Short On Time

There's never enough, is there?  Time, I mean.  We're given 60 minutes for an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks/365 days in a year, and yet there's never enough time for everything.

I have a mental list of all the things I want to do "when I have time."  That list grows longer, not shorter.  It doesn't include the dreams.  The vacations in a warm spot, with a beach and sunshine.  (I'm really tired of wearing 2 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 3 pairs of socks to keep warm...while sitting at my desk!)  And I really should put that list in my head on a piece of paper.  The trouble is, I'd probably lose it.  One of those things at the top of my list is to declutter my office.  It's not happening. :(

The fact is, right now I should be working on one of three deadlines.  One is small, one is medium, and the other is much bigger.  The small one is due ASAP or by Friday at the latest.  It shouldn't take all that much time.  I have a Dear Reader letter to write for my August book, along with a dedication.  I know what they'll both be about, but the difficulty is setting aside the time to do it.  The medium one is to finish reading through the proofs for that same book.  It takes some time, making sure everything is as perfect as possible.  (It's never perfect.  We're human.)  I have two chapters and an epilogue left to go through.  It's due next Tuesday.  And the there's the much bigger one:  Finish the book!  Or rather editing and polishing the book.  At least the first draft is written.  February 24th--that's less than two weeks away!--is the deadline for the full manuscript (entire book) for the last book in my Desperation, Oklahoma, series, which will hit shelves sometime early next year.  Hey, I'm trying.

The above are only writing deadlines.  Then there's life.  Pay bills, pick up a washer cartridges for two dripping faucets, declutter my office...after writing deadlines are met, buy groceries, fix meals, do some laundry so I actually have clean clothes.  Just the normal stuff.  Oh, and there are still taxes to do and send to the IRS.  Add to all that the 3-4 trips to schools during the week, and two upcoming no-school days next week.  Really?  I mean, REALLY!  Can we add a few more things to the Have-To's?

So what do I end up doing?  Watching basketball games and staying up much later to work on writing deadlines at night than I should, i.e. skipping much needed sleep.  My beloved Wichita State University Shockers are 26-0, one of only two unbeaten teams in the NCAA.  Only five more games to go.  And then my Kansas State University Wildcats are a must see...even though I forgot and missed the biggest game of the year on Monday, the second rivalry game of the year, KSU v. KU (University of Kansas).  And KSU won!!!!  Even though I knew the final score, I watched the whole game yesterday online. ;) Yes, I should have been working. :(

I've already given up two of the few television shows I usually watch.  I haven't seen one episode of this season's DOWNTON ABBEY, and I'm way behind on PARENTHOOD.  Except for basketball, there are only three shows (and the one CNN: The British Invasion special) that I've watched over the past month or so.  Do I miss watching TV?  Sometimes, but I'll find a way via online or other to catch up, if I feel the need.

When time is short, we have to set priorities.  We have to give up some of the things that are important to us.  Believe me, a little down time is needed to get through life, as it is, so giving up some of it is almost painful.  Yet following our dream is important, too.  Yes, work is what pays the bills, whether we love our jobs or not, so it can't be ignored.  Those other things can, at least for a little while.  There will be time, later, to enjoy the good things, too.  Or at least I hope there will be!

I'm off to work on those priorities, those deadlines.  Hope all is well in your world and you're getting done what needs to be done, yet still having a little "playtime!"

Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work. ~ H. L. Hunt

Crunch Time

It seems as if I'm always crunched for time, but right now, it's at the point of crucial.  Deadline looms for the last of the Desperation books.  I'm a scene + one chapter + an epilogue from having it written.  That will be done by the end of the week, but then there's editing and polishing.  Deadline is the 24th.

