January 25, 2010
Now that I’ve finished the first draft of my latest long-form writing project, a graphic novel, I’m facing a familiar problem. I’m really out of sorts! The truth is, I have several important short-form fiction projects lined up to follow the graphic novel, and I’ve been itching to get them rolling…but I’m having trouble shifting gears. I’ve been driving so very hard on that graphic novel for months, with an especially furious pace over the past week, that I still feel like I’m in graphic novel mode. And I really need to be in short story and marketing pitch modes. And because I’m having trouble shifting gears, I’m getting seriously cranky.
Rationally, I know this is perfectly normal for me. Gear shifting can take a little while sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with pausing for a day or two between projects to get in the right frame of mind. But in my heart, I’m screaming because I’m not racing forward like I need to right now. See, I have a workshop coming up in a few weeks, and a story to write for that, so I really need to push through these other short-form projects that I’ve been delaying till I finished the graphic novel. So the clock is ticking, and I’m getting crankier by the minute.
I think maybe I need to go get a good night’s sleep and see how I feel in the morning. If I’m running true to form, I’m pretty sure I’ll have an improved outlook on the other side of the sunrise. If it doesn’t snow so much I need to blow out the driveway first thing, that is! The white stuff is coming down outside as we speak. But let’s hope for the best! See you soon!
