Prioritizing the Creative Process

"Cat Sunbathes by Excessively Overgrown Pond"

One of my writing views this morning. Kota insists on drinking and sun-bathing by our overgrown pond, but it's been a beautiful morning, and she's so cute. Hubs keeps expecting her to fall-in (she's blind), but she's cautious and nimble, and I'm quite sure my heart is Kota-shaped. That's just conjecture, though...

Hey Conduits!

This week, I didn't write as many hours as I intended (life got in the way), but I spent the same amount of time thinking through issues/plot structures, and still made some very important strides. Since I'm writing Book Two, all those pesky questions I created in Book One need to be answered. Two of the biggest ones are now effectively answered, with another to be answered soon, and I'm proud to say it's not answered via an info-dump (which is hard to do!). As it stands, I am either smack-dab in the middle of Book Two, or much closer to the climax than I realize (isn't that how climaxes always work? Hahaha...).

These books are multi-POV, with a huge chunk of Book One being the MC's POV until about the middle of the book, but Book Two is quite a smattering between the characters -- but fear not! I promise each scene moves the plot forward, and I try to keep the POV shifts to only a few main characters. The majority of the time, you will be spending time with... three, I think. The MC Esmeralda, her love interest Brody, and Markis, the MC's childhood friend.

That said, the plot is very convoluted and requires a little hop-on-over to a POV you might not expect (like the antagonists/bad-guys; that's always a fun jaunt down what-the-crap-is-wrong-with-you, lol).

Wanted to throw out a quick comment about priorities.

"Quick" Summary: This week, we had to bring two of the kitties to the vet for an antibiotic shot for a lip-thing, and we are in the middle of transitioning them to a better food (we are bougie and spend a lot of money on our cats, and were unknowingly giving them crap, and it caused a problem. Praise God, though, of all the issues we've been dealt this year regarding the cats, I honestly do think this season is almost over/passed... God willing!). That was Monday. Tuesday, my husband had a family emergency that derailed some things, but I was working all day, anyway, and usually Tuesdays/Thursdays are for my career as a personal trainer vs my writing. Wednesday, I had a doc appointment (standard check-up; no issues), then dragged myself through two hours of writing that produced about half a page (lot of hours for a little result, but this was answering one of the big questions that will launch us into Book Three, so its needs were many!). Thursday, I spent my lunch wracking my brain about content info to provide to you guys (Lawd hap mercy, this marketing stuff is HARD); and yesterday, Friday, I went to the last Bible study with my church for a hot minute as we rework how we're doing small-groups to better cultivate intimacy, discipleship, and accountability within even smaller groups. Didn't get to writing, but I find that either on Fridays or Sundays, my writing doesn't usually happen. It is okay; I trust God.

So TODAY (back to the priorities thing), my writing friend and erotica author Nicole (writing as Antoinette Steele of The Candy Store [see The Candy Store on Amazon for short, 15-minute sexy reads!]) is coming over and we will be both hanging out as friends, attacking some content/marketing ideas and plans -- admittedly in a different capacity, because short sexy reads are marketed and planned MUCH differently than 130k-word epic fantasy novels in a series -- and possibly writing more.

For many folks who create, they might have decided to wait and write until their friend arrived. After all, last time I hung out with Nicole, we spent an hour barely talking while we wrote in the same room of a library, and we've done many stints together where conversation is practically nil. Nicole is one friend who I can be utterly myself around, actually make progress vs be distracted, etc, so she'd be a safe one to wait for and write when I see her.

BUT!

I have a goal. I want to hurry up and finish Book Two so I can professional edit, market, publish, and get Book One out to you guys and make this story a reality. It IS a reality, but... it's not REALLY. Nah mean, jellybean? So anyway. The point is I could've waited to write.

Instead, this is what I did: I wrote for two hours like I normally do on a Saturday morning. It took me TWO HOURS to write a little more than ONE PAGE, but the chapter, that finishes answering the questions I began to answer on Wednesday, is well done, and decently written. I erased MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WORDS on Book One when I initially edited it, but that has given me a better lens for writing, and I think editing and rewriting Book Two will be much smoother and quicker. I feel very proud and confident about where this story is going. Makes me all the more eager to get it done and get it out!

So NOW, because I stuck with my schedule of writing this morning DESPITE Nicole coming over, any writing we do will be extra.

So... I guess this wasn't a "discuss priorities real fast," kind of thing. I REALLY don't know how to write just a little bit (lol). As my Grand says, "You have the gift of gab."

But this notion really is IMPORTANT when it comes to being successful, and this can translate to anything. When I workout, I workout when I planned, regardless if I know I'm going to be hanging out with a friend and we might workout later, or have planned to workout later -- as a personal trainer, this happens often. Then, that extra workout becomes just that -- extra. I hit my goals, I'm staying consistent, and ***I don't let my circumstances change my plan.***

Anyhow. I hope you're enjoying following me along in this create-a-story-write-a-book-get-it-published-what-the-heck-am-I-doing adventure, and I hope the above tip about priorities helps you juggle some of your own goals. (I used to be a part of Mary Kay -- which, honestly, is hilarious, because I rarely ever wear make-up anymore, despise heels [barefoot-shoes all the way!], but I am still a proponent of skin-care -- and as Mary Kay Ashe used to say, "Plan your work, and work your plan." Someone else, who I can't remember, maybe it was also MKA, said, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." So make your plan, and work it!)

All this said, my dear Conduits, thank you for reading. I love you.

Until next time,

Jess

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P.S.S. One of my fantasy critique partners, Amarah Calderini, is publishing Tide of Darkness, book one of her trilogy! I've read it; it's great; check it out!