I'm racing to meet a July 25 deadline for my fourth Love Inspired Historical, Her Motherhood Wish, which will be released in March 2017.
Until a couple of days ago, the manuscript was a mess. I have a hunch some of my fellow authors can relate.I handed that messy first draft to my bright, beautiful daughter, who proofreads for another author, too, and is a line and copy editing whiz.
When Adriana completed her editing pass, I was reminded of a recent "catastrophe" she experienced when she accidentally flung cat food all over the bathroom floor--and counter, too. She had lots of little pellets to pick up; I had lots of little oopsies to address.
Adri returned the story full of notes telling me (nicely) about the many niggling ways I'd muffed up. Things like the heroine being blindfolded by the bad guy but not bound. Can you say oops? I'd made poor Callie look pretty clueless, since she could have just reached up and removed the bandana blocking her vision. Not to worry. That mistake has been corrected.
I'm happy to report that I've cleaned up the manuscript. There are only a few fixes left for me to make. I'm on track to hit "send" Monday. A huge sigh of relief will follow.
Questions for You
Think back to a time when your plate was overfull or your life got a bit messy. How do you handle such times? What works well for you when you're feeling overwhelmed? This fuzzy-brained, deadline-pressured writer welcomes your wisdom.
10 comments:
I need to shut down. Read a fluff book or sappy movie. Something to take me out of the situation completely. Then I can re-focus my brain and get back to what needs to be done.
Andrea, those are great ways to recharge. Sometimes we can get so immersed in a project or activity that we need time to step back and clear our heads.
I remember the days when I was homeschooling 5 children and was helping take care of my mother-in-law. The quiet time I had each morning was the only thing that kept me sane. I was also blessed to be able to get away for an afternoon or 2 a month by myself.
I also allowed myself to read for pleasure on the weekend.
Sometimes a nap works wonders! I can totally relate to the cat-astrophe in the bathroom as our cats love getting the lid off their food and the biggest one can pull it over if I don't keep an eye out. So glad you worked through your manuscript and can hit SEND and relax!
Shirley, what a full plate you had. To say you were busy in those days would be an understatement. I'm glad you found ways to give yourself much needed breaks.
Laurie, I just woke from a much-needed nap, and I feel much better. =)
Cats do keep life interesting, don't they? We love our two boys, but they track in more stuff than our daughter ever did.
A nap always helps me...lol! And I love to read! I am elderly, retired, but do stay busy with home chores and therapy as I recover from knee replacement.
Hi Keli, I talk with God allot because he's in control and I'm nothing without Him.
I had applied for a job and I had a phone interview then a face to face. They liked me and said they'd be in touch. Well needless to say I got sick over the weekend and I receive a phone call asking me if I can start Monday. So tons of prayers and lots of water later I'm still at my job. God was and is the sole reason I've made it so far. Jenny T.
Jackie, naps are a great way to recharge. I hope your knee replacement surgery was a success and that your recovery is going well.
Jenny, prayer is one of the best ways ever to deal with stress because we're calling on the One who cares more about us than we can possibly imagine.
Congratulations on the new job. I'm sorry you got sick right before you started it, but I'm glad you were able to show up anyhow. Prayer is a powerful thing.
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