Month: September 2016

I work better with deadlines.

Anyone who knows me might actually be surprised by that. And let’s face it, any time I make plans of any sort, something comes along to just ruin them. So you’d think that deadlines would be my worst enemy.

But nope.

When I have a deadline, I’m actually more productive and more apt to get things done. Often ahead of schedule. Because there’s something forcing me to do it. When there’s an end date, I’m all about getting things finished. Even though I need things to be flexible, need there to be the ability for change, I also need something concrete to work toward. If there’s open ended “whenever you get to it” kind of thing going on, I’m the person that’s going to put it off. Indefinitely. Until it never gets done.

I’m even fairly good at setting and sticking to my own deadlines. Sure, I have the back up of the trusted friend, whom I tell, so there can be ass kicking and someone to hold me accountable. But I need that too.

I have a couple of deadlines at the beginning of next year that will keep me writing solidly through the end of this one. And I’m excited about the upcoming projects, what I’m working on now and what I will be working on soon. And then, perhaps I’ll get back to those other things I’ve planned and want to write. But the stories on deadlines are driving me now and I’m stoked about it.

I had plans. So you know what that means. What it always means.

Over the past months, I’ve had several great ideas for stories. And in the moment, I was gung ho to write them. I was fired up…until the next idea came along. And then I was fired up about that one. There was plotting! I was making headway! Except I had yet to put any words on the page, other than plotting, and I was finding all manner of other things that needed to be done instead. I mean, I was still thinking and making notes, but I wasn’t actually writing.

And then…then I saw a sub call.

I’ve said it before. I like writing to sub calls. Some of my favorite stories have been sparked after having read one. And this is no different. As soon as I read it, I saw the opening scene, and I knew what I wanted to write. I saw down last night and managed more than 2500 words. And that was just the first chapter. These guys have a long way to go on their HEA.

But oh, it feels so good. Because I was at a loss and I was having trouble getting any words at all down on the page. And now they are flowing, and these guys are living in my head. Sometimes I have to think long and hard about what a story should be. Sometimes, like with Want, there are dozens of false starts. And sometimes, sometimes it just happens, easy as anything, and the words just flow.

I hoping it continues. Because I’m already adoring these guys and the larger plot. I don’t want to say too much yet. But it’ll probably be around 15k and the working title is Safe Spaces. And that is where my focus is now.

I haven’t abandoned the other things I’m planning. They are just taking a backseat for now. Because right now, this story is driving. And I’m content to let it.

So, even though I had last week off, I was totally absent. And I sort of only realized it after the fact. I wasn’t doing the vacation thing. I mean, yeah, I did get a few hours downtime here and there and that was nice and all. But mostly? My mom had a total hip replacement. It all went really well, thank goodness. But my Tuesday was entirely taken up by waiting. So much waiting. And then the rest of the week I was basically running around and doing all the things and errands and up to visit her (at the one hospital that’s like 20 minutes away instead of the three that are within 10 mins..and also in a part of the city that I am not familiar with). I didn’t get much of a break.

But as I said, she’s doing really well. Everything was a total success and she’s doing all the things she should be doing and none of the things she shouldn’t. She’s been in such excruciating pain for so long that the pain from the surgery is actually a relief. It’s good to see her taking care of herself, and for her to be achy but not hurting so badly. And so far she’s been letting me take care of her, as opposed to fighting it, so that’s good too. I have weeks of this yet to come as she continues to recover.

What have I gotten out of this whole experience? Plot bunny of course. I’ve scribbled out some notes and have tucked them away for future use. So if you see a hip replacement in a future story, you know exactly where it came from.