A Day in the Life Tuesday

When I sat down at the computer this morning, there was one item on my list to do today:
Start writing proposal for next paranormal. It's due 10/1, so it's time to get cracking.

In reality, this is how my day unfolded:
1) Celebrate that my synopsis for book #2 of my Warner contract was accepted and I had an awesome discussion with my editor yesterday. My book is going to be called Must Love Dragons and I'm totally pumped to write it. Since the proposal is due a week from Friday, I better be pumped, huh?
2) Sit to start writing MLD. Realize I don't remember all the details I set up in book #1 (now titled Date Me, Baby, One More Time), so conclude I must reread the entire manuscript and take notes. Sigh. Clock is ticking on the 10/1 deadline.
3) Return critical emails for an hour. Try not to feel guilty about the huge pile of non-critical but still-important emails that aren't going to get handled right now.
4) Start to read book #1, but realize I haven't posted on my blog.
5) Try to post on my blog, but cable is down right now, so I give up.
6) Read book #1 until two in the afternoon, taking notes. Happily conclude that Date Me Baby is the best book I've ever written (truly, this is monumental because I usually have nothing complimentary to say about my books when I read them a few months later). Feel pressure to make this one even better. Consider panicking but decide I haven't scheduled time for it, so I must resist.
7) Have pep talk with myself.
8) Get pumped to start writing. Ready to start writing.
9) Get a call from the publicist at the house publishing my two September books. She has a list of things she wants me to do for her for my September books. She wants them by next Friday, but sooner is better. Same day MLD proposal needs to be turned in (of which there are zero pages written). Gulp. Suddenly ten days is seeming much shorter than it did yesterday. Add them to my to do list and realize I need to buy a second white board to fit it all on there. How come none of them are crossed off?
10) Inhale lunch and two nutter butter cookies.
11) Sit down at computer, then remember I forgot about the cats I'm cat sitting.
12) Run out to check on two cats I'm cat sitting for (my friend is off in Louisiana helping her family deal with the repercussions of Katrina. How can I say no?). As it is, it takes me an hour, but if I'd waited anymore I would have hit rush traffic, and who has time for rush traffic? Not me!
13) On the way home, stop at field to exercise my dogs. If I don't, they won't let me get any work done and I really need to get some work done.
14) Get home. Time to work.
15) Get email from my web designer about how to fix weird formatting problem on blog. Investigate and fix problem. She saved my life. I love her.
16) Stress is rising that I haven't starting writing my proposal. Headache is creeping up and I know I have trouble being creative when it feels like my head is going to explode. Must start writing.
17) Realize I haven't posted on my blog. Darn it! I posted so late yesterday, I don't want to be that bad again. Off to do that.
18) NOW it's time to start writing. Um... what did I need to write? Oh, yeah. My proposal due in ten days. Then the stuff due to the publicist. Then my website updates... Uh oh, my brain is starting to seize up. Bang my head on the desk a few times to clear it.
19) Time to start writing. I open a blank document, stare at it for a minute, then realize I need to reread the 25 page synopsis so I can recall what the story is.
20) Read the synopsis.
21) Finally, it's really time to write. Oops, realize I forgot to send a promised email to my local bookseller.
22) Send email.
23) NOW, it's time to start writing, ten hours later.
24) Ack! Forgot to send my agent the questions for the Q&A tomorrow. Must go do that. Where did I put the list of questions??? Find list, in an effort to stave off the need for a dinner break, I grab a yogurt as I pass by the fridge (I was going to go for more Nutterbutters, but I figure that won't help my headache), and rush upstairs to write the questions. Send email.
25) Realize that I have only a half hour until the dogs will be demanding dinner, at which point I then need to track down my cat and give her a pill (an event which results in loss of blood (mine) and thirty or so minutes of total frustration). Consider doing it now so I can settle down for an uninterrupted stretch once it's done. Decide I simply MUST get started, even if it's only for twenty nine minutes (trust me, my dogs won't let me be late for dinner--ever tried to type with a 90lb dog lying across the keyboard?).
26) Get email from All About Romance with their review of my September YA. As if I'm going to be able to resist reading that! Read it, celebrate, realize I need to send a snippet to my website designer... No! Not now! I must start writing!
27) My dog starts shoving his nose under my arm, trying to render me incapable of typing so I go and feed him. He knows he doesn't eat until five. Sneaky little deviant. I have twenty three minutes and I'm taking them!
28). 4:38pm: Finally, start writing. What happened to the simple plan I had at the start of the day???

posted by Stephanie Rowe @ 3:52 PM