I am very good at being in the moment, the problem is that I tend to forget that time keeps going forward and the future is going to become the present.
I started working on KNOT A GAME, the ninth Yarn Retreat book in July. I knew the due date was in the fall, but it seemed to far off to be concerned about. When I got the edits for SENTENCED TO DEATH, I tried to work on both manuscripts, but it never works out. I had to lay KNOT A GAME aside.
Suddenly it was August and then the middle of August and I heard from my editor for the Yarn Retreat books that we'd gotten a big print deal for the last book and a reminder that we had set September 1 for the manuscript I was working on. That's when it hit me that September was already on the horizon and it was impossible. The date got moved up to October 1. I am still going to have to hustle, but it feels doable.
To make things go faster, I went back to the way I used to work. The editor of my earlier books required me to turn in a synopsis first. Nobody I know likes doing a synopsis, but it's actually great to have when you start writing. There are no moments when you think now what? I forced myself to stay at the computer until I had worked out the synopsis and characters, which ended up requiring me to change some of what I'd written. But now I have a map and hopefully my fingers will fly over the keyboard.
But I don't live in a vacuum, so there will obstacles and interruptions. But that's life.
2 comments:
Time is always a challenge to me too, Betty, no matter how hard I try to keep it in mind as I write. And I'm one of those who doesn't mind doing a synopsis since it helps me know what's next when I actually get started writing one of my stories. Enjoy your obstacles and interruptions!
Linda, you are right about doing a synopsis. I'm glad I'm not the only one who loses track of time. Can you believe it that it's almost September!
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