year.  I may have to make the rent, but I also need to keep what's left of my sanity.

This means I'm now trying to compress 2 full time jobs into 5 days.  Not fun, but better than it was.  Even the editing thing doesn't take up all the time needed for a long term position.  My family actually gets to see me in the evenings.  But it's still a busy time, and my own work is suffering a little because of it.

And I'm suffering a big case of avoidance on at least 2 things since they both need scenes added.  I know.  Bad, bad, bad author.  I'm working on it.  Sorta.

Also coming up this week: Dragon*Con.  Yes, I plan to be there, as broke as we are.  Mostly on the Writing Track, but there's a little Goth and a little Anime, among others, thrown in for good measure.  this will also be the hub's first time at the Con, so I need to spend time with him keeping him from getting lost, spending money, you know...the usual things.

Now add on top of all this that my oldest is here with the grandbaby, and, yea, things are just a  bit on the busy side.  I am thinking about what I need to be doing, but it's usually too hot and humid (as the hottest part of the day tends to hit in the early evening then stay for awhile) to dig up any motivation for it.  Hopefully it'll start cooling soon and the writing won;t be so hard to get to even after working during the day.