There probably aren’t a lot of professions that are easy. Whatever they might be, writing isn’t one of them.
But as with everything else, things can change, moment by moment–so it’s a good thing to be prepared for everything, or at least as much as you can.
Me? In addition to having a couple of pending deadlines over the past couple of weeks, I’ve also had the flu. So what did I do? I kept going as much as possible, at least when I wasn’t coughing or napping or visiting Urgent Care, although I did miss out on participating on a panel I’d been looking forward to as well as meet-ups with some writer friends.
I’ve mentioned before that one of my publishers, as well as a line I’d written for over a long period of time, were ending. As a result of the latter, I assumed my last Harlequin Nocturne about Alpha Force, a covert military unit of shapeshifters, was over and done with after its publication last November. And was I right? Yes and no. I just got word this week that the final one, Visionary Wolf, will soon be printed in an anthology with another Nocturne writer’s story. So–it’s kept going, at least for now.
I did turn in the next-to-final edits for my final Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, For a Good Paws and have one more round to complete. I’m not sure yet what its publication will be like, which is scheduled for May. Will it make it into the usual bookstores? Will it be available at this year’s mystery conferences such as Malice Domestic? I guess I’ll find out whether, and for how long, it’ll keep going.
So what’s next? For one thing, I’ll be writing several more books for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, beyond my most current K-9 Ranch Rescue stories. So yes, I’ll keep going there. And I’ve another possibility pending, too.
Will my flu keep going? I certainly hope not! But in any event, I will keep going.
And you? How do you keep going?
The Writers in Residence 
Ño matter what buffets us from time to time, if something is in your blood like the absolute need to write, then you keep on writing. Somewhere you will find the time because those words need to be written down and eventually shared. Before the printing press or even the actual written word storytellers plied their trade on dusty roads, in fields, even caves. We have stories to tell. All you have to do is listen. Keep going, Linda.
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I will, thank you–and you, too!
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Linda, you are inspirational because despite the flu and deadlines you keep on going. How do I keep on going? I take each day as it arrives and focus on it, rather than the future or What ifs and remind myself that the next day can bring a fabulous adventure such as creating a new clue, or not burning the toast. Small dreams, perhaps, but relevant, and like Scarlett, I’ll think about them tomorrow.
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Excellent way to approach things–partly because we really don’t know what’s next a lot of the time!
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An inspirational post, Linda. Hope you kick that flu in the “you know where” soon!
To answer your question, I only “soldier on” when it is something that has to be done for the pups, otherwise I surrender and go to bed and whine. Everything else be darned.
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Thanks! The flu and I are parting ways slowly, but it’s on its way out. And I identify with your doing what’s necessary for the pups, no matter what!
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Having a deadline is a mixed blessing, isn’t it? Yes, you must plow through even when you’re feeling poorly, but it does force you into that chair to write. My deadlines are self-imposed, so too often I’ve let time get away from me. My only trick is writing out of sequence. I found myself housebound and stir crazy recently, which put me in the right mood to write about a stay-at-home mother with a toddler. Feel better soon.
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I’m always happy to have deadlines but also always worried about meeting them. But isn’t it fun that even things like being stir crazy can lead to inspiration for another story! And thanks!
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What a timely post, Linda. So sorry you have been felled by the flu. But so glad you keep doing. It’s what we writers do. The same imaginations we use in writing, we use in ways to ‘keep going.’ Not to be beaten down, we come up with creative ways to reach our goals – even if we occasionally retreat to our beds when the coughing and sneezing momentarily overpower us. I so admire all the storylines you manage to keep going. Great inspiration: thanks.
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I’m doing a lot better now but glad I managed to keep going even at the worst of times–when I wasn’t sleeping! Creativity is always fun.
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