Despite my sincere desire to go back to bed, I got up, put my running clothes on, and went for a run this morning. It seemed really difficult today, which is probably because I only ran twice last week and the last day I ran was Wednesday. Even so, I kept on truckin' and got it done.
After I got back, I showered and brewed a pot of coffee. I actually managed to get some more work on my novel done. OK, so I haven't actually started writing it yet, but I do have it fairly roughed out on paper. The ending is still a bit fuzzy to me, but I've mostly figured out the beginning. Yes, I understand the actual writing of it will take a lot of work, but at least I've got a map. Before, when I was pantsing, I would basically just hop on a train and hope it got me where I wanted to go, and that may be a fabulous strategy for some writers; but it is not a technique that works for me. In general, I've always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl, but thinking back I've always been more comfortable with a bit of a plan. For instance, when traveling through Europe, I just kind of be-bopped around the continent and the UK and Ireland without any solid idea sometimes of exactly where I was going, but I had my guidebook so I had a general idea of what to do when I got there. I spent some time lost, but I managed to find my way most of the time because I had a map with me. Similarly, I'm hoping the rough outline I have of my book will enable me to spend more time enjoying the process of writing instead of wasting time wandering around trying to figure out how to get somewhere.
I feel ready at this point to begin the actual writing process. One thing I really need to do is make myself a workspace where I am comfortable. Once upon a time, before my dear daughter arrived on the scene, I had an office. Right now, the room that could be an office is being used as basically a storage room. It was pretty organized at the beginning of the year, but then when I got pregnant I started thinking about it as the new baby's room. Obviously, after the miscarriage, I have been really conflicted about what to do with it. At some point, I would like to have another baby, but I have to recognize the fact that that may not happen. I can't keep on waiting for some event that or may not occur. I just have to go with how things are at this point, and at this point I have a completely uninhabited room that needs to be put to use. I'm thinking... "How much would I spend to have a brand new room added onto the house or to have part of the attic finished and stairs installed to get there?" Into the thousands of dollars, if I had it to spend; but all it takes now is some elbow grease... what am I waiting for?
About a year and a half ago, I started the Flylady system, and that's helped me get my house largely under control, but I have fallen off the wagon repeatedly. I'm really fired up now to get rid of stuff because I'm finally realizing how much stuff I want to do and I'm tired of spending my time organizing crap I don't even really need. I want to do stuff not have stuff.
Honestly, even when I was just planning on writing, I wasn't feeling quite the urgency that I have since last week when I discovered I have a clear and present passion to start fund-raising for a local non-profit that works to prevent child abuse. I have really been brain-storming a million ideas of how I can help and researching what is out there. The fact is, if I'm able to do what I want to do -- with my novel, with my volunteer efforts, with my family -- I won't have the time to deal with taming the beast that my house keeps becoming because I have too damned much stuff. Consequently, I have been shedding more and more and more. I cannot flourish in chaos.
Another thing I've figured out I would like to do is host a part for my mother for her 61st birthday... I'm going to host her "Sweet 61" next year. I've got less than a year... what WILL I do? Haha. Really, though, I was thinking she has never (at least not in the 34 years I have been alive) had a party. I know she grew up poor with two brothers and two sisters, so I doubt there was much fanfare when she was a child either. She always made my birthday special, and she deserves a special birthday where others can celebrate her.
So many worthwhile plans, so little time. What plans do you have? What's getting in your way?
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