Why shouldn't I take on one more task?

How is it possible that I am so inconsistent with my writing? I had been doing fairly well, meeting at least half of my goals and then all of sudden this week - I stink. I even had two days off from work. I know one of them was Thanksgiving, but we celebrated that this year on Saturday and not Thursday. It seems that the crazier my schedule is the more I get done. When I have a slow week, I just plain get lazy.

Maybe that is why I took on another project. Am I totally crazy? But you know how it is, when nobody else steps forward, all it takes is a little nudge for you to jump up and say, sure I'll do that! So I offered to help with the Christmas program at church. The woman who asked me to help her has never done this before and I know that as much as she is fired up about it, since I have done this in the past, a lot is going to fall on me. But that's ok. If this other woman and I hadn't stepped up, there would be no program and even though we only have a handful of kids, it just doesn't feel like Christmas without getting the tots up in front of church dressed like shepherds or angels to sing "Away in a Manger". 

We are planning on keeping it simple. Or we were. Now I'm saying to myself, "hello, writer in there, you don't have to just sprinkle the Christmas story straight from the Bible in between songs. Write a whole program for this." Yes, I answer myself, because I have nothing else to do!

It will all work out. I am not going to sweat it.

ROW80

This week I met eight out of 18 goals. Like I already said, I didn't do much this week. I posted to my other blog twice, added to my social networks twice, wrote on my novel once, actually did some research on my novel, commented on at least three other blogs, and marketed my memoir a couple times. 

NaNoWriMo

I have written a total of 10,924  words on my novel this month. November is slipping away and I don't see how it is possible to write 39,076 more words in the next five days. Sure that's only 7800 a day, while writing a Christmas program!!! Piece of cake, or piece of pie, considering the time of year it is.

My Book

I got my business cards in the mail. How sweet is that! One thousand of them fills a good size box! I would post a picture of it, but decided that was too much work.

I also received my press kit from my publisher and the final proofread draft. Sounds like my publisher has been doing all the work this week. I did look over the final draft and should be able to e-mail that back today. Then it is more waiting while they format. I never knew there was this much to it. It's all right, though, because I happy to have this much control over my "baby".

What is a girl to do?

Friday morning, I brought the laptop upstairs from my basement office. I was tired of the lousy internet connection and thought maybe it was because the office is at the furthest point in the house from where the internet connects with the desktop computer in the living room. Actually, my wireless connection has been much better, so maybe that was the problem.

Here is the new problem. There are way more distractions in my living room than in the basement. I thought I had attention deficit before. You would not believe all the things there are to do in my living room that I can’t do in the basement. I even have a view out the window up here. Not to mention that the pets seem to prefer this big comfy chair I’m sitting in to my old creaky desk chair. The refrigerator is a lot closer too.

Arrgh. What do I do now? I don't know. Anyway, here are my stats for the week.

ROW80

I scored a nine out of 18 points.

This week I posted to my other blog three times (3 points), worked on social networks twice (2 points), commented on at least three other blogs (1 point), worked on my book for two hours (2 points) and worked on marketing for my book at least one thousand hours (for which I give myself one point). Seriously, I pretty much eat, sleep, and breath getting the book out there.

And on to the book

I submitted my ideas for my business cards, got the prototype from my publisher, gave them my ok and should have them in my grubby little mitts fairly soon. I wrote up all my ideas of what I think should be in my press kit and submitted them to my publisher. That should be coming back to me by mid-week. I set up an author's Facebook page and my publisher is going to be tweaking it so it looks better.

And did you hear that earlier this week, my publisher posted my book on their website and they are now taking pre-orders. That is like - ummm - now there is no turning back. People are giving up their credit card information to get in line to have my book shipped to them as soon as it comes off the press. Yikes!

As far as NaNoWriMo? Yeah, no. Not happening. I figured this would happen, but what's a girl to do?

Have I got too many numbers in this post?

As I have lamented in the past, I work full-time at the medical center in my town. For the past twelve years, I have been scheduled from eight to five Monday through Thursday and eight to noon on Fridays. Considering I never get a full hour lunch and I rarely leave at five, I've been working close to 40 hours a week, though 36 is considered full-time. With recent scheduling changes, I am now working eight am to seven pm on Mondays, still eight to five Tuesday through Thursday, with Fridays off all day.

