Juggling Multiples

No, I don’t mean babies! Or even dogs! I know there’s a reason God did not give me twins or dare I say…more? (Since I am uterus-less I can dare to say it). It was nothing short of pure mercy – more for the hypothetical children.

However, I am an excellent multi-tasker. I can create a Power Point presentation, make dinner, take Daisy outside, put on my makeup, text a friend about a party, plan a party, make the bed, etc… You get it. Yes, I am the Queen of Multi-Tasking – look at my pretty crown!

Or am I? I have one child. One dog. One house. One car. And never more than one man at a time (and now one forever, thank goodness!). So am I really a great juggler? Or do I fear dropping the proverbial balls?

And I’ve written ONE book. Uh oh, time to tackle multiples.

Lately I have been struggling with the writing process of my new book, “Afraid of Her Shadow,” which is the story of Rebecca from my first novel, “There Are No Men.” I am 43 pages in, which is great for the few short weeks I have been able to work on it, in the midst of the move and getting my house ready to put on the rental market. So a pat on the back for me. The writing is going well, and I am resisting the urge to edit as I go like a mental patient, but…

Isn’t there always a “but”? Time is short in reality, but I never have a problem finding stints to do what I love in the midst of all of my obligations. The issue is that I can only work on the book for so long in one sitting before I feel like I need to switch off and let it simmer. I crave the time to imagine the next scene unfolding in my mind instead of plowing through it and forging on, like the pilgrims heading west in a covered wagon in a blizzard.

So what is my solution? More projects. What, you say? You delusional woman – more writing projects are going to help you to write more?

Yep. I have the time, but I need to DIVIDE it, as you would if you had multiple children or dogs or weirdos you met on the Internet (see “There Are No Men” for that reference).

Switching between projects takes some pressure away from one and gives me the energy to get back to the other. Back and forth. How does this work? Like everything else. The more I do the more I can do. This way I am not wasting any precious writing time squirming and feeling guilty because I am tired of the characters in the book for now (now being the rest of the day or until tonight).

I have 4-6 side projects in mind (in addition to 15-20 more novel plots), but I am only going to add one to the mix right now. I can try to handle twins, but not quadruplets. I want to keep most of my hair and a wee bit of my sanity.

“Wee.” Hmm…I wonder if that’s any kind of a clue to the next series, I mean book.

Stay tuned for more clues to a new series about multiple characters doing very cool, magical things, BUT in a modern, sexy world.

The balls go round and round!