For the Love of Words: April 2020

Three months ago, had you told me I’d still be working on the same book, I would have laughed. Yet, I am still working on Justice and Lies and I’m really only halfway through. Writing comes in bursts and they don’t last long. Multiple times this week, after work, I’ve tried to sit down with a goal of 1,000 words. I’ve done 800, I’ve done 50, I’ve done 500 but that magical 1,000 eludes me.

It’s not that I feel uncomfortable with writing, I love it, but this pandemic can be exhausting and I try to ignore that, but it’s not easy. I’ve tried to remind myself every day this month that I can control certain things, and writing should be one of them. However I can’t control my day job and the customers, I can’t control friends or what is happening in the world and how I naturally react to those things.

Those things aren’t in my control but they do have influence on things I can control and that’s a fine line to balance. A hard one, too.

Both March and April were about working on Justice and Lies and right at the end of the month, I had an idea for a short story that takes place between Double Played and Justice and Lies, so I’m excited to work on that after I finish this draft of Justice and Lies. There’s a four year gap between these two books so this short story will bridge the time, so to speak, between the two.

I’m still pushing myself to get this book done this month but I don’t think I’m going to hit my original goal of May 15th. I’m not that fast of a writer and I am still working 40 hours a week. Maybe if I wasn’t, I could get it done by then, but it’s just not a realistic goal anymore.

The goal for now is to just finish this draft. That’s all I want. That’s all I want.