We hold life and death of our characters in our fingertips. We create whole worlds with the will of our imaginations? Within us lies the power to touch the soul? If we can do this, we can do anything….kind of.
I woke Thursday morning without the Sword of Manuscript hanging over my head. For the moment it is out of my hands. Initial revisions of Eden’s Fall complete, I was able to type a “The End” and let the wee 90,900 word creature out into the world.
What shall I do with this freedom? It’s not sexy or exciting, but I decided I was going to clean my house. Not just pick-up clutter, do the floors and light a few candles so it smells nice for company. I mean CLEAN CLEAN! Top to bottom, front to back. Cobwebs swept form the corners, fly specks wiped off the crown molding, grout scrubbed and shower doors stripped of water and soap film. Whatever experiments of nature that lurk under the kick space of cabinetry and behind the washer & dryer, gone. Dust bunnies, dog hair, and all other detritus and disorder banished!
Armed with a few cups of coffee and 12 hours of Nora Roberts Angels Fall audio book, I started sure I could get this done in a day….
Two hours later I began to see the flaw. I was still in the small back bathroom and had only made it 2/3 of the way around. Now mind you, that small portion was spotless! Going by square footage alone, my twelve hours was somewhat ambitious. Add in the trips up and down the step stool, or down on my knees, yeah, it was time to fall back and regroup.
Regrouping turned out to be a long lazy lunch of BLTs (with smoked Gouda pimento cheese – I’ll tell you all about that another day) with the hubs, brushing the dog, playing with the cats.
I did finish the small bath and laundry room yesterday! YAY! This morning Stella, Nora and I have managed the mail stacks and are half way through the kitchen. Maybe next week we can report back with a victory dance as we contemplate another NaNoWriMo challenge in November. Maybe?
Do you ever have those moments of invincibility followed by reality checks? Do you regroup and adjust the time table or trash the idea altogether?
ps -Stella just ditched me to go lay in the sun…WTH?
8 Comments
October 28, 2016 at 12:12 pm
“Do you regroup and adjust the time table or trash the idea altogether?” A little of both, perhaps? It depends upon how long I’ve given myself to think about or do the thing. I’m a whiz at convincing myself it was a crap idea in the first place 😛
But, hello?! We need to be celebrating the end of Book 1, draft 1! Woot!
October 29, 2016 at 11:38 am
I really don’t know what to do with myself.
October 28, 2016 at 2:08 pm
My ambition for cleaning (when it hits) never goes as planned. I end up productive but another project always inserts itself ahead of the line.
And wOOOOOOOOOOt BOOK ONE IS DONE ( yes I know first draft but STILL!!). Cant wait for what I know will be an amazing read from first draft thru final.
October 29, 2016 at 11:39 am
Thanks Dawn! You’ve hung in with us through a long journey!
October 28, 2016 at 2:45 pm
Let me just say that you and Stella are fricking adorable.
October 29, 2016 at 11:40 am
It’s a family thing….being adorable with the furbabies. 😉
October 31, 2016 at 2:56 pm
Great news about Eden’s Fall! As for the other…I don’t get those urges anymore! I’ve named it “cleanopause” and I just don’t! No regrouping…no adjusting of timetables. Total surrender to the urge to forget I even thought about it! I “tidy” now and then. It’s mostly restacking and moving around, with an occasional purge when the stacks get too high.
November 1, 2016 at 8:05 am
“cleanopause”!!!! I’m rolling! Bet that ends up in a book. 😉 😉