Timely Venting

I've been trying to finish up a new manuscript this summer. My original plans included having it entirely polished and ready to go by July. Yeah . . . that didn't happen. =) I have been able to work in writing and polishing sessions here and there, but I'm finding that life keeps happening. By that I mean reunions, weddings, camping adventures, girls' camp, and funerals continue to fill my calendar of events, making the writing rather a back-burner type of thing.

It also helps when people like my mother-in-law come to visit. She's a sweet lady, but in her opinion, sitting at the computer, working on a novel is a complete waste of time. So during her frequent visits, I rarely break out the laptop. On the other hand, she has asked me repeatedly when my next book will be finished, something I find quite ironic. ;)

It is interesting that many people assume novels just magically make an appearance. They don't realize, as Jennie touched on in her post, that it takes hours of work to write & polish a manuscript. These days, I tend to do my best writing between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. This is a time of day when I'm the only one awake and I'm not interrupted by the phone, visitors, and life in general. But that's only a couple of hours per day and it just doesn't cut it when one is trying to finish a book.

I reflect back on other books that I've successfully completed, and this was when children were underfoot, I once again served in the YW organization of our ward, and life was rarely boring. Why is it those manuscripts seemed to come together easier and quicker? Or was life not quite so crazy?

Speaking of crazy, today I have to make a decision. I've been asked to join the local Arts Council in our county. I assume this is because I have so much free time on my hands. =D Truthfully, I'm not sure I can fit in one more thing. Also, since I rarely complain about it, most people don't realize I deal with a few health glitches on a daily basis, like lupus and Type 1 diabetes. I've tried to not allow those items to interfere with my life, but as much as I resent their presence, they are unfortunately, constant companions. This means there are days when I feel like walking death. Especially when I do things like roll down hillsides on a 4-wheeler . . . but that is a story for another day.

Bottom line: it's currently a challenge to find the time needed to complete my newest manuscript, and I'm starting to resent that a little bit. So I'm venting during this post, hoping to feel better about things. I will complete this manuscript, but not as quickly as I had hoped. If all goes well, I may be ready to send it down to my editor in September. (I think by now she has caught on that I lied about the July submission.)

Am I the only writer struggling to meet deadlines these days? (This is when you all comment and make me feel better.) =D