I *Would* Have Made that Deadline…Honest!

by Doranna

I swear I would have.

Actually, it’s my own self-imposed deadline for the first draft of LYNX REVEALED, so no one’s wringing their hands or cursing over me.

I’ve already made word count, and I’m days away from meeting and beating my Friday deadline–which was generated with the knowledge of how long it should take me vs. polishing the results vs. other working obligations.

Part of being a self-employed writer is knowing how to juggle all these things, and that means such deadlines–even self-imposed–really do matter.

And then, lo…copyedits.

These are for CLAIMED BY THE DEMON, so I’m really excited to see that book making its way toward the shelves.  But…they’re short-turnaround (I should have two business weeks; these are due in four business days after receipt).  And I had no notice, so…I had other work scheduled.  Other appointments.  ‘N stuff.

A view of the CE process, thanks to Word(spit) and very much thanks to Mouse Without Borders

Let’s not talk about taxes.

Well, I wrangled a few more days to get it done, but basically everything I take for CEs will be taken away from my time to do proofs.  Yay.  So for several days, I’ve tried to do both first draft and CEs–much to the detriment of my health, my cognitive ability, and my other obligations.

Today, I’m giving up.   LYNX REVEALED will have to wait.

Let’s not talk about how the muse feels about this.  (Hint: temper tantrums.  Mourning.  That sensation of being riiiipped away from immersion in the home stretch of the story.)

Deadlines, even self-imposed ones, are important to me.  This one was especially so–after years of household transitions and relocation, I’ve finally found a writing routine that works for me.  In winter, anyway–I’m not sure how it’ll turn out for summer, when the heat dictates the timing of other activities.

After years of writing at night, with a natural window of between 10pm and 4am (not kidding, though I haven’t allowed myself that one for a while), I’m now writing the very first thing in an early day.  It still kind of boggles me.  But it’s working, and I’m racking up words the way I used to before all the transitions, and it was…

REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT to me to make this deadline.

A view of the LYNX REVEALED workspace about 10K words ago… “Come back–! Come back to me!” Can’t you hear it?

I coulda done it.  I swear.