BICHOK Works:) Seriously...

Update: Posting this 11/13...Word Count: 1686. WC yesterday was only 465, and have only been steadily writing for 45 minutes! See, I can do it when I've got a 'clear brain'...taking a break to get dressed now...

I was seriously behind in my word count last week.

Why?

Procrastination set in, due to being a 'ho-hum', dry area of my manuscript! I blogged. Checked sites repeatedly. Emailed. Finally, around 10 pm, I was still emailing a friend, and everytime I'd reply, my wc would be 300 words more...I kept track!

Saturday, I knew I was going to be pressed for time, as my oldest son and I had to make a trip to Evansville, and would probably be gone for 5 hours. And even though I had dinner in the slow cooker, I was only able to crank out 356 words. So at 10 pm, I finally had had enough of nothing coming to me and went to bed.

Sunday morning, I knew I was going to have to get my fingers in gear and double the wc in order to keep up. So I did not post; I did not check e-mail; I got up, drank my morning coffee and planted my butt in the chair and proceeded to write. Hubby took the kids to CCD; I skipped my shower, having had one the day before. When I finally had to stop and get dressed, my wc was over 1700. I happily stepped away from the computer and went to church.

Started Laundry Goddess duties, and promptly had a fight with my dryer. For some reason, it refused to completely dry anything heavier than a T-shirt, and I ended up spending much more time than usual drying hubby's flannel shirts, heavy work jeans, and even his fleece pullovers. Add to the fact my son kept tossing his things down the chute...I ended up doing 5 loads yesterday, and taking 8 hours to do it! And then discovered I'd completely forgotten my daughter's basket...oops! Thank god I'd done laundry on Thursday, and the kid has plenty of clothes...

Sat down at the computer at 9:30 to get the second half of my wc written. My daughter was downstairs, and when I discovered I wasted 20 minutes watching 'Hannah Montana', and she was in fact downstairs watching the same program, I turned off the set and in 30 minute increments (between dryer buzzes!), I 'got in the groove' and cranked out another 1700 words! Went to bed at nearly 1 am; hubby woke me up at 3:30; I did something rather strange...I had a choice between getting intimate and possibly staying awake, or choosing to roll over and sleep. I chose sleep...(Hey, he's the one who gave me the choice! "Want me to leave you alone?" Vigorous nodding of the head..."(sigh...) Okay...")

I had read a blog entry earlier in the week that mentioned 'emptying your sink' before sitting down to write. This is a Flylady-ism. In order to start your cleaning, you're supposed to empty your sink of any dishes before diving into the cleaning routine. As someone who does not feel guilty leaving dishes in the sink, I ignore this one; however, I cannot start my day unless my bed is made. So I guess this is my 'sink'.

As previously stated, I start my electronic day with a cup of coffee, checking my online bank account, and posting my entry, or even reading fellow author's blogs for my morning chuckle. Normally, this does not put a damper on my creativity; I can take the kids to school, come home, read, blog, and read and answer email before opening up my document and start writing away.

But when I'm in a 'dry' area, I have to start with a blank mind. I discovered this while writing "Wild at Heart"...if I blooged or corresponded first, the wc lagged. And I wasn't on a self-imposed deadline, so it really didn't matter. But now, I'm working against the calendar, and trying to attain 25,000 words before Nov 15th, which is rapidly approaching. It is already the 12th, and I'm at just over 18,000. So for the next couple of weeks, I'm changing my routine. (Starting tomorrow, obviously, lol...procrastination strikes again!)

Instead of posting early in the morning, I may get it posted sometime before noon. Same goes for reading the various blogs I enjoy every day. So no, I'm not disappearing; I'm knuckling under to my deadline in order to prove to myself I can do it.