This past weekend, I'd planned to be much closer to being finished.  Weekends are usually my best time to get caught up on word count.  Not this past Saturday and Sunday.  I'd forgotten about college basketball.  I didn't even make a note of it, and the schedules I'd printed seem to have buried themselves under quickly scribbled plot notes and snips of dialogue. When I realized my beloved Wildcats were playing, it was far into the game.  And since two granddaughters were here for basically the weekend (more bad planning on my part) and had commandeered the TV, I watched the last half of the game on my computer.  The game wasn't going well, so I missed the last few minutes to switch to another.  Thanks to friends on FB, I realized that my beloved #4-in-the-nation Shockers weren't playing in the evening, but were just beginning their game.  It wasn't televised, so I listened to the play-by-play on the radio.  This game had a much better outcome, with a 23rd straight victory.  GO SHOX!!!  But then that other State university was playing yet another beloved team, the Longhorns, and UT was leading by a wide margin at half-time.  Obviously a must-see and well worth the time.  I giggled for a couple of hours over that one.  An impromptu dinner at oldest daughter's house took up most of the evening, but I came home and hit the keyboard, at least finishing two more scenes.  Can we say 'dedication?'  Can we say 'panic?'

My intention on Sunday was to bury myself in getting words on paper.  I ended up spending more time on line edits for the August book than I'd planned, and time went by without much notice...except for that nagging in the back of my mind that I really needed to finish the line edits and get cracking on that new manuscript.  Then came the sad news that Philip Seymour Hoffman had died, as I eagerly awaited 8 p.m., when the CNN documentary, The 60s: The British Invasion, a lead-in to a new series, was to come on.  But PSH news kept that from happening, and it wasn't until 10 p.m.that the CNN docu finally aired.  I'm really looking forward to the full CNN The 60s series in May.  I truly enjoyed The British Invasion, listening and watching all the great bands and music from that era and how it all shaped, not only the music of today, but the world.

So this is my life at this point.  The usual running back and forth to schools to drop off and collect the g-kids, checking Facebook off and on during the day, and racing to that deadline.  A threatening snowstorm over the next few days may put a crimp in my crunch if school is closed due to weather.  Which would be better?  Refereeing 5 kids or having to drive through snow to get them to and fro?  Something tells me I won't get to choose.  Mother Nature sometimes has a lousy sense of humor.  I'm working on mine. ;)

The thing that would most improve my life is 27 hours in a day. I could meet all my deadlines. ~ Yoko Ono

Or not. 

Surviving the Insanity

We've all experienced those times when we wonder if we'll beat the craziness that's descended on us.  For me, it's been the past 2+ weeks.  And it isn't getting better.

For the past few weeks, I've been working on what I hope will be the last (or last two) books in my Hearts of Desperation series.  It's time to bring an end to what has become, at this time, eight books, set in and around the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma.  To do that, there are storylines that need to be wrapped up.  For instance, there's an 80-something woman, who's been seen following/chasing an 80-something man around town for many years.  They have their own story to tell and maybe find their own happy-ever-after.  Babies have been born...with maybe a few more to come...and the children who have appeared early on, have grown in the last five years.  Couples have married and are settling in to enjoy small town life.  I've loved writing these books and the characters in them.  They're like good friends and a part of me.  But it's time to bring it all full circle and say goodbye to them.

You're probably asking what that has to do with surviving insanity.  Easy answer.  After surviving a week+ of Spring Break last month, we now have two more days of no school with grandkids--5 of them--to keep safe and somehow entertained.  It may be mid-April, but the weather today says it's late February.  Cold.  Rain.  Dreary.  Not the best environment for fun and games.  At present, the oldest and youngest boys (8 and 5), are doing their best to destroy my living room, with help from the youngest girl, who's 3.  The two older girls (10 and 11) are across the street, avoiding the mayhem with a friend.  By the way, the "we" above is myself and my youngest daughter, the aunt of the five.

And I'm trying to write.

I need to write.  I have to write.  The characters in my head are calling to me to tell their story.  We've been down this road before.  This is the third round for them, but this time we've hit on a winner.  Or hoping we've hit on a winner. ☺  But trying to write, while blood-curdling screams are coming from another room, just isn't easy.

