I need to have my final edits for my book, The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex, in at the publisher tomorrow.
I don't actually have to make that many changes, and most of them I've done. But there are a few additions to the book that I've had to write--not long ones, but things that really need to be addressed.
But here's the problem. My book was already WRITTEN. It was already FINISHED. Everything flowed beautifully. So it's no problem to write the additions; I just can't figure out where to put them because they totally wreck the flow.
So I have a new strategy for doing my edits. It goes something like this:
Write the addition.
Stare at the computer screen.
Check email.
Wander into the girls' rooms, where they are working, to see if either needs to talk. How do they feel about life?
Get kicked out of the girls' rooms.
Fold some laundry.
Stare at the computer screen some more.
Read blogs.
Clean my shower. (It really needed it).
Read some more blogs.
Check Facebook.
Repeat.
Unfortunately, this strategy has not been working tremendously well to actually get anything accomplished, and so I may have to mix it up a bit today. In the meantime, I've been reading a lot of blogs, and I've found some interesting things you may like, too.
This is a picture of my everyday life. I live to procrastinate. It's sad, really. People keep asking me how my book is coming along, and I tell them that "I'm not working on it right now because I'm waiting to hear back from a couple publishers." You know, because waiting somehow means that all writing must cease. Right? LOL.
I'm totally sympathetic to the problem that additions ruin the flow--I've never written anything as long as a book, but I ran into the same problem sometimes on school papers back in "the day," and I still do on blog posts sometimes ... the only thing that's ever worked for me has been to rewrite the entire thing to incorporate the new into the flow (using copious copy/paste from the original draft, of course).
Somehow I don't think that's a good solution for a book :D
Procrastination is an issue for me. I think I love the rush of getting things done last minute or something because I'm always a crazy lady the day before a party b/c I've done nothing before or shopping for a birthday gift the day of! It's terrible and I want to get better at it. LOL
Decide on a nice reward if you finish by a certain time! Even something time sensitive like your daughters agree to go shopping/ice cream/movie with you at a certain time. It'll make the reward so much sweeter! Sometimes though, you just have to take a break and come back to it! Hope it all gets done!
Your schedule looks like mine! Though I did laundry instead of the shower; and I'm not writing a book... Oh well, guess the only similarities are the staring at the computer screen, reading blogs, checking email, and checking facebook. Eeek too much time in front of the screen!
Good luck getting the edits and additions completed - looking forward to the book!
I have many flaws, but procrastination is usually not one of them. I can't stand to have something hanging over my head. I can't enjoy anything else until I get it done.
I liked the second link you posted. I've heard north americans accused of being immature before because if the attitudes toward sex - I like how the writer showed that it's actually a more enlightened view of women instead.
Boy that sounds familiar! I did the same thing when I was writing my book. I finally decided I would keep adding new sections if I didn't't decide to just finish it already! Here's to second editions! lol I hope you were satisfied with it. As a happily married woman, The Good Girl's Guide to Sex sounds like a book I'd be interested in reading. Good luck!
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
Stumble It!
This is a picture of my everyday life. I live to procrastinate. It's sad, really. People keep asking me how my book is coming along, and I tell them that "I'm not working on it right now because I'm waiting to hear back from a couple publishers." You know, because waiting somehow means that all writing must cease. Right? LOL.