Tuesday, February 24, 2009

what if my insanity ISN’T temporary?

Her only asset was her momentum—but that she had in abundance, and she let it determine her career.—K.P. Bath, The Secret of Castle Cant

I was restless yesterday. Verrry restless. Is it because the weather is considering warmth again? And our maple tree is about to explode with buds? (I dearly love the little helicopter seeds it will eventually shed…) Is it because I haven’t been on a road trip in who-knows-how-long and need to see New Places again?

Whatever’s happening, it brews a deep-down itch in me that is difficult to reach. Slightly assuaged by getting blonde highlights (hooray!), ordering ten books from the library (I don’t have time to read any of them), and running around in 30 degree weather with short sleeves (reminding me of college day madness).

But I finally got a grip and escorted myself to my writing desk and took a hard look at everything. All my plans for the draftwork, all the scenes I’ve listed, the progress I’ve made since February 1 (24,500 words).

And then I quietly lost my mind, and made a very ridiculous decision.

I’m going to do the remaining three weeks’ of work in a single week.

Yes, really. Tripling the workload for each day (even though my younger sister is spending the week with us, and my grandma’s birthday is Wednesday—there will be pie). It took me three weeks to write fifteen scenes. I’ll write the next seventeen in a single week. No, it doesn’t make sense. Yes, chances of failure (or unrecoverable burnout, or hospitalization, or attacking my computer with a fork) are high.

It must be something in the wind. Or my new golden-y hair. Or the sunshine. Or the promise of lemon pie on Wednesday. But I can’t bear the thought of taking three more weeks for Part One. Condensing it all into one insane coffee-ridden week is just the jolt I need to get my characters through to the end. (Plus, I think my protagonist is quirking an eyebrow at me and smiling, saying, “Absolutely, let’s go for it.”)

So I pulled a seven-and-a-half hour writing day and closed out with 4000 new words. I feel mostly optimistic about finishing by midnight on Saturday…

Mostly optimistic, but also a wee bit terrified. Which is why I’m away from my book, listening to Coldplay and browsing my favorite blogs and writing to you. But there are scenes to write and scenes to write, and I’ve promised myself that I can finally read The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society if I finish on time.

Motivation enough, I hope. (It has a gorgeous cover, and I basically just adore saying the name. When I finally wake up with my title on the tip of my tongue, can it please be as wonderful as that??)—jl

Posted by Jenn Langefeld on 02/24 at 02:24 PM
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