Knowing When to Slow Down

Being a writer is not all it's cracked up to be. Most people still have the idea that writers spend their days lounging in a Starbucks watching the world go by, while in the evening they sit at their computers and tap out the next great American novel from all that they have observed with a latte in hand. Then, there's the whole misconception of glitz and glamor once you privilege the world with your prose. Book launch parties, signings and sudden invitations to all the best parties.

Or, your writing life could resemble the real world.

I've been spending more time prioritizing than working in the last couple of days. With Nanowrimo fast approaching, I've put a temporary hold on submitting to new publications. This is simply because I don't want to rush these drafts. I know they are not ready for the publications I want to submit to. Why waste the time when I know I'm getting a rejection letter? Sure, those letters are fun to collect, but you don't want too many cluttering up your inbox.

This is only temporary, I assure you. I want to focus on finally winning a year of Nanowrimo, so my free time will be spent on that instead of a flurry of red ink on drafts I've rewritten ten times. But come December, those bloodied pages will be back on the desk, ready to get all bandaged up. 

Oh, and don't forget: I have a few books for sale on Half.com. Shop my store. I will be adding more in the next few days because I finally cleared out most of the boxes in the garage... which means all that's left is some lonely little books looking for a new home.