Sneaky Post (IWSG)

I'm being sneaky and writing up a quick post from work about work for IWSG! We had a couple slow months there during the holidays - but here at The Clinic we have entered January with vigor and vim! We are super busy, and I have lots of what I call "ExtraCurricular" work to do: flyers to make, handouts to BS into something not BS. I have been working longer hours and my to-do list grows twice as long with every task I complete. I haven't been this busy with work in... well, actually, ever. I've worked long hours and other jobs before - but I've never been as invested as I am here. I'm the only other member of a two person machine! I care about it functioning optimally and I'm invested in it's success. That's before I even get to the stuff I might be included into with the franchise aspect of the clinic. So I am busy - super busy.

I am also on day 19 of my 21 day cleanse and I feel great! This made this last month a little harder - but the truth is I am feeling fan-freaking-tastic now. I have energy, clarity, drive! Which coupled with the aforementioned busyness means that I have luckily had enough energy to take care of some of the mess that is my home as well - which has gotten one person messier since we took in my brother-in-law to live with us (bless his heart, he is minimally helpful, but you can only have such high expectations from someone come down with Epstein-Barr - so I practice patience, and use a little of my very blessed extra energy to take care of the extra mess too).

So my productivity is through the roof of late - which has had both a positive and negative effect on my writing. I have energy and gumption so I have still been doing some writing and I feel like writing all the time! However, for the first time in my life I can genuinely say that I am struggling to find time to write! I have started pecking out words-at-a-time pieces on my iPad in between charting for the doc during patients appointments- but that's pretty hard. It's hard to try to trickle out creativity in between all the logical work. I would consider turning into one of those late night writers - but the truth is - I can't do that anymore without consequences - and knowing how good I can feel and how much I can get done when I feel that good is something I am not willing to compromise on a regular basis.

I have not lost hope, by any means but I am having to take life with firmness and seriousness - which is both wonderful and a bit intimidating. Here goes!

Blogger May Be

I have never deluded myself into thinking that I am much in the way of a blogger. I like the concept, but honestly, every time I think of writing a blog the same questions pops into my mind: "If you feel like writing - then why don't you go work on your book instead?"

The other thing I run into is the fact that... well a lot of the things that I would talk about on my blog... well... I can't talk about. I'm a chiropractic assistant. I would talk about work - and let me tell you, because of the neuro-emotional technique, I know quite a doozy about a lot of people  - but frankly I don't like messing with HIPAA. There are plenty of safe things to say - like, "we had a guy who hadn't heard out of his right ear for 40-some odd years because of a fall as a kid get his hearing back thanks to our quantum neurology training! (true, and might I add 'awesome!', story) - but I'm so accustomed to keeping people's private information private that it just doesn't come easy in any way to share anything - about others or myself. 

Aside from that - I like to cook - but I don't like to take pictures of food... I like to eat it... no real patience for the picture thing. Who wants a recipe without a picture? Not me, that's for sure. No picture - no eatin'. 

This leaves my writing to talk about - but frankly I am afraid to dish the goods. It's my baby. I have written plenty of junk that won't see the light of day. The stuff that I am nurturing to bloom into the sunshine -well I don't want to share it prematurely. A heavy frost could kill it! It's been a long time since I trusted that a frost wouldn't hit. However, recently, after doing some N.E.T. with Wombat I pondered on what I was like as a teen writer. I wrote with abandon. Several books a once. And the joy was in the sharing!

Life's a little busier and tends to fill my head up more than life did back then - but I've gotta be able to do better than I am currently. In an effort to throw off some of my shackles - my goal is to get a new WIP page going within the next month. More info, more sharing. We'll see how it goes.

This'll sound ridiculous after that big blah-blah up there but I do have something to share (Blah-blah-blah is always sung in my head- see video). If you aren't currently a follow of Patrick Rothfuss's blog - than you are in dire need of some news. 

This years WorldBuilders fundraiser is up and running! Take a look at the swag that's going into the lottery and go buy some people some goats! (It makes sense if you check out the sites.)

Wombat and I have a Christmas tradition started to donate to WorldBuilders every year and this year will be no different. Go! Go! Join the fun! Click the image!

Take 52 - Action!

Join Alex Cavanaugh's monthly Blog Hop!

I keep all my writing in Scrivener, and I use the cork board to lay out my prospective scenes. These can end up being one scene or more, depending on where the writing flow takes me. So each week, my goal is to finish one at minimum. For the past two weeks Wombat and I have used this set up as a focus for getting some brainstorming done for the upcoming "note card" on the cork board. It's proven invaluable! He helps me work through possibilities and probabilities. 

However, the other blessing that comes with this- that sometimes feels like a curse - is that the discussion always spreads from specific to broad. We talk about a scene - and then it brings up a question that can only be answered if I really have the purpose and direction of my book figured out. It's everything a writer could hope for, really, to always be fine-tuning and being kept on track with the plot and intent. 

But! It can be so exhausting!

I feel like each week I'm being rocked off my comfortable seat, thinking "Wow, have I really been writing this whole time without having that figured out?" or "Why did I think that was a good reason to move the plot this way? Seems lazy on my part, unnatural for the story progression, and BORING for the reader!" Again. I reiterate - I'm so glad I'm figuring this out as I go - but dagnabbit! why can't I be a genius and have it all figured out from the start? Sometimes I just want it to be easy :p Like filming take after take - I want to have one week where I take that final shot that is exactly what I want! That I can move forward from and not look back at til it's time to edit.

So I guess that's my current insecurity. If every week I have to tweak or go into greater depth to make the over arcing plot work, or the intent and message to be properly sent - will I ever be able to get the whole thing written and fixed, saying what it needs to say? 

Just gotta keep writing forward I guess.

*On a side note - my boss went out of town this week, and left me with projects to do while he's gone. He called me yesterday and told me he'll pay me to hardcore free write for a couple hours about our procedures and my thoughts about what's going well and what needs to be done better and so on, in order for us to become more streamlined and efficient. How awesome is that? Either he's getting to know me, or divine intervention gave him the perfect idea for how to get the best kind of feedback from me. Best. Job. Ever.