NANO UPdate & A Bit of Rambling

With a week left to go on NANO, I am on track for the win and might even finish early now that I have lots of time for writing. But does that mean I'll be writing all the time? Probably not.

I already knew that I wrote best in spurts. I'd write for a bit, finish a scene and then move on to something else while I considered what to write next. I do confess that I really thought that if I was ever blessed with the opportunity for all day writing sessions, it would be ideal. Truth is, that's not really the way it works. At least, not yet for me and especially when my characters deviate from the outline as often as mine tend to do.

I'm sure I'll eventually get into a comfortable routine with my writing. For now, though, I've given myself permission to just relax. Pretend I'm on vacation for the rest of the year. I'm still going to write, though. I do believe that a writer must write every single day or risk losing what little ground was conquered the day before. I can easily lose that familiarity with my characters if I don't spend time with them every day. Going back to a project after a long absence means spending a bit of time getting reacquainted and remembering where I left them in the story.

So, yes. I will still be writing on this rest of the year vacation. In fact, I want to spend the time getting into that routine I mentioned and figuring out when my best writing time will be. Despite once being an overnight kind of writer, I think mornings are going to be my best time. Get it done and out of the way before the rest of the day begins. Even though I'm no longer going to an office every day, there is still non-writing work I can now do on a daily basis.  Housework doesn't get done all by itself and I think I might just cook more now that I have the time.

I can also devote more time to blogging and maybe even earn some extra income from it. I'm still looking into that aspect. I have also found another resource that might help bring in some of that extra income - a guided study in copywriting with the potential to have the start of a client base at the end of the course. Copywriting might just fill in the gap between loss of employment and my first best seller. Yeah, I'm dreaming big but why not? As a well known preacher has said, I'd rather dream big and get half of it than dream small and get all of it. And if you know Joyce Meyer, you'll recognize that Joyce-ism right away.

Sure, there's a bit of anxiety lurking in the shadows. I no longer have a regular income. That alone could send me over the edge but it doesn't. If the financial side of this endeavor doesn't meet the need in time, I can always find something part time and might do that anyway. I have a friend who quit her day job to write full time and has found a part time job that she really enjoys. She is much more relaxed and happier now. Perhaps I'll look that direction some time next year.

For now, though, adjusting to a life free of the 9 to 5 grind requires my full attention. I have to remind myself every day that it's ok to live an unstructured life for the moment. Structure will come soon enough.