Boredom and Panic

Sorry this is so late.  We closed on a house yesterday, and it’s turning into a typical Hoyt adventure.  (Something bad/strange happening to someone else a long way away.)

I.e. we’re desperately trying to get movers, who first told us they could only do it two weeks from now, then changed to they can do a day on FRIDAY then two weeks from now.  This made me spend the entire morning today calling carpet and vent cleaners, because that’s non-negotiable.

So in the middle of typing this, I’m answering/making calls.  LOTS of fun.

Which brings to mind the writing process.  I can (and do) write like a demon when I’m uninterrupted.

But for me, and most of us, writing is like war: moments of excitement interspersed with long stretches of boredom.

Both present their own challenges to writers.  The first means keeping your head on projects while being interrupted by — is that REALLY a call from the locksmith?  Now? — the strangest stuff.   The second is even harder, because it means keeping on track while there’s no penalty for not doing so.

The ways I’ve found that work for coping with both times are as follows:

(You knew I was going to give you a list, right?)

1- Keep a calendar or a planner or something physical with your due dates.  EVEN — particularly — if the date is only due to you, as is often the case with indie projects.

2- (Where I fall down) Check REGULARLY to make sure you didn’t blow/forget the deadline.

3- Divide what you have to do on the project into chunks that fit in the time alotted.  when the excitement hits, adjust those.

4- Even if (particularly if) you’re a pantser keep notes somewhere of what you expect to happen the rest of the novel, even if you know it’s subject to change, PARTICULARLY of how to finish the scene where you were interrupted.

5- Develop (I’m missing this) the ability to work in fifteen minute increments in between — excuse, me that’s the carpet cleaners calling, so I guess this post is done.