Lack of Momentum

That about sums up how I’m feeling creatively this weekend.

I just haven’t had the gumption to type up any more of The Adventures of Pigg and Woolfe, do any editing/revisions on what I do have typed already, start typing up The Daedalus Enigma, or any of a score of other things on my to-do list.

I did call my Mom, at least. Been a couple of months since we last talked. My work schedule figures into that scenario a lot; day shift one week and night shift the next.

Come to think of it, that rotation could be why my creativity is flagging… no, not my creativity, my energy levels. I still think of all sorts of things to do with my writing, I just don’t seem to have the energy to do them when I have the time to do them.

Not to worry, though; I’ve no intention of remaining in the doldrums. Rather than waiting on a favorable wind, I’ll borrow a device I used in Silent Fathoms and set to the oars to tow my butt out to the good currents.

I’m Too Lazy to Think of a Click-bait Title Right Now

Who else out there suffers from the frustration of thinking of all sorts of projects or things to get accomplished/taken care of when the weekend comes while they are at work, where they cannot DO any of those things, only to forget or be too tired (mentally and/or physically) once the weekend comes?

This. Drives. Me. Bug-$#!t.

One thing eating at me is whether or not to attend a Steampunk convention next month. Part of me wants to; I know over half the panelists who will be featured; it would be a good break from everyday stress; it would be a good opportunity to start building my platform for The Adventures of Pigg and Woolfe; yet I keep putting off deciding.

I will say that working on TAoPaW on the weekends HAS helped my creative process. It is allowing me to slowly get back into the storyline for the serial I abandoned/back-burnered over two years ago. It also has gotten me out of the slump I was falling in with Maelstrom of Fate, book 7 in the Waves of Darkness series.

I’ve also been getting creative ideas for artwork to accompany TAoPaW. For instance, I’d like to paint portraits of the four main players and create Steampunk frames for them. It would be time-consuming, but worth it, I believe. I’ve also considered just painting the portraits and commissioning the frames, perhaps from Sara Neathery. She does beautiful work.

Oh, before I forget: I now have three beta readers looking over the first episode of TAoPaW, A Chance Encounter. I typed up some of the bonus content to be included in the first omnibus collection of episodes yesterday, Aeropolis of Tunilia. I wanted to have more than just a handwritten version of it on hand. I’ll probably type up the second episode, The Truce, tonight. I go on nights this week, so I’ll be up late to adjust my sleep cycle.

I may include a title list of all the episodes I have first drafts of in next week’s blog post.

Back to things I keep meaning to do over the weekend but just lack the motivation once it gets here: restring my guitar. My husband bought me new strings AND a new electronic tuner for Christmas, and I still haven’t gotten the guitar out of the closet to take care of it. I also need to get to work on the cover art for book six of WoD, The Daedalus Enigma. I need to start typing it up and revising it, as well.

Beta Reader(s) Needed

I have finally started typing up the episodes of The Adventures of Pigg and Woolfe I have written so far. TAoPaW marks my first foray into the Steampunk genre. I hope to produce it as a serialized story presented in episodic fashion. I also plan to release periodic omnibus collections of episodes with bonus material.

As stated above, I have just started typing the 12 episodes I’ve written. This project has been on the backburner for over a year now, as I’ve concentrated on the Waves of Darkness series of books. I would like these episodes to be as polished as possible before I begin to submit query letters for them.

What I would like in a beta reader:

1. Someone well-versed in the Steampunk genre.
2. Someone with a good grasp of the English language and grammar; if you have editorial skills, even better.
3. Someone not afraid to give their honest opinion. If you don’t think the story works as it is, please say so and explain why; also offer suggestions for fixing any problems you have with the story. (Gushing about what you’ve read is pleasant to receive but not very helpful to improving my writing.)
4. Someone who will read the material and give feedback in a reasonable amount of time. I understand life happens; I just ask for a heads-up if something comes up that will delay your response time. For this reason, I would like to get more than one beta for this project.

Please respond either in the comments section, or where you see this blog linked on Facebook or Plurk.

Thank you.

 

 

 

Procrastination

This is something I have been very guilty of over the years; sometimes without major repercussions, sometimes at great cost, and occasionally to my advantage.

For instance, a lot of stress might have been avoided on my job over the past two years if I hadn’t kept putting off putting in for a department transfer. Still, I’ve made it through the worst of the repercussion so far (I just have to hold out to August for this particular problem to be completely off me).

I apologize for being so deliberately vague about this, but I try to post as little as possible about my “day” job (the one that pays my bills and afford me health insurance and other perks for which I am extremely grateful).

I also tend to procrastinate on taking action on things to do with my writing career. In fact, I am very good at talking myself out of doing some things, either because I’m lazy or because of fear. I know some things would be a risk, but I also know they have the potential to pay off greatly.

What I need to keep in mind is that I’m not getting any younger. I have been on this planet for half a century now. Given my health issues, I know I will be lucky to enjoy two more decades here. Then again, I may be around for a full century. I do know that the next moment is no more a guarantee than the next day, year, or decade. I’ve seen people my age, younger, or older leave this world behind, often without warning.

I have  got to stop procrastinating on things that are important to me, face my fears, and take calculated risks. (I have no intention of taking foolish risks. My goal is to enjoy the rest of my life, not shorten it.)

On another note:

Viktor, Grimm, and Belle recently granted a group interview on Mom With a Reading Problem . I’ve also posted this link on each of their character profile pages.