Watch Out Wednesday! Writing Goals and Life

"All I'd say is though my choo-choo jumped the track, I'd give me life to bring him back..."
- Musical Chicago, We Both Reached for the Gun


I get derailed. We all do. we're chugging along and then BAM! one little switch isn't thrown the right way and our train is off the tracks.


I missed my manuscript deadline of May. It put me in a funk. I got over it. I picked up my train and shoved it back on that track. Other times, I don't derail; I just have to stop in my tracks. I have a 2-year-old. She needs Mommy at least twenty or more times a day, right now. Not in a second once I save my work (autosave is my friend), but as soon as she reaches on her tiptoes and pulls a knife off the counter, or climbs on the couch, or bumps her head. She's 3 feet tall without the maturity that comes with that height (she was 23 inches when she was born). She just turned 2 last week.


I've adapted. My train is like those rollercoasters that shoot you off at 60 m.p.h from the get go. I can go full speed, come to a complete stop, and pick right back up. Before you say "Wow, wish I could do that" there are tradeoffs. I can't do long, uninterrupted sessions. I go nuts. I get stuck. I need the chaos to jam it out. I also hesitate to get on the rollercoaster, because once I'm on, I'm on. Whoosh! That isn't always a good thing, depending on the timing.


This week was my first week really getting back into writing/keeping my house. It's Wednesday, and so far I am proud of my Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. But there is still much to do, as always.

• I am 4 chapters away from completing my manuscript. That's 12 #wordmongering sessions.
• My author photos are done!
• My cover is nearing completion.
• My reader website is coming together, slowly. But that's okay.
• I need to punch up my first two chapters so I can post them as samples.
• I joined A Round of Words in 80 Days starting July 4, that will help me get my second book done while I'm editing/promoting CANCELLED.
• I need to make a goal for those 80 days, which is harder than you think. Something I can measure and check in on Sunday and Wednesday on status.
• I need to make some stickers/badges. I've done well in #wordmongering and pictures are pretty.

"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.