For those who follow my writer Facebook and/or Twitter, you saw last week as substitute for a post that I dislocated my right thumb, and while wrapped, it was difficult to type. I have a splint now, and that’s made things somewhat easier, but it’s still not the best. However, as my speed has improved, that’s helped me stay at least afloat in the challenge of this year, even if I’m largely drowning in how behind I am.
Last time I blogged, I wasn’t quite done with the romance novel, despite it already being into March. But if I couldn’t handle the curveballs that were lobbed at my then to finish on time, at least it wasn’t too late. I’ll admit, that cut into the productivity of Mystery March, but not so much that I couldn’t catch back up…until the dislocated thumb, that is.
It’s going to take some extra dedication, which is why next week will really be the test. I know I have the week following, with the 31st on a Friday, but there are many half days that week, plus the start of spring break. I need to be as prepared for that as I can be. I’d like to think that this is a setback, but not a roadblock to finishing this, and all the other, novels.
I can’t let medical appointments for this and other stuff in my life hold me back. It might involve some psychological hand holding for the time being until I can be fully 2 thumbs up on productivity, but I’ll get there. If anything, I have the excitement of where things are going to propel me to finish. Maybe it won’t be as great as I’d hope in execution, but first drafts often lack that anyway. I, and do many writers like me, need to let the stress of it go so we can get the words on the page in the first place.
With luck, and a lot of hard work, by next week I should be ahead of where I was toward the end of the romance novel, but maybe not as far as I was in the erotica one by that point in the month. Or maybe I’ll surprise myself. It’s happened before.
Before I go, one of the fun things about the romance novel was all the random stuff along the way that had a payoff by the end. Ideas float in to add to the story, but then get forgotten by the end (I’m looking at you, toe sucking from the erotica novel). But rather than just be additional character details along the way, I think I may have tied things up better than I ever have before. For a book that refused to go queer (though the basic premise will work with retooling already in progress), a lot of my plan went out the window, so the fact that I could keep so many things straight (pun intended) impressed even me. Or maybe it was just a sign of some level of increased maturity when it comes to my writing.
Typing Ns and Ms are particularly annoying, as I often hit the space bar instead thanks to the splint (like I did multiple times during that sentence). Otherwise, nothing’s gonna stop me making lots of more mistakes along the way the frustrate me, but keep me charging forward. These novels aren’t going to write themselves.
Though the suggestion to use speech-to-text is certainly growing on me. We’ll see if I give it a try.