I've already missed two weeks of blogging, and I decided that this time, I wasn't going let that happen again.   So here I am.  No special topic today, no writing about the art and craft of storytelling.  Only a simple statement to assure everyone that there are days...and more days...when the outside world can't always be shut off from the world we live in while creating.  As the Rolling Stones so aptly put it, you don't always get what you want.

With one chapter done, I'm itching to move on.  I'll do what I can, between saving the lamp with the now damaged shade and mourning the folding table I expect to collapse from the weight of two boys, who simply don't understand that it is not made of strong wood.  It's a fort, a cave, a place to hide out, while watching a movie.  For now, it's relatively quiet, but I really should go check on that crash I heard.

It is only when we silence the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.  ~K.T. Jong

Deadlines and Insanity

The sign in the picture on the left probably makes no sense to the majority of people.  For those of us who dabble in astrology--for both fun and guidance--Mercury Retrograde is a period of time when we tend to obsess about backing up our computer, making sure our cellphone is charged, our car has been recently serviced, and anything else related to communications is in top notch condition.

That doesn't help much, does it?  Okay, Wikipedia has a good scientific explanation, but here's an astrological one.

Since learning about Mercury (which happens to be my ruling planet, astrologically speaking), I treat it as I do Kansas tornadoes.  I'm not afraid of them, but I have respect.  I've seen Mercury Retrograde periods that hit me hard, and I've experienced others that were hardly noticeable.  The current one, which will end on November 26, is of the former.  This one seems to want to slam me back against a wall and keep me there.  I should have known it would happen.  I'm on a revision deadline.

This retrograde period began this past Tuesday.  My week started going bad on Monday.  I made three trips to Walmart that morning between 7:30 and 9:30, and another trip that afternoon.  Only one of those to pick up cupcakes for my granddaughter's birthday to take to school was planned.  Tuesday my water heater went out.  Wednesday (yesterday) the guy who was putting in a new one had a heart attack.  (He's okay.)  I should be revising a chapter a day.  I started work on chapter 5 on Monday.  I finished it last night.  A new guy has taken over the water heater job as I type.  And to think that cupcakes and water heaters, lost shoes and coats has nothing to do with communication!  Ah, but they are all affecting my "communications" and my muse.

The urge to run away to a deserted island has been strong.  Unfortunately, that island probably wouldn't have internet or even electricity so I could use a computer of any kind.  Still, disappearing...and letting my family cope on their own...is more than tempting.  Too bad it isn't possible.

All that brings me to the fact that I didn't even realize I'd missed Motivation Monday and Writing Wednesday.  Let's face it.  We're all human, and life sometimes throws us curves.  Let's make that often throws us curves.  When it does, we do what we can to deal with them and keep moving on.  The moving might be slow, it might not be thorough, but it's movement.  Either than or insanity.

Here's hoping your experience with Mercury this month is an quiet and easy one.  As for me, I'll just keep trying to find minutes to steal, because I will meet my deadline.

Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you. - Denis Waitley 

Stop, Take a Breath, and Plan

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

Please remember those in the eastern states who are dealing with the destruction from Hurricane Sandy.  

Halloween ushers in the beginning of our biggest holiday season.  From October 31 through January 1, most of us hit the ground running for the race to the end of the year.  For writers, this time can be even more difficult, especially if deadlines are involved.  There's nothing like looking at a bare Christmas tree for days, waiting to be decorated, while trying to reach a word count goal.  Or planning Thanksgiving dinner for twenty, while a story is begging to be written.

So what's a writer to do?  First, don't panic.  It's still early.  Thanksgiving is still three weeks away.  *YIKES!*

Let's take it one step at a time. 

