Everyone here at the Collective has been trying to get their latest novel finished, editing done, book released, etc. They are all nearly collapsing under the weight of their deadlines and begging for a holiday break. Personally, I'm fresh as a daisy.
The guilt is staggering.
You see, I'm working on the third book in my Peri Minneopa mystery series. I keep saying that I'm "in the middle of writing" it, but the truth is, I've only gotten 13,000 words, which is not nearly the middle. While not wanting to rush the process, I want to get it written and edited and out sooner, rather than later.
Time IS money to writers, these days.
In addition to getting this book finished, I have an idea for another mystery, either a standalone or a new series. I can only work one story at a time, so I'm just jotting notes here and there to remind myself what I want to do with the new book while I work on the current project.
So I should be carving out time each day and getting a goodly number of words on the page. It's my plan. My goal. My raison d'être.
But it's also Christmas.
I promise myself I'll write, just as soon as I:
1. Get the Christmas picture taken (see this blog post for how that went).
2. Get the Christmas letter written.
3. Print Christmas card-letter and mail (see this blog post for how that went).
4. Clean living room to prepare for tree.
5. Go get tree.
6. Decorate tree (oh, just go here for the rest of this).
7. Decorate rest of house.
8. Clean rest of house before attempting No. 7.
9. Shop.
10. Shop some more.
This isn't the whole list and you can see how my writing is going. In addition, I still have riding lessons to teach, and riding lessons to take (don't judge, this is my de-stresser), and a Corgi who pouts when bored, so I must walk him and/or play with him at intervals.
So I have one question for my fellow Collective: How the hell do you get anything done during December?
Happy holidays, anyway, from me and my familia!
