February 22, 2010
Something I do when I’m working on an all-consuming long-form writing project is to put off everything I can possibly delay till I’m done. Some things won’t wait, like bills, snow removal, and grocery shopping. But pretty much everything else that I can get away with postponing, I postpone the heck out of. Then, I run around like an idjit for days or weeks, trying to square away everything I put off for so long. That’s why I’ve been working so hard to get caught up lately; I finished my graphic novel at the end of January, then a short story for the upcoming workshop, a comic book script breakdown, and edits to the graphic novel. Since wrapping those edits last Thursday, I’ve been scrambling to A.) get ready for my trip to the workshop and B.) get caught up on all the delayed stuff around the house. In other words, I cleaned up my squalid home office, put away a year’s worth of comic books, labeled and filed a bunch of audio tapes of workshops and presentations, finished a ton of paperwork and filing, threw out umpteen superfluous documents, and cleaned up the heap of videotapes that had avalanched around my VCR. I also finished a first draft of our 2009 federal taxes, which took a lot of work. And now I’m beat! Once again, I find myself making the same old vow, which I know I’ll never keep: next time, I’ll keep up with my non-writing work while finishing new writing projects. I wish! See you soon!
