Time to Focus on Book Two

There’s only one person who needs a glass of water oftener than a small child tucked in for the night, and that’s a writer sitting down to write. ~Mignon McLaughlin, American journalist and author

Oh, how I can relate to this quote!!

It was hard enough writing my first book (well, actually my “debut” novel was my third book, but who’s counting except me?)

I didn’t set a timetable for completion, so when I finally typed The End — and realized how long it had taken to get there — I was ashamed. Why so long?

Life intervened.

I had a son to raise. A business to run. Other glittering things that captured my attention, like beading jewelry, blogging, Twitter, learning to play the flute. And eventually, taking care of my aging mom.

While I like to tell myself I’ve learned from that process, I’m not fully sure I have.

Life is still intervening as I try to pull together my next novel.

And I don’t see that changing.

After all, most writers don’t have the luxury of doing nothing but write. We have to cook, grocery shop, go to the doctor. We have to pay bills, do taxes, read, sleep.

(Like that feature in one of those supermarket tabloids that shows photos of celebs doing “ordinary stuff” the rest of us do — and looking pretty ordinary to boot.)

Sometimes I imagine how lovely it would be to focus all my attention on writing. To shun everything that doesn’t result in words on the page. To rent a cabin in the woods (or on a mountain, or by the sea) just so I can write. And I fantasize about taking an extended Amtrak trip for the same purpose.

But realistically, it’s not gonna happen. There are too many other things I want to do.

Too many other things I need to do.

So I steel myself to dig deep. Use the time I have wisely. Streamline plotting and characterization. Turn away from pretty things that sparkle. Stop procrastinating.

And accept the fact that tomorrow’s another chance to get it right.

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. ~Spanish Proverb