• Stop worrying.  Nobody is perfect and the best memories of holidays are the ones that at the time were on the embarrassing side.  We managed to make it through those intact and hopefully with a giggle or laugh, even if years later.
• Take a deep breath.  The last thing you want to do is hyperventilate over a schedule.  Tell yourself you can do this.  Stay positive.
• Gather some simple supplies.  This includes a pad of paper, something to write with and a calendar.  A comfy place to sit is a great addition.  (I like to use MS Word's Calendar template and make my own blank calendar, but any calendar will do.)
• Make a list of important non-writing dates and goals.  These are things that can't be ignored. (hint: November 22 and December 24/25 should be on there, or any other pertinent holiday or celebration.)  If those aren't marked on your calendar, put them on.  In bold.
• Make a list of your deadlines and goals.  Anything in early January should be listed, too, because what we do in those weeks before is going to affect them.  If you don't have a deadline that must be met or a goal you're in the middle of reaching, be gentle with any of those splendid dreams you've been having of writing the Great American Novel between now and New Year's Day.  For those participating in NaNoWriMo, be sure it's on the list.  
• Mark those holiday things that can be done in advance.  Some baking projects can be done early and put in the freezer.
• Remove any unnecessary items from your lists.  Yeah, it's easy to think it can be done, but does it really need to be?
• Get the family to help.  If possible, let the kids, hubby, or any other able-bodied person in the household pitch in.  Simple things that won't require your total attention are best.  If deadlines are tight, loosen your expectations on the meals, holiday cards, gift wrapping, or decorating.  Why do we believe everything must be perfect?  There is no such thing.  And think how great it will be to see the pride shining in the eyes of those who did the work?  And how proud you'll be that they did!
• Make gift shopping easier.  This is a great time for gift cards.  Are you thinking they're too impersonal?  Forget that.  My daughters usually give gift cards for shopping and for meals.  It often means I can get something I want when I might not have had the extra to buy at the time, and it also means I'll get a nice dinner without paying anything more than the tip.  (I love Cracker Barrel.)  Neither pass up online shopping.  With so many companies doing this now, you'll quickly know if an item is available or not.  You also may get free shipping at some.
• Check that list again.  We're about to move into the actual scheduling and then the doing, so any whittling down of things-to-do gets one more chance.  Look at each item and ask yourself what will happen if you don't do it.  If the outcome isn't pure disaster, remove it from the list.
• Put those non-writing dates on the calendar.  If you're using a pen, change to a pencil.  You may be doing some moving around of times at some point.
• Add your deadline or final goal to the calendar.  Simple enough, right?
• Add any other personal or professional appointments to the calendar.

Now you have the basics of your calendar.  To proceed, break down your goals.  For instance, for holidays do the absolutely-musts first, along with dates of parties and gatherings you need to attend, then add the rest as time allows.  For writing deadlines and goals, break those down by chapters, scenes, pages, or words to write.  You'll want to divide whatever you choose by the time you have free.  Look at those absolute have-to-dos to know when you won't have the time to devote to writing, then don't count them as writing/revising/editing/whatever days.  Knowing how much you'll have to do on a regular basis to reach those deadlines and goals makes it easier to plan around those unexpected things that pop up.

Some things to keep in mind:

1. Someone or something will always come along and interrupt your schedule.  Instead of getting upset, tell yourself you can take care of it without it affecting everything.
2. Plan one day a week, if possible, to rest or enjoy the day.  When #1 happens, you can always use those resting days to catch up.
3. Try not to get off schedule unless absolutely necessary.  Catching up isn't always easy and 
4. Holidays should be happy times, not times when we wear ourselves out to the point of exhaustion.  Beat yourself up too many times, and you'll stop looking forward to some of the best times of your life.
5. Take a few minutes to smell the roses...or the cinnamon and peppermint, and have a wonderful holiday season!

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”  ~ Confucius

There's a Reason They're Called Deadlines

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Writers aren't the only ones who have deadlines.  Many others do, too.  Teachers have teaching and grading deadlines to meet each quarter, businesses have payroll deadlines to meet, and the IRS has tax deadlines.  Appropriate for the day before taxes are due, isn't it?

Right now I'm facing a deadline to finish writing the full manuscript of a book.  This will be the seventh story set in Desperation, Oklahoma, and will introduce two new characters who are brothers and the new women who win their hearts.  Characters from previous books will, of course, make appearances and be a part of the two stories.  I've really enjoyed writing this series and am looking forward to finishing this story and meeting the May 10 deadline, so I can start on the next one.

