Monday
I sat down at the computer this morning in my pajamas and slippers. The coffee started out fresh and piping hot but it didn’t take long before it was forgotten. I stared at the screen with my fingers on the computer keys and tried to write but nothing happened. The same nothing happened to me yesterday and the day before that, too. I spent the rest of the day on Facebook.
Tuesday
My publisher sent me an email today politely asking me for a status on my manuscript. I wrote a snippy email back telling her she’d get it when I finished it and explaining that the creative muse that is writing cannot and should not be rushed. This is an art form, after all…I deleted it and sent her a polite note back telling her it was going much better than it actually was and hoping God would forgive me for this lie. Perhaps He would take pity on my dishonest soul and provide me with the inspiration to write enough to turn this lie into the truth. I refilled my coffee, stretched and listened to my back pop. I cracked my knuckles and returned to my computer, ready to do battle. I am WRITER! ROAR…I spent the rest of the day on Facebook.
Wednesday
My inbox now holds three emails from my publisher, each slightly less polite than the one prior. She keeps pointing out that my deadline is in less than a week and the book still has to be edited. I’m so pleased she continues to tell me this, because without her, I’m pretty sure I’d have forgotten my deadline. NOT. Bound and determined not to waste another day on Facebook, I turn to Twitter.
Thursday
I didn’t even turn the computer on. Instead, I cleaned my house, did the laundry and did some grocery shopping. On the way home, I went through the local coffee shop drive thru and ordered the biggest coffee they had and I asked for a double-shot of espresso. That way I’ll have tons of energy, the juices will be flowing and I’ll have a beautifully completed manuscript, maybe even polished, to email to my publisher. Reality set in when I sat down at the computer and my hands were shaking so badly, I couldn’t even key my own password. I went for a walk instead. I walked about six miles in 45 minutes. At that precise moment, the caffeine high fled my system and I was so tired, I had to call a cab to get back home.
Friday
I’ve been awake since 3am. I’ve had two pots of coffee, I haven’t showered and I’m writing frantically. I’ve changed my main character’s name six times and moved the story from the east coast to the west. My kids went to school with gummy bears and Pop Tarts in their lunchboxes but they’re used to me by now and will trade gummy bears for half a sandwich so they don’t faint in fifth period. My email keeps dinging at me but since I know my inbox is filled with admonishments from my publisher, I ignore it. My husband comes home from work and asks if I picked the kids up from school. One look at my crazed expression and he leaves with no further conversation.
I’ve reached a pinnacle in the story and instead of following the outline, I veer off in a totally unexpected way and my characters are thrilled. The story rolls onward and I laugh in a frantic, slightly hyperventilating way as I type the last sentence. I stand, turning so I can tell the family that I’m done, but its pitch black. A glance at the clock tells me it’s nearly midnight. I save my manuscript, email it my publisher and go to bed. I don’t know why she was worried; I’ve never missed a deadline.
- Angela Roe
I am a romance novelist, a freelance writer, and a freelance photographer. I have a variety of published Ebooks and online articles based on topics as diverse as home improvement, ballroom dancing, fitness, marketing and research, computer programs and business associations. I provide SEO copy to industry-leading Web content providers.
I think in words. I am amazed at how many ways we use 26 letters to create so many unique stories and I love being a part of that process. I have been a writer for as long as I can remember.
I am blessed to be able to earn a living writing both non-fiction and fiction and I count those blessings every day! My hope for you is that you too, can do something you love every day.
My Blog www.angelaroe.blogspot.com
Smashwords Author Page www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mrsaroe?ref=mrsaroe
This Montana Man www.smashwords.com/books/view/81974?ref=mrsaroe
Books by Angela:
8 comments:
Great post!
Thanks Lisa!
You are a stitch Lady, This is funny, only problem is sometimes this is so true for us. Most of us work best with deadlines. Keep writing.
Angela,
I really enjoyed this post; it made me laugh. What a frantic week!
I think it's interesting how some of us work well under pressure and others don't. Our goals are the same but we get there in various ways. Just another example, I guess, of how different, yet similar, we writers are.
Angela, What a glorious way to start my day. I smiled, chuckled, then laughed out loud. If that had been me, I'd have had to call a friend to come get me. No cabs in the Ozarks. Thanks for perking up my writing day.
Great post, Angela! You brightened my day and set the tone for me. Great sense of humor.
Oh thanks, everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed my poking fun at us writers, we do have our own oddities, don't we? =)
Angela, bad girl! You are exposing writers and all the things we do to avoid deadlines and reality.
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