The building I have been working in for just over ten years.

I've been looking forward to this day for twelve years. When I was working Friday mornings, I never got out of the clinic on time and then I usually would stop at my mom's or else I had other errands to run, so that I never got home before two. Then I pick up my kinship kid at five for the evening. Meaning, it never felt like I had much of an afternoon off.

Now, though, yikes! I have an entire day off! This past Friday, even though I had a noon appointment, visited at my mom's for about an hour and then visited at the kinship office before heading home, I still got a ton of stuff done on the computer. How much you ask? Here are the stats:

ROW80

- Spent seven hours this week working on a book - either more edits on my memoir or writing my novel - 7 points
- Posted three times on my other blog - 3 points
- Worked on adding to my social networks twice - 2 points
- Commented on three other blogs - 1 point
- Did stuff to promote and market my book for one hour - 1 point

I think that would be a record, at 14 points out of 18.

NaNoWriMo

I am up to 6388 words on my novel for this month. Again, I am not sure how many were written in the last seven days. I knew going in that there was no way that I would make 50,000 words this month, with all this other stuff going on, but it is still good to be pursuing the dream. And I love how the NaNo website, when I post my word count, gives me all these fun stats, like how long it will take me at this pace to write 50,000 words (sometime the first of January).

My Book

Let's see. I sent in my final round of edits. My publisher got back to me that everything looks good. This week they will be formatting it, to see how it will actually look in book form. I contacted three of my potential endorsers and asked them if they could, if at all possible, get their endorsement to me by the end of the week. Next thing I need is to do is get my PR and marketing thoughts to the publisher. Each day is another day closer to having that book in my hands, and hopefully in your hands.

God blesses me each spring with these beautiful trees just outside my windows at work.
Too bad it will be many dreary months before I see this. 

Which way do I go?

Another Wednesday of ROW80 and it sure doesn't feel as if I have done much.

ROW80 goals

- posted on my other blog twice - 2 points
- edited my book probably two hours and wrote on my novel for another 2 hours - 4 points
- and that's about all it would appear. Hmm? So a whole 6 points out of 18

NaNoWriMo

I've written about 4946 words on my novel this month for National Novel Writing Month. I have enough to keep track of, so I have no idea how many of those words were this week and how many were last. I apparently have bitten off more than I can chew, but I will continue to mush it around in my mouth as best I can until I can swallow it or have to admit defeat and spit it out.

My book

Monday morning, I received my edits back from my publisher. I read through three chapters last night. I think I may be taking this editing process to the extreme. Does anybody else read through their entire manuscript every time it comes back to them? Or do you look for the places where they made changes to see if you agree with it?

Every time I read it through, I still find things that should be tweaked. Am I just being a perfectionist or is that being anal?

Also on the book, I wrote and submitted my dedication and also sent a message to Carson asking for permission to use his poem. I still have to get permission to use some lyrics from a song, but other than that I think right now it is about the edits. Oh, yes, and by the end of the week, I think I should contact the other people who have said they will write me endorsements to see how that is coming for them. I think the publisher is going to want that pretty soon.

Things are going in every direction?

What did I accomplish this week?

My book 

Friday night I e-mailed the first round of edits to my publisher. I didn't accomplish any of my earlier proposed goals, but I did work on promoting it. My publisher put a plug for my book on their facebook page, which I reposted to mine and it went viral - or at least, over 40 people liked it and a whole bunch commented on it. Three people shared it, even though one of those is my husband and I went on his facebook account and shared it for him. An author has to do what she has to do.

And also, as you can see, my publisher sent me what the cover is going to look like. It didn't take too long for me to approve it!

ROW80

This week I:
- posted to my other blog twice. That Thursday post seems to be elusive lately, I need to work on that. 2 points
- worked on my social networks twice. 2 points
- commented on three other blogs. 1 point
- marketed my book. 1 point
- worked on those edits for my book for six hours. 6 points
For a grand total of 12 points out of 18.

NaNoWriMo

I wrote 773 words on my novel. I knew that I would get a slow start on NaNoWriMo so I am not sweating it too much. This week, with my book sitting on my editor's desk, I am going to charge into this latest project.