Okay, I intentionally didn't make any resolutions for the New Year knowing that I would be in deadline hell the very first week of 2008. But, as of today, my stess level has ramped up to the next level.

Why did I find out a week before my book is due to be turned in that my editor has left. She'd already been gone for three days by the time I read the e-mail about it. And today, I'm reviewing this book that my publisher is expecting to see on Monday and I discover that I've miscalculated and the darn things is going to be 25 pages TOO SHORT!!!

UGH! Now I'm in the weeds big time, so what do I do? I decide to upload my current book cover to the Internet and write some blogs. This is how I cope. Total avoidance. Good thing I didn't resolve to give up procrastination in the new year because I would have already failed.

To be honest with you, I have enough trouble writing when I'm at home all day. But, in order to meet my January deadline for Sex and the Single Braddock, I have to write five pages a day. And starting tomorrow, my husband and I are going on a mini vacation. We're not going far, just to a cute little cottage hotel a couple of hours away to enjoy a break. My husband has been working insane hours and is looking forward to relaxing. That means, not only do I have to try and maintain my new workout schedule, I also have to continue writing five pages a day.

I'm taking my laptop and my notes. I've done it before. I'm sure I can do it again. But, my motivation has been low these last two weeks. I've been really tired from my vigorous workout schedule (but I'm getting fat, so it must be done) and I've had little energy. Hopefully some fresh air and a change of surroundings will put me back on track.

Not only am I a huge procrastinator, I only want to do things when it's time to do something else. I've had at least three strong plot ideas that I spent the summer kicking around to no avail. But, now that my editor has offered me a pre-plotted story to write (Sex and the Single Braddock, September '08) I suddenly have all these ideas for other stories.

But, since my deadline is January, and I'm hoping not to write during the Christmas holiday, I can't afford to spend time on any book besides the one I'm being paid for. I wish I could say I was a disciplined as other writers. Some of them write multiple books at a time. I did that once, and never again. I think that process is what brought about the bought of writer fatigue that I experienced afterward.

But, I guess this kind of thing makes sense in my life. I only want to do laundry when I'm supposed to be sitting at my computer writing.

I started writing my first book almost fourteen years ago. It's strange to think about the thrill and enthusiasm I had for writing then. It was my whole life, and if I could just get published, all would be right with the world. I sold my first book two years later, and it was published nearly two years after that.

Back then, I was so involved with my budding, almost non-existent, writing career that I did everything possible to promote myself—despite there being almost nothing to promote. I had press kits for a book that wasn't coming out for a year and a half, business cards, letterhead, writing groups out the wazoo and as many books and resources as I could find.

Although I continued to sell, my enthusiasm slowly waned over the years. Life always gets in the way, and writing couldn't continue to be my whole life. But, it never left me either. I know I'm a true writer because my soul isn't at peace without a new idea for a story or character. And sometimes, when I allow myself to let go, magic happens and I'm able to do the story justice.

Now that I've published several books and have gotten married, my priorities are different, and I miss the untainted enthusiasm I once had. But, after several years of my love/hate relationship with writing, I'm starting to get my second wind. I've started to participate in my writing community, to buy business cards and letterhead and to collect resources again. I have never been short on ideas, but I'm regaining my interest in the business of writing, which can be so important in planning a long-term career.

I've been avoiding my writing all week. Now, in my defense, Monday was a holiday. No one else was working so I figured, why should I? Now Tuesday is my normal day for Critique Group so I don't normally get any writing done then (nevermind that I overslept and never made it to the meeting). Finally, I used Wednesday for quiet meditation and reflection on my book (read: playing games on my computer). So all in all, this week has been a complete loss. And not just for writing, I neglected the gym and the laundry. But, I'm hoping to do some of those things today, except... My husband bought me Mariah Carey tickets for my birthday and the show is tonight....

For a few minutes this morning, I considered writing two books at once. I thought to myself, I could work on one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Ha!

