In five days, it will be one month since my last post. That’s not an anniversary I intend to celebrate. When I created this new blog, my intention was to post something at least once a week. I know. I know. The road to hell is paved with good intentions … blah, blah, blah.
Being a creative person, there are many things I can blame for my lack of recent blogging. Some are even legitimate.
Certainly, there is much to be said for the artistry of procrastination. Somewhere in a past life, I must have made quite a study of this subtle art. In a recent prompt for The Magnified Muse, I chose a quote from Mary Todd Lincoln: “My evil genius Procrastination has whispered me to tarry 'til a more convenient season.” Not only is that a great quote, it is, apparently for me, words to live by. Case in point: My next word prompt for Thursday’s A Muse Fuse begins with the letter “x.” You would think a word that difficult to choose would cause me to thumb through the dictionary at breakneck speed. Yes, I suppose one would think so. But, hey, it’s only Tuesday.
And, of course, there are “The Projects.” When I was out in the working world (the paying one), I used to complain that there was never enough time to get everything done that was expected of me. In my non-paying, working world, things should be different. I am my own taskmaster. And yet, I keep my list of things to do well fertilized. It grows higher and higher in the sky and, still, I keep on planting.
After publishing Tarnished Idols, I knew how important it was to get my next novel out there. I had the nerve to announce that the second Silver Screen Mystery, Reel Madness, was well underway. While I have certainly been working on it, “well underway” is in the eye of the beholder. For at the same time I started Reel Madness, I began working on an entirely different kind of series, a Speakeasy Mystery called, Distilled Demons. While the Silver Screen stories offer a more light-hearted approach to murder, the Speakeasy Mystery is a look inside the darker days of prohibition and the people who fought the system. There are some days I feel more dark than on the others, which is how I usually pick which one to work on. And on days I can’t decide how I feel, both fall by the wayside.
Somewhere in the midst of these two literary ideas, I started toying around with a children’s book. The Basset Goes To Boston tells the story of how a basset hound and his best friend, a cat, travel back in time to the night of Paul Revere’s ride. Putting this together, both the story in rhyme and the accompanying clipart, has been a great deal of fun. It will be published soon as an eBook at Smashwords and then as a full-color print book through Createspace at Amazon. But enjoyable or not, it has taken me away from more pressing concerns.
The October issue of The Poetry Hut, springs to mind as one such project. October is speeding toward me like a runaway freight train and all I have to stop it is a pencil. A pencil I can’t afford to lose, I might add. Because I also run two, poetry prompt sites each week and I need every piece of leaden hardware I can get.
And I haven't even mentioned the two book reviews I need to write for Gumshoe Reviews (which have yet to be written) my next poetry collection, And Autumn Remembers (which has yet to be compiled) or the song lyrics which need to be added to The Musical Sooze.
Now, a reasonably sane person would think the above "things-to-do" are enough. Not me, boy! Bring it on, says I!
A friend of mine hosts a series of programs on internet radio called “Just For Old Time’s Sake.” On it, he offers retrospectives of different musical genres as well as shows featuring the musical libraries of various artists from the 40s, 50s and 60s. In May, he and I co-scripted and co-hosted a program on the 1960s British Invasion. This, too, proved to be a lot of fun. The problem is I just don’t know when to bow out gracefully.
While compiling shows for the upcoming season, he proposed a list of program ideas. I was intrigued by one of them, and proceeded to research and script a program called “One Hit Wonders.” Then came a request by the Program Director to record voice overs, time stamps, promos and everything else you wanted to know about radio but were afraid to ask. And, before I realized what was happening, I agreed to help co-script a holiday music show, as well as research, script and host a special program on Nat King Cole. Finding time for these things hasn’t been a problem. What has been problematic is finding a way to incorporate these projects into the ones already at hand.
And here is the point of this rather lengthy look at The Life of Susan. (You knew there would be one. I was hoping so.)
In every area of our lives, we are quick to put more on our plates than there is room for. (This applies to Thanksgiving and holiday dinners, as well. But that’s a different problem entirely.) It is, perhaps, the need to accomplish much in the short lives we are given. We try to appease our bosses, our families, our friends and ourselves. But attaining one goal cannot be successfully accomplished if, in the process, we diminish the quality of others. We live in a hectic world. Pressure comes at us from all sides. Keep your head above water and focus on the things that truly matter. Everything else will fall into place.
For those of us who write, the same rule applies. Don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. There’s nothing wrong with adding to your literary resume. But it’s how you approach those added projects that will make or break your work. When they become less satisfying and more of a hardship, it’s time to regroup. You can fill your plate to overflowing, but the meal won’t taste as good if everything is mushed together. (Clearly, there are food issues here.) There’s always room for one more assignment. Approach it with the knowledge that, while everything you write will not be Pulitzer worthy, it will showcase the talented writer within you. Let your natural creativity lead the way. Retain your sense of humor and have fun with what you do. That’s why we do it in the first place: because we enjoy it.
So, will I post here with more regularity? I certainly expect to. But for better or worse, at least I’ll continue paving that road. Check back often to see how I’m doing!
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