Crunch Time and I’m Crumbling…
At least that’s what it feels like…
The worst places to be in writing a book is at the very beginning and the last chapter.
Why? I hear you asking…
Well, the beginning because you’re setting the tone and the foundation of the story.
But the END????
Well… it’s not so easily explained and I don’t have much time explain it because like I said in the subject, it’s crunch time and I’m crumbling under the the pressure of it.
So here’s the rushed and very scattered version of why the end is just as hard as the beginning..
First, because the pressure of time. I’ve booked time with the editor and already I had to push the date up a week because my first date was three days from now! Ummmm… not happening. Simply not.
Secondly, the reconstruct is what I call it. This is going back to the beginning to read and fix and revise before finishing the last chapter. This is where I am now. And it’s driving me nuts!
Okay… Am I happy with what I wrote?
Indeed, I am! I mean this is the first time there’s been no major plot revisions during this phase. That’s because I took my time with the story and didn’t force it. When I arrived at the end of a plot point if I didn’t transition easily into the next plot point, then I simply stopped writing…and waited for the story to progress further in my mind. So, I’m glad I did that and I’m thinking that’s why I’m not deleting large sections and adding new plot points during this phase. My tweaks are just that, tweaks.
Sighhhh…
And then that thing called life is getting in the way. Sort of. Well, yoga is. :-)))I try to wake up at 8:00AM for the hot room yoga that starts at 9:30AM. You know, get up earlier to eat a yogurt, wait for my system to get moving and etc. I’ve been making it fine until the time sprung forward! That changed EVERYTHING. And the class is an hour and a half long. I mean, yeah, the hour and a half class was almost off-putting but I had to do it because the only hour long class is at 7:00AM and I’m NOT doing that.
Let me just digress here again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to not being a typical, Southern Californian who’s been acclimated to the County of Los Angeles. You know time is of the essence for us. That’s why we’re all stressed out, trying to get to point A by this time, hurry up and get to point B before the crowd arrives and then point, C and D, and miss the traffic. And this 1.5 hour class, does not WORK with my schedule, but I have to make it work. Because of the coffee shops. Here we go with the coffee shop conundrum again.
Wait.
There are two coffee shops I frequent. And they’re not too far away from each other but the social climate of each is like night and day!
I want to drag a bathtub into one of them and charge a quarter per wash! And then offer a 10 percent discount! I mean really, there’s a THICK line between grungy and beachy… THICK LINE. I’ve learned Southern Californian’s are beachy… Grungy, well that’s Seattle. And it’s not cool. Not –cool. And it stinks. Like, dirty house or unwashed dog and clothes and butt. But anyway, they make FANTASTIC coffee. Ever had a lavender mocha??? O-M-G! Just thinking about it makes me want to run around the corner and get one. But I can’t. I’m dug in. The TV is off. I’m trying to get through this reconstruct so that I can finish the last chapter and re-read before getting it to the editor.
Anyway, the second coffee shop, the one I visited this morning is more ME. It’s the one I blogged about earlier. I’ve discovered that sweet spot in the time. And I miss it if I go to yoga after 9:30AM. Right now, I can’t miss that sweet spot. But, I have to figure out breakfast. Because after I leave yoga, I’m starving and if I fix breakfast, then I miss the sweet spot! And if I miss the sweet spot, then I have to go smell butt, dirty house, dog and musk. Sigh… but they have good coffee…
Anyway… so all of this, created by my crazy self impositions and making crunch time crunchier…
And then, thirdly, as I mentioned, I haven’t even finished the last chapter. Which will take me one day, when I get to it.
And then, there’s a fourth. Getting out of the Amazon KDP Select and publishing right through Apple next week. I had to order a Macbook Air just so I can start going direct. I should’ve never done the KDP thing. NEVER. And then, there’s buying new furniture for this place and doing it online because I don’t have time to drive out and buy from Furniture stores. I did spend too much money for a bed and dresser I bought up the street from West Elm. I bought it for the guest room. But they delivered and it took the guys over 2 hours to assemble it! Which made me miss the coffee shop at that sweet spot time! It didn’t make sense for them to deliver it and assemble it. They should’ve assembled it and then delivered! that’s another thing…. they’re not a big enough city here to have learned efficiency. And I didn’t even get a mattress for the price I paid for it! But at least the backboard is real leather…. Sigh…
Anyway… Gotta keep moving so that I can bring the readers Ignite, Parched book 5!
Peace.
Excuse the typos. I got no time re-read, the crunch time is killing me!