Trust me, that was just the Red Bull talking. I've written two books at once. I had a book for Arabesque and one for Harlequin due on the same day. I can't believe I agreed to do it, but that was back when I was afraid to say no to any opportunity that came my way. I turned both books in on time, but I was pretty much burned out after that experience. I struggled with deadlines ever since.

So why would I willing attempt to work on two stories at once when no one is forcing me to? Again, it was my caffeine-charged bloodstream working on me. I woke up this morning high on the fact that I finished my proposal two weeks before it's due. After being out of contract for the past year or so, it really went to my head.

I think my temporary insanity has passed. After all, I have three chapters of my new book done, but I have gaping plot holes to be filled. Not to mention no less than 12 more chapters that need to be written by February. That should be plenty of time, but I have procrastination issues.

So, back to work.

I've recently come to the realization that I've been writing for about twelve years now, and I've just about come full circle.

When I first began pursuing a career in writing, I was afraid to actually WRITE. So I did everything else that there was to do. I joined organizations and attended workshops. I joined TWO critique groups. I participated in online communities and I plotted. For my first book I wrote a huge chapter by chapter, scene by scene breakdown. Now, I couldn't even imagine expending that much energy on something that wasn't a finished product.

Years later after having written for several publishers, I've resigned myself to the process of writing. The formula is simple.

Sitting in the chair + typing words into the computer = finished manuscript.

But, I've lost my touch for all the other things that make up a writer's life. All those things that I was once so good at. I can't remember the last workshop I've attended, and I keep forgetting to renew my memberships to various organizations. Back when I was twenty-five, I didn't have a husband or a lot of outside responsibilities.

Nevertheless, I'm writing all this to say that there's so much more to a writer's life than writing. Of course, writing is the key. None of the rest matters without it. But, networking within the community yields great benefits.

So, I'm trying to remind myself to make appearances. Plan booksignings. Go to workshops. Participate in online communities. All of those aspects of a writer's life can generate new opportunities and friendships.

Of course, if that's actually true, I'm in the wrong business.

It's Friday morning and there are so many things I want to accomplish before I really get started for the weekend. There's so much laundry and cleaning to be done. Friends to catch up with. Some good daytime TV to be watched. But before I do anything I must write. It will be a guilt-ridden day full of regret if I don't write first.

Since I'm a chronic procrastinator, my remedy is to establish a routine as best I can. That means as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning, I come sit in front of the computer. I spend 10 to 20 minutes surfing the Internet, reading e-mail etc. just to warm up my brain. Then I write in the blog before writing a minimum of two pages on my novel. So far, so good.

I didn't have anything fascinating to write for today, so I decided to allow myself to just ramble on, so I wouldn't have to waste more time surfing the Net for a blog topic. Now, I've rambled enough and I'm going to go knock out that two pages so I can get on with my day.

Well, most of last week I was a terrible slacker. Not just on writing, but on everything. I slacked on my diet and my exercise, too. I'd say I slacked on the housework, but that's pretty much a given. My husband knew when he married me that I wasn't a domestic goddess.

So the question becomes, if I wasn't doing much writing, dieting, exercising or housework, what could I possibly have been doing? And the answer is that I'm really not sure. Last week is like a giant black hole in my life. I was there, and I remember milling about but I can't account for particular accomplishments or my time in general.

So, today if I don't re-establish my routine of writing, dieting and exercising, then all will be lost. I'm a terrible procrastinator. It's like and incurable disease I've suffered all my life. The only treatment is to stick to a routine. The first time I give myself permission to blow something off, well... last week happens. Wasted time and nothing to show for it.

This a been a bad week for writing so far. Like a nine to five job, I don't make myself write on the weekends, unless I'm on deadline or particularly inspired. So, Monday I was supposed to get up bright and early as usual and sit in front of the computer. Only there was one problem. I never got out of bed.

