Author’s Log: Take A Break (#amwriting, #ROW80)

I haven’t been sleeping again.

Rather, I’ve been sleeping…kinda. I drop off into dreamland, and then I’m awake out of nowhere, wide awake and blinking blearily at a dark ceiling.

Well, crap.

I go through weird phases with my sleep cycles. Always have, probably always will as long as I have a day job to go to. My body seems to want to be up late into the wee hours, while my brain is wresting the Sandman’s sack from his cold, dry hands and pounding myself over the head with it in a desperate attempt to fall back asleep before I have to be, yanno, up.

What it seems to come down to is that I need to learn to relax. For someone without kids it feels like I’m still on the go-go-go.

Day job. Get the daily words in. Cover Art. Research. Marketing. Planning.

And, finding myself inspired by Hamilton, I’ve been trolling the call boards for auditions and workshops in community and regional theatre. Because while I’ve always missed being on stage, now I find myself needing to be on stage again.

It’s been close to twenty years, ya’ll. I don’t have the shape, let alone the time.  And, clearly, not the energy either.

I have a horrible time with over-commitment. I know this, and yet I keep on torturing myself with All The Things and More.

I need to slow down, folks. Smell the roses, preferably without sticking myself on a thorn. I can still get a novella out each month and keep my readers on a steady diet of my writing without breaking my neck. I know this.

So then why do I keep breaking my neck?

Imma stop breaking my neck, y’all. Because SERIOUSLY. o.O

*breathes*

*falls over*

And Now, For Something Completely Different:

RELIANCE, the first book in my new Sci-Fi Western series, is about halfway done. So far I’m really pleased with the way it’s turning out. I like the characters, I like the way the story is progressing. I am pleased.[image error]

I really REALLY like the way my cover proof turned out, though I’m still having trouble getting the typography the way I want and still be legible. Overall, though, I’d say it’s probably the best cover I’ve done so far. IT’S SO PRETTY.

*morphs into Animal*

PRET-TY! PRET-TY! PRET-TY! HAHAHAHA!!!

Ahem.

1. Complete and Release RELIANCE 1: Drafting.

I gotta say–there’s something magical about Sci-Fi Westerns (Firefly, anyone?). And though my dialogue isn’t quite as quippy (because who can complete with Joss Whedon?), but it’s really coming together. I’ve made a couple of adjustments of the Duh-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that-before variety, but that’s not unusual for one of my first drafts.

I love it when a plan comes together.