This and That

It’s been a challenge trying to get everything done lately. Not that I’m complaining. I’m working on three different freelance writing projects at the moment, and they’re all interesting ones. Still, I had to stay up until 2 a.m. on Sunday night to meet my book page quota, and so far this week I haven’t been able to get back to it. Guess it will be another busy weekend for me.
Anyone who writes for a living knows how intense the process really is. You have the idea (or the assignment). You research. You brainstorm. You interview. You do at least one outline. You start writing and gradually whittle the material down reshaping it into something that pleases you. (At least that’s the way I do it).
Once I’ve got my lead and a possible conclusion I breathe a sigh of relief. But the hard part for me is smoothing out the rough edges so my writing flows. To be honest, I think I’m more of a thinker than a writer and I really have to work to lasso those all-at-once thoughts when I put them down on paper. Anything that involves story telling or word play is easier for me, but that’s not what magazine writing is all about.
The thing I miss most when I’m working like this is doing hands on artwork and writing in my journal. To stay on track with my book I’ve been limiting myself to two social occasions per week. My parents gave John and me two tickets to the opera tomorrow night so once again I’ll be missing the monthly ATC get-together…not that I’ve had time to do anything anyway. Emma came for a visit today so I took time off to cook her dinner, and then we watched Lost and American Idol. My fave, Lakisha, was voted off tonight (sob)…am I ridiculous or what?