I’m past the deadline I set for myself. I had every intention of finishing “Letters From Emily” by May 12 … until my novella turned into more of a novel than I anticipated.
The first draft is close to done, but it’s still a first draft. That doesn’t mean a whole lot for me because I’m forever editing while I write (I know, fellow writers, that’s not what you’re supposed to do. It works for me though and helps me keep the flow). I’m sitting at 35,639 words right now but I’m seeing another 5-10K that might be added. There’s still a lot left to say and gaps to fill in.
In the process of all this writing, I’ve also been trying to make some business decisions regarding where my books are sold. “To Cherish” came out of KU on May 13; “To Hold” and “To Have” will be following on July 31 and August 3, respectively. I’ve already gone wide(r) with Tommy’s book and you’re welcome to check it out here.
Decision making doesn’t end there. While writing Emily’s letters, I’ve had to refer back to the first book in series. I’m not happy with my writer self – I still love the story, but it could be stronger. It’s not on my immediate To Do list, but eventually Brian and Stella’s book will get an overhaul. The story won’t change. The details that play into the second and third books aren’t going to be altered. I just need to reevaluate the strength of my writing, especially after Tommy’s book. I feel his is my best one to date.
With all of this “stuff,” I’m also attempting to get myself back onto a schedule of sorts – regular newsletters (even if only once a month), regular Facebook/Twitter posts, figuring out an advertising budget and schedule for when I could potentially run ads. I feel constantly overwhelmed by all the author things I *should* be doing that I freeze and instead do nothing.
I’ve questioned a lot lately how much I can actually handle at this stage of the Mom game and without making a schedule I’m maxed out. My husband kind of hates my lists – the “get it done” list, the “I didn’t get it done” list, the never ending list of things I wish I could do, the lists that get broken down by importance, and the ones that get broken down by which role I need to play (mom, wife, Church Lady, housekeeper, etc.). But, he actually told me the other day to start making the lists again even though they drive me a little crazy.
The plan for today: find my focus, write a list, not fuck it all up.
M.L. Pennock 