Today is the first full day of my Winter Break and it feels like things aren’t going to be calm in any way. First, I want to say that there is A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming tomorrow that I’m surprised I’m not blurting out now. Okay, let’s get to the rest because this has been a really busy week.
My son is with his mom for the first half of the break, so you would think I can dive right into War of Nytefall: Ravenous. I’m hoping to get some done, but I won’t have as much time as I thought. This is frustrating because I started 2020 with a clear plan of when I could write and how I could complete and publish 3 works before the end of the year. I didn’t have any writing time the last 3 weekends and weekdays are a bust, so I needed this period of time. Could have gotten 3 of the remaining chapters done and then snuck in a 4th when my son was back during his sleeping time. This is factoring in hanging out with friends at times, so what went wrong?
That would be the flooring. Everything in mine and my son’s rooms has been moved to the garage, basement, living room, or dining room. Things are moving along, but there’s going to be another spontaneous project done up there. This means, I won’t be able to start moving things up there until the day my son comes home. I’ll have to use the rest of the week to piece everything back together instead of spending time with my son. This is going to suck because I’ll have a 6 week run of full work weeks after this break, which means I need to gather some strength. There’s a constant ignorance of what I’m doing or need. Currently, I’m sleeping on a pull out couch that leaves my neck and shoulders stiff in the morning. My laptop is at the dining room table with my hat rack on one side and a pile of drawers on the other. I feel exposed, so I don’t expect to get much done. Just really want my space back.
A plus side is that I can rearrange furniture to make more space and replace my old exercise bike. That heavy one is in the garage and I don’t like the idea of lugging it back up to plop it in the middle of my room’s walkway. I’ve been looking at foldable exercise bikes, which I can keep in the closet. This is becoming a slight debate because I’m trying to explain it to certain people with strong opinions. Doesn’t help that these bikes aren’t in stores and I have to order them online. Figure this is something I can splurge on because I really need to create a sustainable exercise schedule. Having a bike that I’m not tripping over will certainly help.
What else is going on? I ordered a large box of oak tag to use as backings for my puzzles, so I’ll start setting that up once I get my room back. Won’t be tackling another puzzle until I finish studying a book I got for the GRE. This is a test one takes when one wants to go for a Masters degree. I took it in 2003 and I hated it, but the score doesn’t count anymore. I need to try again and my plan is to study this giant math book and then one for English before taking the test in late March. Once this is done, I can get the rest of what I need to get into a program in the Fall. Geez, I’m really busy these days.
Finally got back into my Instagram and I still don’t know what I’m doing. Going to gradually put up each of my book covers along with the opener for the blurb and the Amazon link. Still not sure how the whole thing works and I’m not a big fan of it only being done through the phone instead of the laptop. Check it out HERE!
Next week is break, so I don’t have anything really planned. Can’t until the upstairs is finished and refurnished. I’m afraid that’s going to take the entire winter break, which feels like a waste. Sucks when you want to get things done fast to enjoy the rest of a week, but the people you’re working with aren’t in a rush. After tomorrow, I won’t even be able to go upstairs until Monday. Yeah, I’m really not thrilled with this mess. Swear, I’m going to scream if Spring Break has something like this too. As it stands, I can no longer predict how my writing and publishing will go this year. I know people keep saying ‘every step is a success’, but there’s a limit. I spent nearly all of 2019 barely writing while the divorce was in high gear. It’s 2020 and everything seems to be rearing up to prevent me from even getting back to half strength as an author. Seriously, the last time I touched War of Nytefall: Ravenous was JANUARY! This is getting ridiculous. I’m not getting any younger and my 30+ ideas aren’t getting any duller. The idea of junking them because certain people routinely throw up path destroying obstacles doesn’t sit well with me. At times, it genuinely feels like this is being arranged at times that specifically stop me from pursuing writing again.
Goals of the week:
- Get some writing done.
- Take Ibuprofen for neck.
- Study for GRE.
- Time with son when he returns. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ is only event planned.
- Put rooms back together.
- Order exercise bike regardless of complaints.
- Work on taxes, which I just realized is another day that I won’t be writing.
- Take some joy from the event that will be announced tomorrow. (This weekend is feeling bittersweet because of the distractions and the news.)
As authors, it’s easy to overlook one or another (at least for me). But incorporating each of these elements—sight, feel, sound, taste, touch—makes a stronger story and helps to get into deep point of view. Today, I’ll begin with sight.
Someone has invited you to speak about your book or a topic related to your book. Presentations require the most preparation, because—let’s face it—it’s all about you speaking to an audience. Your presentation might be short (ten to fifteen minutes) or much longer, depending on your material.
