Damn pants

Ack! My chiropractor recommended this morning that I forego the gym today, and it’s thrown off my whole schedule! I’ve been trying to put together a loose schedule so I make sure I get everything done I need to do in a day, and make it clear to my peabrain that writing needs to come earlier and gym needs to happen even if I’m not meeting with my trainer. But today I suddenly had too much time (on my hands, and it really is ticking away with my sanity…) and now it’s nearly 10 p.m. and where am I? Sitting in front of Afalwen.

And, ack again! Earlier I was writing merrily away, and then the scene ended, and I realized I don’t know what happens next! Granted, this happens a lot when you’re a pantser (as opposed to a plotter), but even the general “these things need to happen sometime soon” list doesn’t seem to be helping. So, obviously, I’m taking a brief break to complain about it here.

Teresa and I had a good confab today, and we agreed that we both have projects we need to finish before we start Caressing the Tiger, and that we should be done with said projects by the end of the month, at which point we’ll regroup and start the new book.

Oh, hold on. Heh. I just remembered the revelation I had the last time I got stuck on this novel. Duh. Back to work, kthnxbai.

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So as I told Teresa, the analytical, organizational part of my brain, grumpy at being cast aside as not useful for the writing process (editing, yes; writing, not so much), has been insistently finding other ways to make itself known. I’m now playing with more spreadsheets than before…

I always have one to track story submissions. First sheet is what’s out, second sheet is what’s been rejected, third sheet is for sales and their current status (have I received the contract, etc.). Successive sheets are for each story (logging where it went, when, when it came back, and the outcome). Sold stories get moved to a separate spreadsheet altogether.

I have another one to track novel submissions.

Then there’s the daily wordcount one, with columns for the current novel(s) and for several stories. But now I have one that lists the year by rows, so I type in the total wordcount for each day, and I’ll be able to track my words for the year. I really love seeing those numbers grow.

Then there are spreadsheets for each novel, noting the chapter lengths and whatnot…

Oh, and then there’s this little tiny one for the NIWOC challenge I’m doing, to see what percentage I’m at…

Let’s not even talk about the lists!

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1535 words today. A little low, but still well within my goals for the week. Tomorrow: onwards!

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Currently Reading: Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill
Lately Listened To: Mirror Mirror, Lorraine a’Malena
Recently Watched: Alias (and then I had spy dreams)