Book Two: Writing Progress

Sometimes in the course of life, we must do what needs our attention. And yet, we must also diligently strive to make room for what our soul cries out for us to achieve.

Promises, Promises

Yes, I should not have made a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep. Yes, I did not get any writing done on my second book like I had hoped and indicated in my last writing update a month ago. Yes, I have a valid reason. But….

Yes, I discussed in my last update about not making excuses, having valid reasons, and not leaning on either to justify not writing. So, all I can say is that I have forgiven myself and am moving on. I have also taken steps to ensure that I will write on my current book-in-progress at least once a week this month.

Getting Organized

As you may know, hubs and I are still in the midst of a major move from city to country life. At the end of last week, we bought a new stove for our dilapidated house (temporary) and brought the last U-haul load from our city home to our country property. This alone has given me cause for excitement.

Now I can see an end in sight. I am able to cook more than just bacon and eggs on the weekend. I can even bake if I want to…a baker, I am not (lol). And…I can start organizing.

Since it is a Sunday, and I choose to rest from real work, I will await those tasks and focus on resting, writing, self-care, and more resting. I am also making a mental list of all the organizing I will do, including Book Two.

Current Project Status

Okay, again, I thought I would be farther along on Book Two. But life happens. And before I know it, I have gone from August 1st to September 5th, and I may have organized only a few pages.

No, I do not really recall if this happened…or if it was just a dream or wishful thinking.

Our life has been so hectic lately between our trips from the city to the country and vice versa that I have not made time to get my second book a little farther along. I have let all kinds of things get in my way – from social media to blogging to unpacking and reorganizing bins and boxes to making three trips from country to city in less than one point five weeks, of which these trips are one point five hours one way.

Needless to say, I have experienced exhaustion at several points.

However, with my newfound excitement, I have developed a plan for getting some book writing into each week. I will reveal to you my progress on this new plan in my next update on the first weekend in October.

Other Writing Loves

I love to write, so I have been sending greeting cards when I remember to, blogging weekly, and posting on social media. Yes, you guessed it. Instagram. I really enjoy this app and equivalate it to a mini-blog. It takes time; but it is time that before I started writing Book One, I would otherwise be spending reading (which I do anyway, regardless), playing a video game (yes, I am guilty of one favorite), or mindlessly surfing the Internet or TV channels.

Instead of my video game, which is self-serving and has no lasting purpose other than to let my mind wander aimlessly to things I should be doing (lol), I feel that surfing and posting on Instagram serves a higher purpose. I love sharing what I am up to and inspiring people who may be looking for a little inspiration (or just a distraction) in their life. So, hopefully, win-win for everyone.

Future Goals

As always, my main goal is to finish Book Two and move on to Book Three. Realistically, that may not happen right now. The pressure (and, therefore, stress) to get it done right now is too much with all that is happening in our life at the moment. And stress is one of those things I am trying to reduce. So, it may take longer than what I had first anticipated – and that was to be published no later than next month.

The closing date on our city home has been moved from August 31 to September 30. This means the earliest I will get to spend more adequate time writing on Book Two will be October 1.

I am hanging in there. I am giving myself time to accept that Book Two will be on a different timeline than I first expected. And I will be anticipating the moment when I am working on it more fully.

In the meantime, I will devote little chunks of time once or twice a week for making some headway. The goal is to make progress, not necessarily complete it. That will come with more time.

How about you? Do you have a writing or creative project you are working on? How is your progress coming along? Are you happy with it? Would you like more time to spend on it? What do you think will give you that time? Do you need to give up something? Or do you just need to relax and let your creative energies take you to new places? Sometimes we just need to break out of what we think we should be doing on our projects and let what is in us flow out.

You may wonder how I can write that last line when I, myself, am struggling to write. But I have learned that forcing things at times can actually prevent the flow of creativity. So, take it easy. Mull over where you want to take your project and, instead, let it take you where you need to go.

All the best to you as you continue on your creative journey toward that moment when you know it is complete. I will get there. And so will you.