My copies of Living Lies arrived Friday. Don’t they look awesome? Only 29 more days until it’s out. WooHoo!!! (Not that I’m counting or anything.)
I am sick of bookkeeping. I’m sick of balancing inventory to sales. I’m sick of spreadsheets. I don’t want to do it anymore. I want to be done. I want to write and rewrite and do all the stuff I like to do. Yeah, writing can be hard work, but it’s much more rewarding to able to something I love.
So the next time I’m struggling with a story, I’m going to think back to this week.
One the upside, I have to be done the books by the end of this week. So no matter what, by this time next, this will all be behind me.
Music: Rebel Rebel-David Bowie
Mood: Tired
It’s Friday, DS is home from school and I’ll be watching a friend’s two kids this afternoon. Needless to say, I don’t expect to get a whole lot of writing done today. Bookkeeping, on the other hand, does not require the same concentration, so I should be able to do that while keeping an ear open to make sure all three kids aren’t doing anything too destructive or dangerous. And for those of you who are able to write with more than two children at home, you have my undying admiration.
Truth be told, after Wednesday’s rather lengthy post, I don’t have a whole lot to say. But with that post in mind, I found this cool link called The Writer’s Cave on Paige Cuccaro’s website. Which just kind of illustrates my point. Writers need their own space.
And now some randomness…
I’m currently reading Vanish With the Rose, by Barbara Michaels. This is actually a reread for me, but it’s one of my favorites by her.
Lost is so good right now. Was I the only one thrilled to see Sun whack Ben in the head with a paddle? HeeHee.
Okay, I’m off to get some stuff done before chaos erupts.
Mood: Good
Music: 5 Days in May, Blue Rodeo (My favorite song of all time, incidentally.)
(First off, my email is working again. Yay!!! And I was right, it wasn’t my software. I am now in a much better mood. It’s a little scary just how dependent I’ve become on my email. I also finished rewriting chapter 10 and half of 11 for Blood and Bone. This too has improved my mood considerably.)
So the past few weeks, three to be exact, I had set laptop up in our family room while I worked on books (of the accounts variety, blech!) and my rewrite of Blood and Bone. I had initially started working there because of my cold, but even once I was better, I continued to set everything up on my coffee table, listen to music through the satellite on the T.V. and get to work. It was convenient. I could balance inventory, rework a scene, squeeze in a load of laundry and even do some vacuuming. Hmm, why hadn’t I done this before? I even toyed with the idea of starting to work in our families computer room. After all, sitting at a desk would likely be more comfortable than on the couch, hunched over the coffee table.
Yet while this was happening, a strange sort of shift took place. The day-to-day stuff crept in and the writing started to fall away. Then last Friday, after DS had gone to bed and hubby was out, I decided to work on some new stuff since the house was quiet. But while in the family room, nothing is ever really quiet. First, the dog wanted out. (He didn’t really, he’s just playing the in/out game, but I can’t concentrate when he’s staring at me) Now, I’m in the kitchen, and since I’ll only have to let him in in another ten minutes, I might as well wait for him. The dishwasher is done, I’ll put the dishes away since I’m here. Now, that I’ve done that, and HellHound still isn’t ready to come in, I’ll just fold the clothes in dryer. Save me from having to do it tomorrow. Oh, now Hubby is home and talking to me. At least, HellHound has come in with him. After chatting with Hubby for awhile, it’s now going on eleven. I won’t be writing anything else tonight. Sigh.
The next day, as I’m tidying the house, I go up to the attic put some stuff away and I am imediately struck by the quiet. The lack of sound and the muted blue walls seem to wrap around me. Instead of hurrying off to the next thing I have to do, I drop into my desk chair. Here there is no din from the T.V., no clutter of kid and dog toys, no old newspapers, bills to be paid or school newsletters to be read. In this room there are only my things for writing, organized the way I want them. The only sound is the steady tick of my desk clock. Even the black and white photos on my desk calendar are strangely soothing. This space is entirely mine.
Needless to say, I’m writing this post from the attic. I’ve always believed that the most importnat thing for any writer–more than a fancy computer and expensive software even–is a place that they can work undisturbed, shut off from the real world, where they can lose themselves in the story. The past three weeks just sort of proved my theory, don’t you think?
Mood: Much Better
Music: None
Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you…
I’m once again having issues with my email. I believe this is the third time in as many months. After a half-hour phone call with their phone service, I’m told that the problem is my software and I need to contact my computer’s service department. Hmm. I don’t believe her. My gut tells me she really just didn’t know what to do and is trying unload the issue. And since the warranty on said computer has expired, I can’t help but wonder if switching to a new Internet provider wouldn’t just solve my problems for much less. Anyway, before I make any serious decisions, I’m going to have hubby take a look when he gets home. He’s far more computer savvy than I.
To be honest, this email hassle is really just the icing on the cake. I believe I mentioned before that I also do bookkeeping. After, working on Curse so much, I’d fallen a little behind and so now I’m playing catch up this month, which means I don’t always have time to write. Not writing for anything longer than a few days will guarantee a bad mood. I’ve heard other writers complain about this same affliction, so I know I’m not alone.
But enough of that. I do have some good news. I have a release date for The Curse of Culcraig. December 4th of this year. Yay, something to look forward to.
Mood: Grouchy
Music: None
It’s read an ebook/reader appreciation week and Samhain has a ton of cool stuff planned all week at The Samhellion , including a scavenger hunt where you could win a copy of Living Lies by yours truly as well as lots of other great books.
Check it out, and good luck!!
Yesterday, my morning started with the discovery that ds’s hamster had somehow managed to escape from her cage. I had only just rolled out of bed when said discovery was made. So still half asleep, we tore his room apart searching for her. I was more than a little concerned that the cat might have already found her, Neurotic Kitty is quite the huntress, after all, but we soon heard scratching inside the wall. Not good. Hamster had managed to find a gap between the baseboard and floor in the closet. Fortunately we were able to lure her out with one of her treats. So happy ending for all.
Kind of sad that this was the most exciting thing to happen to me all weekend. I really need to spend less time at the computer, but I don’t see that happening for a while.
I received my galley for Curse last week and spent a fair amount of time reading through that. Very cool seeing the story as it will appear in print.
And speaking of print, Living Lies will be out in print in a mere two months, so between chapters of Curse I was working on promotion. Wow, that was time consuming. On the upside, I did manage to get a decent plan in place so putting it into effect should be easier. I’m certainly better organized than when the ebook came out.
Music: Mercy – Duffy
Mood: Up
