Friday, June 17, 2016

Pressure Becomes Me

June is sailing by too fast. Sometimes I wish I was bored so time would slow down. But it never seems to happen. The release of GONE WITH THE WOOL is getting closer and closer and I still have to get bookmarks made.

I flew back from Chicago last Sunday arriving around 4 p.m. I rarely travel on Sunday and I usually take flights at odd hours, so I wasn’t prepared for the crowds at O’hare and LAX. The plane was packed, but it was one of the newer ones that has a screen on seat in front of you. There are some old movies available at no cost, and current movies for a price. I chose neither. I like the option that offers a map which shows the plane’s progression. You can get an idea of what you are flying over. I didn’t have a window seat, so I couldn’t match the view outside with the screen, but it was still neat to see where we were.

There was no down time when I got home. There were seminars to prepare for and my editor needed a few paragraph description of the next Yarn Retreat mystery (after GONE WITH THE WOOL). Also had to write two blog posts for the Berkley publicist to distribute.

I had an idea what the mystery plot line was for the next book and had written it down, but when I looked at it, it was a lot less complete an idea than I’d thought. It was scramble time since I basically had one day to do it. Pressure seems to inspire me once I stop freaking out. I got the paragraphs together and off to my editor before her deadline.

It was the same with the two blog posts. I had known about them for a few weeks and spent a fair amount of time writing drafts of them while I was in Chicago. It seemed to have taken a lot of time and I felt like I had to force the words out one at a time. What I’d written seemed stiff and boring and I was hoping when I rewrote them, they would get more lively. With the travel and all, I promptly forgot that the deadline was June 15 until yesterday morning. I totally ignored the boring drafts I’d written and started from scratch. I wrote the two very quickly and I think they are more interesting that the stuff I wrote in Chicago that I so labored over. Fingers crossed that that it true.

In the midst of it all, I am working on a proposal for something new. It is interesting meeting a whole new cast of characters.

I guess I just have to deal with the fact that time flies when you’re fascinated with what’s going on.

1 comment:

Linda O. Johnston said...

Hope you get at least some opportunities to relax now and then, Betty. Like you, I make notes and even start drafts of things but let my subconscious take over enough that those things frequently get changed. And I also identify with starting new ideas and meeting new characters!