Happy the Writer With Dust Bunnies Under the Bed

I completed Chapter 6 of Strachan's Attic last night, or a new total of 16,850 words. You know I'm involved in re-writing this MS, but this last section is going slowly because most of it's new. I didn't intend to stray far from the original plot, but things have happened that I couldn't control, and new characters popped up, new situations arose. I just sit back to see what's going to happen next, honestly. I work furiously at this stage, typing very quickly, and then - the next day - I re-read and adjust things - several times, in fact.

I've left poor Hafan Deg far behind, which is a bit rude, because I should get more queries out for it. I'm still sitting at 12 submissions pending, and 5 rejects. As it's been a couple of weeks since the last query, things feel as if they are stagnating.

During this writing "frenzy" (can we call it that?), I still wash the dishes, and keep my kitchen clean, but I don't vacuum, dust, or clean the bathroom as promptly as some might. My house will be spotless after the writing spasm is over. Whether I clean today or tomorrow, it will still be there.

So, for those of you who work full time, out of the house, I want to congratulate you on how much you get done with your writing. When you are at home, I guess you've long ago learned to get off that chair when there is something totally useless on TV, to snatch some time with your computers. Your hours are precious, and shouldn't be wasted.

I've freelanced for years, working from home, and kept the number of hours (and my income, of course) to about five hours of paid work a day. This freed up a lot of time for painting or writing, or whatever creative stuff I was into at the time. With my kids no longer at home, it's just me and my cats, and I can now work on my stuff anytime I feel like it - at midnight, dawn, or whenever.

When I did work full time, I would write at the office during lulls in the day (and during my lunch hour). I had an amazing and supportive boss, and, as long as I was there for the crazy periods, he allowed me some leeway during the dead ones.

So you really impress me, managing to produce as much as you do, and still hold down full time work. I follow your blogs. I know how difficult it is. Bravo!

The dust bunnies aren't actually multiplying under the bed. I clean them out every week or so, but I'm not hung up on them. Don't come to my house if you have allergies. My daughter does, so I have to spend hours before she arrives, vacuuming, vacuuming - cat fur, mostly.

And so I write (or paint) with no guilt about the cleaning. If it really bugs me, I do it. But only after I've completed a certain amount of the creative work.