Don’t really know how to start this one since it was another crazy week.  It was primarily work, appointments, and my son’s birthday.  There was a window where I could have gotten some writing done, but things came up like they always do.  By the middle of the week, I was so exhausted that I mostly stared at my outlines to see if there was anything that no longer worked.

I did manage to get one page of Darwin & the Deadland Queen done.  I had hoped that I would get more time throughout the week, but that didn’t happen.  Looking over chapter 3, I did find that one of the sections was clunky.  I put it in solely to have some cameos, which weren’t necessary to moving the story.  Going to chop that out and put what I needed from the section into the one I’m working on.  The entire point of chapter 3 is for Darwin and his new companions to cross a border, which was going to be dramatic for a bit.  It might be funnier if they arrive at the fort and they’re simply let through for some bizarre reason.  Either one of the new companions has a pass or there’s a message to let Darwin through, which could create a mystery.

The finale is still churning in my head too.  What I have for the current final book really doesn’t work anymore.  The penultimate, which was the original finale, is a much better conclusion.  I’m going to rewrite it to utilize a few concepts and characters from the one I’m ditching.  Won’t have to do that until I finish writing the current book, which is going to take longer than expected.  I have to put the finale out of my mind though if I want to finish chapter 3 this weekend.

In other news, my son turned 17 this week and not much has changed.  He’s still very willful and has a habit of fixating on things.  We are butting heads a bit more as he starts planning his future.  The usual teenager thing of thinking they’re more mature and wise than they really are.  Come to believe everyone remains an idiot throughout their life, so full wisdom is unattainable.  Not saying this to my son though.  I’m just telling him to step back and think before making a decision.  Plus side, he’s finally able to do the laundry with only minimal guidance from me.  Sort of . . . He found a setting on the machines that nobody knew about and he can’t remember how to get to.  Nothing blew up, shrunk, or leaked, so it’s all good.

This was week 4 of 6 with the summer school, so I’m beyond the halfway point.  Two more weeks to go and then 1.5 weeks before I’m back to work.  Not much of a break and I don’t know how much writing I’ll get done in that time.  Part of it will be a father/son trip, but one of the days he wants to use for drawing.  I’ll try to get either some book writing or Coven of the Gray tinkering done.  The trip won’t be that long, so I might not get to do much done.  I might have to see how far I am in Darwin & the Deadland Queen too since I’ll get some time to write prior to the trip.  If writing means starting a new chapter then I might not touch it since it could be a while before I get back to it.  Be nice if I get even luckier and finish Coven of the Gray soon too.  Fingers crossed.

I won’t expect much from this week after Sunday.  There are appointments every day, except Tuesday, which I promised to do a lot with my son.  I might have a small writing window on Monday and Friday evening, so that could allow for one section.  A big factor will be stress because two of the appointments are going to be tense.  The ongoing life event isn’t helping either.  I really need to sit my son down and discuss how we can spend time and get our projects done when he’s here.  Not to mention getting Pokemon time in, especially if there are events.  The joy of a balancing act, which doesn’t even factor in that I’m back to doing some cooking and am battling exhaustion.

Speaking of fatigue, I need to admit that I’m running on fumes.  Been waking up feeling like I barely slept even with CPAP and Zzzquil.  Noticing the things on my headboard are shifting a lot, so I’m definitely tossing and turning.  I wake up with parts of my body locked up and a sense of impending doom, which means panic attack.  This tells me that my mind and body aren’t processing stress correctly.  This coming week isn’t going to do me any favors, so I need to start making a relaxation plan for when a few things are settled.  I have no idea what that will be, but this is a big reason why I’m worn down by 10 PM every night.  I can’t do any writing or thinking if I only get 30 minutes to myself.

So, what are the goals of the week?

1. Enjoy a block party at a friend’s place.
2. Write more of Darwin & the Deadland Queen.
3. Tinker with Coven of the Gray.  Rain might help here.
4. Get extra sleep when possible.
5. Handle appointments, which are mostly for my son.
6. Make sweet and sour meatball subs on Monday.
7. Go to work every day of the week.
8. Find a place to stash an incoming order of One Piece Lego sets since I’m still working on Minas Tirith.
9. Drink more seltzer and water.