The Friday List (nice things you’ve done for yourself this week)
I do some of my best thinking in writing. So yesterday I sat myself down and wrote eight pages to myself about how I’m going to make this all work out.
Because somehow I have not one, but two books due at the end of January. Hahahahaha! But I am not hysterical!
So anyway, January is suddenly seeming a lot closer than it did, say, last month. Which leads me to believe it will feel even closer a few weeks from now.
You’re not going to like this, but my nice thing this week is deciding–after much soul-searching and on-the-page deliberation–that I need to shut it down. Go underground. Stop messing around. In the same way I’m making my house go Spartan, I need to streamline my schedule. Drastically.
So I’m putting the blog on vacation. Sorry! But you guys are too much fun and I spend WAY too much time playing–here and on your blogs and everywhere but in Fictionland where I need to be right now.
See, and I’m already starting to talk myself out of it. Because I really do love our setpieces–the Tuesday Book Club and this Friday List. Can’t I still do those? (Hold on, checking . . .) Dang. I don’t know. I feel like I need to say no to that right now, but let’s see. Give me some time totally away and I’ll see how I’m doing on the books, and if I can come up for air here and there I will.
But seriously, I need to get serious here. I love a good scary deadline, and it looks like I have my wish.
So let’s be together until Thanksgiving, then I’ll wish you well, slap you on the behind, and say see ya for a while.
Okay?
And meanwhile tell me what potentially-difficult decisions you had to make this week in the spirit of looking out for yourselves. Or you can tell me the easy stuff, too.
Technorati Tags: The Friday List, Self-Care, Self-Kindness, Pampering, Self-Sweetness, Blogvation
If I were wise, I’d join you.
What’s happening? Is Mercury in retrograde behind a waning moon? Is Endor under attack by the Death Star?
Similar things are a foot in the Space Lord universe. But I don’t have to shut down my blog. I’ve tried that before and it doesn’t work.
Uhh, two books? Do tell.
Easy stuff: caramel lattes
Difficult: Keeping my mind open. Re-writing “just to see.” Accepting that writing something great is always harder than you think.
Do what you need to do, Robin. I have friends who simply put up a progress bar at their blog while they’re working. Sort of a public accountability thing, but what’s nice is that people still leave comments of encouragement for you.
We’ll miss you so, Robin! But your plan makes total sense. Before you go, you’ll have to give me a little writer’s info. How did you get to the point where you have two books due at once? What happens when you sell a successful novel? They hire you on and make you contract to do a certain number of others? How does this affect your creativity? Curious, curious!
My nice thing? [thinks back through the week, remembering the worse moments for some reason] Making myself talk to my husband rather than turning over and going to sleep after we’d had a frustrating evening of misunderstandings. It led to a 45-minute talk and some sweet cuddles before a blissful sleep. That morning, we were able to kiss each other goodbye with no nastiness hanging in the air. Such a nice thing.
I wish you well while the blog is on hiatus! Have a good Friday.
Getting hair cut today. That’s my good thing for the week.
This week, I didn’t get all stressed out because I’m a little bit behind on Nanowrimo.
Robin, I think you’re making a good decision. Not only will you gain time, but you’ll also get to close in upon your thoughts better by making your world smaller for awhile. Like you’re cocooning and two beautiful butterflies in the form of awesome books will emerge.
Deadlines are important(especially when you have two of them!),so while we’ll miss you,it’s all for the greater good there. I’ll still peek in every now and then,in cause you come up for air:)
We will miss you! But as Lady T said, Deadlines are important. Good luck! We love ya!
I respect your decision whatever it may be, but I put in a word for the Friday List. First because it will remind you – as it has been doing – to take care of yourself, and second because it will make you feel connected without having to be very involved with other blog reading and writing.
In the end you may save time from all of us emailing you individually to check up on you;^)
Ooh – MotherReader makes a good point.
But if you decide it won’t work, then I’m sure we’ll survive and be back in January, and it definitely makes sense to cut back as you need to do. And be good to yourself by trusting yourself to make the best decision for you!
If I were wise, I’d follow your lead. Best wishes with your writing! You can so make this deadline.
I’ll miss your blog posts but will just remind myself that you’re finishing TWO books for us to read
Thanks, you guys, for all your support and well wishes. It’s a hard decision to make!
Mother Reader, that’s very tempting. I might just take you up on that. And I might have to keep the Tuesday Book Club going. I just have to see.
Kelley, it’s a weird situation. The publisher bought Evolution and my next book, which I turned in earlier this year. But there’s this other book I wrote right before Evolution, that’s on the same theme as the new book. And because I love them both, I can’t decide which to put out there. But because they deal with the same issue, I can’t have them both.
So because I’m indecisive, and because my editor likes the sound of the other one, too, we’ve decided I’ll do revisions to both of them and turn them in at the end of January so we can all decide which one to go with next.
Like I said, not a normal situation.
And Kelley, good job on talking things out with your husband instead of going to bed mad. I’ve always liked that suggestion “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
Sara, damn straight on the “writing something great is always harder than you think.” Good luck with your project–you have greatness in you, for sure. Just relax and let it flow.
