I love the holidays but I'm with everyone else: Things become so busy and accelerated that it's hard to find time to write. Not to write emails, of course, and Christmas cards and this invitation and that, but to work on fiction--it's the last thing I put time into doing. After my ongoing deadlines--The ASJA Monthly and teaching, there are cookies to bake, shopping to do and costumes to construct. (Tonight my one class is having our annual party, and this year we're going as literary characters. Brian and I rented costumes yesterday so I think we're going as characters from a Dickens novel or The Count of Monte Christo.)
So this is one more thing I love about the holidays, this year, anyway: I'm too busy to work on my book. So Starletta awaits me, and I dwell on what I want to do with her and the story when I return to it. Which is good because I've hit another wall and need to figure some things out.
Are you finding time to write?
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Believe it or not, I've been inspired to begin my second novel and I've been writing furiously over the past week or so. Unlike my first novel, this time I'm trying to NOT edit myself and just get my first draft down. I can't believe this inspiration has hit me now, during the holiday rush, but I'll take it any way I can!
I am, but it's tough. I'm nine months pregnant and selling my house and have one ms out in queryland. But I just have to keep going!
I am so impressed with you two!
I am busy writing posts for my new blog about the desert... even in the holiday rush.
I've been writing. I usually write up to a day before I have to leave to go to someone's house for the holidays. There have been years where I've tried to bring my laptop to family's houses to work in the morning when everyone else is asleep. (Everybody in my extended family sleeps pretty late in the morning.) BUT over the years I've found that this doesn't work very well (for various reasons) and I only end up frustrated. So now, I do reading over the holidays and enjoy books and remember why I do this in the first place! A good book is a wonderful treat for the holidays!
I just finished re-reading draft 2 end-to-end. The next step is to take the chapter notes and turn them into a proper chapter-by-chapter outline, flesh out some details in the character list and then dive into draft 3, the first chapter of which is due to my writing group on the 31st. Out of 21 chapters in draft 2, there are perhaps 2 which will be largely unchanged in draft 3, 1 which will likely be deleted in its entirety and 4 which will be added.
I've actually started again! Fourth quarter was ridiculous for me at work, and is just now slowing down, and — as is always the case with me — I found myself inspired to write when I had absolutely no time to dedicate to it. So now I'm just starting to catch up.
I have the "luxury" of a 1-1/2 train commute (each way) to NYC each day. I set the nightly ride home aside, strictly for writing. My laptop usually runs out of juice right near the end of the trip. It's great. No distractions. The cell phone is off and I tune out all of my buddies who have commuted with me for many years. They understand. They know I'm a serious writer with goals for my work. Without the forced discipline of my daily commute, it would be difficult to find the time. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
best always,
Nick
I have not written. Eva has been on vacation or just in hiding for a few months. After our last group I saw her peek her snoopy face around my writing room. She was looking for candles and a chair. She has much to say and may be ready to talk.
BJK
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