The morning after the new WIP before...

My first week working on a new WIP always proves an eye-opening experience. Every day I expect the work to suck - and sometimes it does, but most of the time I reread the words I wrote the previous day and think, "Huh. Not nearly as bad as I thought!"

Then I start missing my downtime. I usually take a few weeks off between projects to let myself decompress and get done a lot of stuff around the house that I let slide while my last book ate my brain. When I write, I WRITE. Meaning, I don't do much else that isn't absolutely necessary. Grocery shopping, laundry, feeding my cat, changing his litter - that's the sum total of real-life stuff that gets accomplished here while I'm furiously plugging away at a new project. Oh, and keeping regular appointments with my therapist, because there's nothing more crazy-making than a new book.

It is indeed a kind of madness, and I both love and hate it on a number of levels. But honestly, I wouldn't give up the writing life for anything. My worst day writing is still ten times better than my best day sitting in an office. And you can't beat a job where you get to wear your pajamas to work! :)