Frazzled

I have been too busy for too many months. I let myself say “yes” to too many things, and I let those things stress me out, and it’s just been out of hand. Finally, the last thing that I said “yes” to—well, I didn’t really; this one just feel in my lap—is almost over. After this Saturday, the only thing I will have going on besides writing is my positions as Guild Minister for my SCA Kingdom embellishers’ guild. And that’s something I took on purposefully and want to be doing, so this is okay.

What does any of this have to do with writing? I’ve been so stressed out and generally frazzled and foggy brained that I can’t seem to write anything. I can’t seem to get any planning done for my novel, either. And guess what? November is less than 48 hours away. I’m feeling disappointed and worried. Not a good combination. But if I make a concerted effort tonight and tomorrow to work on the planning, I think I can still be ready to start on Thursday. I may need to take some time and just write a long journal entry about all the things that have been making me anxious and keeping me from being able to focus. The busy things, the money things, the sick kitty things…They are all things that are either over or soon to be over, so I need to find some way to let them go so I can get my brain back online and get to work on the things I actually want to be doing.

Meanwhile, I found this amazing black and white photo online (can’t remember the man’s name now & I’m feeling too lazy to try to find it again). He needs to be a character in my story. He’s going to be great. I think he might be a villain.

I also got a book about a place called Lily Dale. It’s a town out East somewhere that was started by and is still run by spiritualists. The book is supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look at the town. As soon as I read about the town, I realized I’m going to need to write a story set in a similar sort of place. But that will be a different story than the one I’m going to write in November, so reading about it can (will have to) wait.

Now, I’m going home. Cooking something easy and quick for dinner. Piling myself, my notebooks, and the cat onto the bed and working on novel plans all night long…