Eager cheerleaders: no, I didn't finish. But before that admission sends me into a spate of self-flagellation, I will say:
a) I'm very, very close to being done;
b) I'm much further along than I would have been had I not set the goal;
c) Being accountable to you all got me working at times when I just didn't feel like it; so
d) All in all, I think it's been a very successful 30 days.
Now I'm not sure what to do. My first impulse was to push the deadline back to June 1st, but I've got a ton of sewing to do before the trek. I also have two trays of seedlings to plant and a Weed Dragon to wield. Late May and most of June are extremely busy for anyone with kids in school: concerts, field days, exams, and tournaments abound. This is why May 15th was such an ideal deadline to begin with.
What do you think, O Friends of the Ethersphere? Should I go for June 15th? Try and pound it all out by May 31st? Go for the sure thing and say Fourth of July weekend? Throw up my hands, delete the whole manuscript from my laptop, stop once and for all pretending I'm a writer, and go eat some Cherry Garcia?
I'm betting you can guess which option I am favoring in this bitter moment. But your opinions and advice will be greatly appreciated nonetheless.
a) I'm very, very close to being done;
b) I'm much further along than I would have been had I not set the goal;
c) Being accountable to you all got me working at times when I just didn't feel like it; so
d) All in all, I think it's been a very successful 30 days.
Now I'm not sure what to do. My first impulse was to push the deadline back to June 1st, but I've got a ton of sewing to do before the trek. I also have two trays of seedlings to plant and a Weed Dragon to wield. Late May and most of June are extremely busy for anyone with kids in school: concerts, field days, exams, and tournaments abound. This is why May 15th was such an ideal deadline to begin with.
What do you think, O Friends of the Ethersphere? Should I go for June 15th? Try and pound it all out by May 31st? Go for the sure thing and say Fourth of July weekend? Throw up my hands, delete the whole manuscript from my laptop, stop once and for all pretending I'm a writer, and go eat some Cherry Garcia?
I'm betting you can guess which option I am favoring in this bitter moment. But your opinions and advice will be greatly appreciated nonetheless.
8 comments:
June 15th. You'll still get it done in a reasonable amount of time but you won't have to push as hard given all the other stuff you have going on.
AND eat some Cherry Garcia.
I vote for the earliest possible date, but what do I know.
The people who want to read your masterpiece vote for May 31st!!!! Or May 30th. The greedy one says May 17th.
My suggestion; take a deep breath and look at all you've accomplished in the last 30 days -plus your 'normal life' running a house with 5 children.…and congratulate yourself! (Celebratory Cherry Garcia is allowed but only a small/med bowlful- yes only one)
Take one more deep breath and consider what you want out of the next several weeks... kids only finish the grade that they are in once (ideally) and you MAY never get/have to do a trek again in your life. Will getting done a few weeks earlier benefit you (emotionally or financially) more than what you might miss out on('miss' or make too stressful to really enjoy)? Sorry if that's not much help.
It's just a goal. First you need to go eat some Larry Parcia ice cream and then just take your time working out a different date. Don't rush any rewriting -- it's never worth it -- unless you write humor and people like your typos! (okay, your editor should catch those;however, I seem to catch a typo every other book I read -- not that it matters...) Anyway, make sure your next date is realistic and gives you plenty of rewrite time. YOUR AWESOME!
First off, smack yourself upside the head for even CONSIDERING the delete key, you silly, silly woman.
Second, celebrate with chocolate that you've come so far and can see the finish line.
Third, depending on that thing called reality, you'll need to make the final call on what's realistic. Sometimes I personally have to push to the end and make it a fast break to the finish line. Other times it's good to take a little break and breathe a bit before that last stretch so you aren't tempted to hit the delete key. (Maybe the trek will help you get some distance?)
YOU make the call. Just make it, print it out on neon paper and plaster it on your wall so it's official. Then tell us all about it!
Way to go, girl!
I think you owe it to yourself to add the time you need to have it done to your satisfaction.
Yay for the finish line! It's an awesome feeling...and at the same time, sort of frustrating because you're just sooooo close and life has that way of obstructing writing-time...I have to say ditto on the be realistic comments (and the ice cream encouragement!). With the chaotic end of school, pre-trip schedule, you don't want to overwhelm yourself...but don't worry. You've made it this far and all that matters is that you finish, be it June 15th or July 4th.