I'd made the mistake of going to bed really early the night before (I barely made it through the premiere of American Dad). Then for some reason, I woke up around 12:30 and then had the nerve to stay awake for the entire rest of the night. My body must have thought oh yeah, that two and a half hours should do it for you, then stubbornly refused to sleep until dawn.

I'd tried to watch some television to lull myself to sleep, but that was all she wrote. Literally, for the whole day. No writing. I slept late into the afternoon and then I had a headache from such a weird sleeping pattern. I had no energy to go to the gym and the entire day was a waste.

So, better luck Tuesday, right? Nope. I started Tuesday off with the funeral of a family friend. Then my husband decided he wasn't going to go to work that afternoon and the work day was a wash again. We spent hours at the gym because I had to make up for not going the day before and then it was dinner time. I don't know, where does the time go?

Now it's Wednesday morning and I have some catching up to do. I have critique group in two days. We took a bit of a summer hiatus, but come Friday I need to have some pages ready for their critique. Off to work.

It's Monday so that makes it a work day. It's also Labor Day and that sure sounds like a work day. But, it's a holiday. And that implies that I should sleep in, right?

No, it's a work day, even though I'm tired from attending BBQs and baseball games over the weekend. I'm tired and I didn't go to the gym yesterday, so I must go today.

But, it's a work day.

How do I feel about writing today? Rushed. I want to write today. But, I also wanted to sleep. Now I've got a limited amount of time on my hands because I have an appointment in the middle of the day. I hate having things scheduled in the middle of my day because I usually don't do anything beforehand and when I return, it's probably time for something else... like a nap.

At least when I have things scheduled first thing in the morning or later in the day, I have a solid chunk of time to play with. But, who am I kidding here, my real problem isn't time, it's organization. About many things I can be very organized. Time isn't one of them. When I was in Reno for the RWA convetion, I bought a book called The Procrastinator's Handbook. Naturally I haven't read it yet.

And, since I have a limited amount of writing time today, the obvious question is why am I writing on this blog?

Throughout my writing career I've always maintained a day job. I've had periods of time where I was between jobs for a month or two at most, but now, for the first time in my life, I can finally consider myself a full-time writer.

January 21st was my last day of full-time employment, and on January 24th I started my writing career over again. I've published regularly over the last several years despite maintaining a day job, but now that writing is my primary focus, it truly feels like a new beginning.

As I planned my wedding and continued to work, my writing career became less and less of a priority, and more something I'd done in the past. I can remember what it was like when I first began pursuing writing as a career and how consumed by it I was. I'm looking forward to rediscovering that energy.

For the first time since my career began, I'm out of contract, and that's not unlike being an unpublished writer. A writer out of contract and an unpublished writer are both driven by the same uncertainty of ever having a future publication.

Hunger is a great motivator. We'll see how it goes.

The holiday season always catches me off guard. I'm never prepared, even though Thanksgiving and Christmas come around the same time every year. It's always difficult to focus on writing when there are family functions to organize, food to cook and gifts to buy. As much as I love all the madness, I've never figured out how to stay ahead of it.

The nice thing about holidays is that they usually afford you more time at home. But, this is rarely used for writing projects, the purpose is to spend that extra time with family. So, to stay motivated, here are my top five ways to keep writing during holidays:

5) For every chapter I write I get a slice of pumpkin pie
4) Family gatherings will become focus groups to help me work out plot problems
3) I can setup my computer at the dinner table so I can write in between courses.
2)To avoid Christmas shopping, I'll just give everyone chapters from my book

And my number one solution for staying motivated to write during the holidays is...

1) Convince my husband that the number of pages I write between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the amount of money he must spend on my Christmas gift

Last month was a difficult writing month for me. This is clearly reflected in the fact that I posted exactly one entry in my blog for October and that was for the first of the month. I had a lot going on, not the least of which is my health, but I still know I could have done better.