Patrick, good luck on the haircut. Let not the stylist’s wrath come down upon your hair.
Laura, glad to hear you’re not stressing over NaNoWriMo. It’s easy to let those events overwhelm, when really they’re just supposed to motivate.
Everyone else, thanks again for everything you said! That makes it all the harder to disappear entirely! You may be the reason why I have to still show up once or twice a week. We’ll see . . .
Wow! I just found my way back and you’re leaving. Story of my life…
My girlfriends and I are celebrating Thanksgiving tonight. The theme is “Thank-God-We’re-Not-That-Dumb-Giving”. It will also be a sleepover party! There is something totally amazing about going to a sleepover… when you’re 25! I think it rejuvenates the soul!
Good luck on your book deadlines! Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do… and if you have to stop blogging til January… well… everyone will understand. Maybe except for Patrick…
I forgot to talk about my hard decisions. I think I’m blocking.
I’ve had a tough couple of weeks where I feel like so much is out of control. I NEED to make some decisions, but I can’t seem to do so – which is like a decision itself. Because I’m letting things pile up while I stress. Your Spartan post and this one hit the spot with me and I’m impressed with your resolve.
The nice thing I did was take time to write something funny, because sometimes you’ve just got to look around you and laugh, and hope that others laugh with you.
Christen, I expect pillow fights and photographs…
whhhaaa??? TWO books due at the end of January? Crazy lady, take a blog break! I’ve had the same experience lately where a deadline that once seemed so reasonably far off is suddenly HERE and it’s shocking and horrible. I wish you a couple of months of writing bliss! See you back here later!
hey sweet robin, we will, “sniff”, miss you. now get out there and write your fool head off! we’ll see ya on oprah.
Yeah, Laini, it could be scarier than it is. At least I have the guts of both books done. But I’m still thinking it will take all the time I have left to get them both into the shape I need them to be in. How time flies when you’re goofing off and traveling and resting from traveling, etc. But that time will come again. Working hard for a set period of time really feels good to me. Looking forward to it.
Mother Reader, sorry about your tough couple of weeks. Take it from me, though–once you make your hard decisions and tell everyone, you’ll feel so much relief it’s not even funny.
Christen, sorry about that! But your life is so fun anyway, you don’t need me. Patrick on the other hand, apparently needs you. Go over to his blog.
Thanks, Annette.
Wowza. Two? I can understand this decision for sure. I, for one, hope you keep up with Fridays though, if for no other reason than to remind you that there are others beyond the computer screen, and they’re your readers. I think keeping that connection strong could be just as important to you as taking a huge chunk of time away from it. Just my two cents.
Besides, I just prescribed the Friday List as a cure for one of my girlfriends.
But… but… wah!
Was it something I said? Is it because I’ve not been commenting enough? Tell me, Robin, tell me what it was I did that made you decide to put your blog on vacation, and I will fix it!
Oh, right, it’s because we’re all so entertaining that you need to stop for awhile. Phooey. How about if we’re all a little less fun?
Okay, fine. Go on vacation. I look forward to reading your new books when they come out. We’ll miss you. I wouldn’t mind a specific return date, though, because I’m secretly worried you’re going to put your blog in deep storage.
Good luck, Robin. It sounds, though, as if one book will not ever be sold because the other one is–do I have it right? Come visit when you can…Fridays are good. That is what I have decided to do with my blog (although once a week is an improvement for me.)
The nice thing I did was to start my Christmas shopping. I think I found the perfect gift for my grandson with autism, who is hard to buy for. He loves non-fiction and learning about things, so I bought him a subscription to Kids Discover.
We’ll all still be here when your revisions are done, Robin.
I can’t think of any particularly difficult decisions I made this week to be good to myself. About the best thing I did this week was take myself out to breakfast after dropping Lucas off at school and before I went to work one morning. I needed a little chill time, and I think everyone was better off for me taking it.
Okay, okay, Fridays it is.
Because I can’t go cold turkey, either.
And Tuesdays, ’cause we know you’ll still be reading and even if not, we know you want to know what WE are reading.
I tried to take it easy this week. Tried.
Fine! And Tuesdays! Dang it!
Oh… Ok…*sobs* lol no really it’s ok. We’ll miss you but I think your making the right choice. There’s just to much fun stuff on the internet not to get destracted! Have a good Thanksgiving! and good luck with your too books I’m sure we all hope to hear more about in the very near future!
Yay! I am late because on Friday when I read this I was sad. Which is selfish I know. I love Fridays and Tuesdays. Besides I want to know if you will get through your must read list of 2007. Which I haven’t started on the Arsonist’s Guide, yet…but have added the Stephen King and Piccoult’s 19 Minutes.
My nice thing this week? I stayed howm Wednesday night, skipped a meeting and crawled into bed to read. Lights out before 9 PM and 8 blissful hours of sleep.
I agree with Dylan, the Internet is very distracting! Have a great week.