More Than I Can Chew: The Peril of the Plot Bunny.

Over the past week or so, I've been a bit overwhelmed by the number of tasks I've set myself all at once. My Camp NaNoWriMo target word count is split between this blog and my first draft of book two in my series. Already lagging behind schedule because of... well... life, this means I'm just not doing the other two very important tasks that need doing- editing book one and attempting to actually put myself out there as a freelance writer.

Maybe I should have set a certain amount of editing as my NaNo goal, but I'd already started book two while I was waiting for feedback from beta readers. Plus I felt it would be good to have project number two well underway when it's time to submit the first one.

I doubt I'm the only one guilty of allowing myself to be distracted by new plots when I'm supposed to be editing. I'm sure every creative person has a healthy flow of juicy, tempting ideas at the most inopportune moments, like when they're already busy with another piece of work. I wonder, though, how many people have been so slow to get their projects done that they've ended up with a backlog of about four novels in their head. Oh, and that collection of poetry... and to try their hand at writing for the stage. The list goes on.

It's exciting to have lots of ideas. It means I don't have to worry about running out any time soon. The day I run out of ideas will be the day I'm seriously worried. And I enjoy doing all of this. I'm even getting quite enthusiastic about continuing with the editing. (Number one on the list of things I never thought I'd say!) That "overwhelmed" feeling I mentioned is not so much about the number of things I want to accomplish as the timeframe I'm realistically looking at to realise my dreams.

It's time for an overshare. (You won't see too many of those on here.) Years ago, a family member of mine passed away, just a few months older than I am now. I'm in my thirties. I am not old. My perception of myself as "old" is relative to the age I wish I'd got started writing seriously.

While I'm not expecting to leave this Earth at the same age he did, the event certainly left its mark, reminding me that tomorrow is never guaranteed. The desperation to GET IT DONE QUICKLY comes directly from this. Basically, I just want to make sure I get some of my work completed and out into the world. Not to achieve that in my life would be properly disappointing.

Wow. That was morbid. And my Grammarly icon is telling me the tone of this piece has officially become "sad". There's a little unhappy face on my screen and everything. Moving on...

In the quest to get shit done, NaNoWriMo months come in really handy, forcing you to stick to deadlines you wouldn't otherwise have set yourself. But what about when it's not November, April or July?

What I find really helps me along is communicating with other writer friends. I probably need to utilise this support better, though, by telling my friends specifically what I'm going to get done and when. Then, I'd have to do it to avoid looking like a failure. Accountability is what's needed here to move the job along.

For those of you who want to find that kind of accountability but don't have friends who write, joining a writing group online might be the way to go. It's something I might well do myself in the not too distant future. If I find one that isn't full of people who are unnecessarily unkind to everyone from the safety and anonymity of their keyboards, I'll let you know.

And, you know, vice versa, I could always use some tips.

My Grammarly icon displays a shirt, signifying that the post is now formal in tone. I genuinely don't know whether that's better or worse than sad, but that's where I'm leaving it for tonight! Happy writing!

V.