My husband and I have been talking seriously about my quitting my day job and writing full time, so learning to maintain a steady writing schedule will be important. How can I call myself a professional writer if I still haven't figured out how to write steadily? The answer is that I'm really good at procrastinating and making excuses. It's a miracle that I managed to complete 9 novels in the last few years.

So to help me get back on track, I found these Ten Tips to Help You Overcome Procrastination really useful.

I'm sitting in front of my computer right now, and for all the world, I want to run away. Why? Don't I love to write? Don't I want to finish my novel? The answers are yes. But, I still want to run away.

What motivates us to run away from things? Usually, it's fear. So, what is it that scares me? Not writing well... Not having anything to say... I don't think those are my problems. I can save the "writing well" for the revision process. No pressure. Write badly--it's all good. And, I do have plenty to say. The thoughts sometimes trickle out like a dripping faucet, but they usually come when they are called.

So, why is writing so hard... for me, anyway? Laziness. Procrastination. Writing takes effort. Surfing the Internet and reading message boards is fun. Writing is work. Talking on the phone is fun. I think I'd even prefer to do laundry right now than open up my word processor and write. And I have the nerve to call myself a professional. Ha!

No calling in sick. No hanging out at the coffee machine. I have to sit down and write.

I've recently taken up running. It seemed like a good idea for a variety of reasons... fitness, weight-loss, and it's cheaper than a gym membership. For all of it's benefits, running is definitely hard, which is why it reminds me so much of writing. I have a real love/hate relationship with my writing, but it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

I dread getting started on a run. If it’s raining or I’m tired, I’ll try to talk myself out of going. But, once I get moving enough to fall into a rhythm, I really enjoy it. Writing is the same way. When I think about sitting down to write, I'm great at finding a million excuses to do something else. This is when my bills get paid or I call friends I haven’t spoken to in a while. But, once I actually allow myself to start typing, I fall into a rhythm, and I actually begin to enjoy it. So for me, the hard part isn't writing... it's sitting down to write.

Running is self-motivating. Once you start doing it regularly, you begin to see the results right away. Within a matter of days you see improvements in endurance and muscle strength. Seeing these results motivates you to continue. Writing can be that way, too. When you start writing regularly, you begin to accumulate pages. Seeing the pages grow makes you want to write more. When you sit down to write, the ideas flow a lot faster... it doesn't take as long to jump into the work.

The best and most indescribable feeling I get from running is euphoria. There's a point during a run, after I've been going for a while, when my body gets a second wind. I feel like I could run forever and never get tired. I feel powerful. I feel a part of nature and world around me. It's an amazing psychological rush. Writing can yield a similar feeling... just not as often. And, it usually doesn't come until I sell the book. But, there's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing a book. You know you've done something special. You've created something from nothing. It's powerful feeling that no one can take from you.

Is it possible to know your characters too well? I think it is. In my current project, I'm so familiar with my female lead's personality that I'm not giving my reader a chance to get to know everything about her. It's all in my head, and somehow I've got to translate it to paper.

It's tough when you have a character with a strong personality because you have to be true to their nature without turning off the reader. It's a fine line to walk. I've put down many books in the past because I couldn't relate to the main character and their motivations.

In my work-in-progress, I'm trying to convey the contrast between the heroine's tough veneer and her uncharacteristic vulnerability around the man she's attracted to--the hero. Showing her qualities should be easy for me because I've done all the background for her. I've decided her physical description, I know her history and all her strengths and weaknesses.

But, despite all the information I have about her, I'm still struggling to disperse this information to the reader without overwhelming them or being too terse. Always a balancing act.

My strongest (and most favorite) tool is dialogue. My goal today is to get the right level of banter going between the characters so that she is revealed through her actions and reations during their conversation.

We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I think I'll refresh myself with some of these articles about characterization:

Characters Make Your Story by Millie Criswell
Character Building Workshop by Writer's Village University
Writing Dialogue by Elizabeth Rose