Writing in between ... work?

Nope. From here on, I won't be saying that anymore. I'm retiring in a few days. After 45 years in the high tech industry, I decided to let the young'uns take over.

To be honest, I haven't even really tried to think about what it might be like. I'm focused on getting through the remainder of my workload, prepping for a small getaway, and when I come back, my schedule changes.

I also applied for a part-time job which might kick in sometime in November. It would be challenging, but a different kind of challenge than what I have now.

Now I'll need to figure out a new writing schedule, a new promotion schedule and a new way of managing my time.

Bring it. I'm ready! Or, I will be by the time it gets here. I hope.

Yep. I'm back in the swing

The last time I wrote, I was 5 weeks in from surgery and trying to get back into Writing Mode.

I sat back down to dig into writing in April and I managed to finish my manuscript in mid-May. That was a very respectable bit of writing. I did 109,500 words in a total of 15 weeks (18 weeks, but I took three weeks off for surgery, really).

I just sat in the chair and wrote and wrote. I haven't done a content re-read yet so it may all be crap, but I think it turned out okay. I'll find out in a few weeks when I do a re-read and will know for sure at the end of the year when I do another re-read. Fingers crossed.

Physically, I still hobble now and then when I'm tired. I mean, they did cut a bunch of muscles and they're regrowing and healing and strengthening. But I'm almost back to speed on the treadmill, I can do aerobics without much problem, and my yoga is improving.

So I guess it's onward!

Now *that's* writing in between

I had Big Surgery about 5 weeks ago -- total hip replacement. I've hobbled around for a decade or more with pain in my hip, and finally decided to have it done.

I've never had surgery before where I had to stay overnight in the hospital. Interesting experience; not terrible or anything, just interesting. The pain was manageable most of the time, and I was up and moving within hours. It took about a week for me to start to feel somewhat normal again, and now I'm almost back to 100%.

I viewed this recovery time as an opportunity to reassess my 'schedule' -- that daily list of things I do. I obviously couldn't go to the gym, run on the treadmill, etc. so I made do with what I could do and gave myself permission to heal. Along the way, I got out of the habit of writing, but that was okay -- I was taking drugs and doing therapy, so I expected that to lapse.

Now I'm trying to get back into a workable schedule and it's surprisingly hard. I *want* to write, but I need to find that golden time of the day when I can block out the world and go into that world I'm creating. I'm getting there, but it's a matter of retraining those muscles, too, just like I'm retraining my physical muscles.

I'll report back in a few months about how long it took. I'm only 5 weeks in; I'm betting another week or two, and I'll be in the swing again.

I hope.

Beginning of the year goals

Let's see ...

Write Book 8.

Review Snow White and the 7 Jocks ("Mirrored"), which I did indeed write in 6 weeks.

Write another Angels book.

Write another Remembered Classics book.

Go to RWA National Conference in July.

Have hip replacement surgery in February.

Have a casino outing in September/October.

Continue the Paycheck Job as long as I can tolerate it (so far, so good).


I'll check back in mid-year and we'll see where we are ...