I've just chucked months of work. Not into the trash, but in a figurative sense. For some reason Connor and Jacey were having issues. I knew I could fix them, but I also knew it'd take time. Like therapy, sometimes, you need more than one session.
I figure they'll be back--it's not like I'm giving up on DalCon. But this morning I was reading--yes--Scott Eagen again. Yesterday he did a post on time management. Today was marketability and priorities. Marketability is hard. We all want to write and sell the book of our heart. The thing is they take a long time and sometimes--being way out there--don't sell.
I've always known I'd have to streamline the process. I'm in total awe of Jen writing books as fast as she can type. I'd putter, a few pages here, and a few pages there.
It's not really block. It's priorities. I forgot I promised to make writing a priority. I've been there, done that. Food didn't get made, the house was meh, I locked myself in my room and didn't come out until I was hungry. But I made a plot and sat down.
Today, I reset my priorities. I sat down, laid out my plot points and wrote thirty pages. I haven't written thirty pages in a loooong time. And when I was out in traffic, I wanted to go home and write. And when I was eating, I wanted to write.
I have been more productive in this short time than I've ever been. I'm working on a category romance, and it's called "Nightcity".
BIG sigh....
5 comments:
Wow.
Well, it might break your heart a little sliding Connor and Jacey to the back burner, but it seems like you're doing the right thing for you now.
I'm jealous. You made up your mind to sit down and think up a plot, then DID it. On top of that, you've got 30 pages of a new story you already have a title for. Woofty!
I hope you keep the momentum going. How exciting. I love it when that happens--when I long to write. When it's going well.
This is good, Jodi.
sigh
I find it interesting you and I seem to be wrestling with similar things: "We all want to write and sell the book of our heart. The thing is they take a long time and sometimes--being way out there--don't sell."
Part of my education has been seeing how I can later use parts of my "heart-piece" elsewhere, or get back to the whole thing and make it work at some point. I don't doubt you'll bring your characters to the front burner again in good ways.
I'm just getting to know the DalCon characters, a ways into your book, and I'm quite attracted to Keegan and Jen. I like how the story's pretty much an action movie with inner dialog (monologue?) - pardon my ignorance of the genre. You're a good writer. And prolificating at the moment, if there's such a word. Good job. I, too, am jealous. :o)
These days I'm going for balance. If I put aside the dishes too many times, not only does the crockery flow to the floor, I burn out. So far I haven't figured out where the balance is, but I know it's there. I hope.
Sigh.
(new member of the sigh brigade)
we're all sighing, Alice. LOL!
*sigh*
You're very right, Deanna. I never throw bits away. I keep them, like a miser, and use them. I wanted touse them in some other way...but they're the right words at the right time, and...I've got more.
I just needed to let go.
*sigh*
I have something for you on my blog.
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