I'll be one of the first to admit that it was easier to write when deadlines were nothing to get excited about and no one was waiting for a finished product.  I could write at my own pace, which, by the way, was much faster than it is now!  Sometimes learning how to do it better means doing it a little slower.  That doesn't mean that I didn't try to set a pace and have a finish date of some kind in mind.  Because I entered contests fairly often and always had a complete manuscript of my entry, I knew ahead of time when I wanted to have the manuscript finished.  Part of that had to do with never writing a synopsis until the "book" was finished.  Just one more thing I had to learn to do differently later on.

Deadlines are those goals we make and need motivation to reach.  My motivation at the moment is to not disappoint my editor by having to ask for an extension.  Even though I'm behind schedule, it isn't an impossibility to finish on the time.  It will, however, mean I have to work harder and faster.  It's easy to start out with a positive attitude, but it's just as easy to become more negative as time goes by.  Characters become uncooperative.  Plot points that seemed perfect before now seem weak.  Time to write becomes harder to come by and family/job/life requires more time than writing will allow.

If your goals aren't being as easily met as you'd hoped and planned; if external things have taken up time that you'd planned to spend writing or working on your goal, now isn't the time to give up. Pull up the boot straps of determination, take a deep breath, and throw in a dash of positive energy for good measure.  As we used to say at CataRomance, BICHOK (Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard) and start writing.  There's no guarantee that you'll hit that deadline, but you'll come closer to doing it, if you just keep your eye on the deadline and move in that direction.

Oh! I nearly forgot.  Why do they call them deadlines?  Because we'll kill ourselves to get to the finish line. ;)

Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before. ~ Polybius

Needed: A Break From Spring Break

Although today is officially the first day of Spring Break, it already seems as if it's gone on forever.  That could be because Thursday and Friday last week were "teacher workdays" and other excuses to give kids a day--make that two days--off.

Back in in the Stone Age when I was growing up and going to school, there was no such thing as Spring Break.  We were lucky if we got Good Friday off from school.  There was nothing even slightly similar to teacher workdays, and especially not two of them every month.  No President's Day, MLK Birthday, or much of anything except the biggies.  You know, Labor day (if school started before that), Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.  And summer, of course.

So why am I complaining?  Why am I crabby?  "Crabby" being the youngest grandson's new term for my mood.  Today there are four children in my small home.  They range in age from two years old to nine years old.  Two girls, two boys.  And we're short the fifth today, because the oldest granddaughter had a dental appointment and is with her mom.  They are all very active, always moving or at least talking.  Constant talking, whether anyone is listening or not.  Isn't it amazing that we can't wait to hear our children's first word, when a few years later we wonder if they'll ever stop talking? ☺

I've tried, but writing is impossible, so I'm a little over a week/chapter behind on my writing schedule.  It isn't going to get much better this week, although my goal is to at least not get any farther behind.  I know there are writing mothers out there who have to deal with this all the time, and they manage beautifully.  But they're young and able to bounce back after five hours of sleep...or less.  I'm at the age where a nap is needed during the day, even after a reasonable amount of sleep the night before.  (Memories of my parents snoozing in their recliners each evening or weekend afternoons comes to mind.)

Too, motivation is apparently on vacation.  Even if it wasn't, it's hard to get deeply into a character's POV, when a two-year-old is shrieking at the top of her sweet little lungs, because big brother--no matter which one--has decided to play with the toy she'd considered playing with thirty minutes ago.  No, I'm not kidding.  I think I've lost part of the hearing in my left ear.

So bear with me through my journey through Spring Break this week.  One way or another, I'm determined to make it and get back on schedule as soon as possible...which will probably be about the time school lets out for the summer.

The major problem of life is learning how to handle the costly interruptions. The door that slams shut, the plan that got sidetracked, the marriage that failed. Or that lovely poem that didn’t get written because someone knocked on the door. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.