You Just Roll With It, Baby
Found out yesterday that the book that was going to be due on August 1, 2007, is now due on August 1, 2006 in order to get an April slot in 2007.
This means I have 56 days including today to write the book. But that’s not all. I’d scheduled the next fifty-six days to finish the edit and rewrite of HAWKSPAR, and that still has to be done in the same time frame. What was going to be a leisurely final walk through the project has now become a pressure cooker.
And I still have to finish the Language Clinic within the next few days, get it through edits, and get it on the site.
I’ve been up since four, and have already done most of a line-for-scene for SHADOW MUSIC (still the working title, not final), a couple hundred words of the book, and my schedule.
Schedule
Mornings:
SHADOW MUSIC
56 Days to turn-in
Subtract 7 Days Revision = 45 writing days
80,000 words - 4000 words already done = 76,000 words
MINIMUM: 1700 wpd 7 days per week
GOAL: 2000 wpd to earn some breathing room and a day or two off
After SM Goal Reached:
CREATE A LANGUAGE CLINIC
2 sections remaining: Syntax and Written Language
Estimate 2000 words per section/ 4000 words total
GOAL, one section every two days, or 1000 words/day
Afternoon:
Full run-through of HAWKSPAR revised manuscripts
940 pages
56 Days to turn-in
Divide into:
28 Days for write-in / 34 pages per day
28 Days for type-in / 34 pages per day
Glad I got the blood pressure fixed BEFORE this hit. It’s up a bit this morning. however, so I’m guessing I’ll be throwing some rowing or other aerobic exercise into this mix to get me through the next two months.
The easy thing to do would have been to say, “No, I can’t hit that deadline.” The professional thing to do, though, is to roll with it. This is the job. Sometimes it’s hard.
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15 Responses to “You Just Roll With It, Baby”
said on June 6th, 2006 at 5:02 am
You can do it Holly!
said on June 6th, 2006 at 5:12 am
Yikes, double yikes and triple yikes! You poor thing, just when things were starting to even out for you as well.
I’m really impressed that you’re still even dedicating a little bit of time to the CLC. I think I’d let that one slide for the next 2 months if this were my schedule.
I was wondering though if this is someone’s f*** up, by getting the date wrong or recording it incorrectly or just that the publishers have simply changed their mind on the deadline? If so, is this something that a professional writer can expect once in a while and expect to have to put up with?
said on June 6th, 2006 at 5:20 am
A slot opened up. It wasn’t there when we did the contract, but now it is.
A slot sooner is better than a slot later, so you do what you gotta do. This isn’t a screw-up, or someone changing his mind; this is just the gig. If you want to write for a living, brace yourself. I don’t know a writer who’s been doing this for more than a few years who hasn’t had something like this hit.
said on June 6th, 2006 at 5:59 am
I am glad for you Holly :) You deserve it. A lot. And it will give me something to read before hawkspar is released
said on June 6th, 2006 at 6:54 am
They are lucky to have someone like you on their books who can turn in a fully completed novel with a year cut out of her schedule and on 56 days notice.
It makes me wonder what happened to create the slot.
Good luck with the writing.
PS I like this new look for the site.
said on June 6th, 2006 at 7:15 am
Between feast and famine, I know what I’d take. I’m glad you’ve got plenty of work, though!
said on June 6th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Hmmm, seems we’re back to the old design, no worries I like that too.
said on June 6th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Wow, that’s a quite a schedule you have there. Good luck. I’m sure you can do it! You know we’re here rooting for ya.
said on June 6th, 2006 at 9:56 am
Good luck Holly! That is an amazing schedual. I hope one day i have the capabilities of writing like that! At this stage in time i know i would crack. I have a lot of respect for you. Congradulations on the early release!
said on June 6th, 2006 at 10:34 am
All right, seriously? How do these things happen to you? It’s great that you’ve been consistently releasing more than two or three books a year, but… every time it seems like you get a break, poof!
Break a leg, Holly. I know you can do it, just wish you didn’t have to.
said on June 6th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
Now, that’s weird. Why didn’t my comment get posted? Is the some moderation/approval thingie going on and we need some patience?
What I wanted to say: Here’s to no migraines, colds, sick kids and other nasty things that may interfere with the schedule.
said on June 6th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
Rick–these things happen because I have the following three-step rule toward opportunity. That rule is, “First, say Yes, I can do that. Second, figure out how to make yes happen. Third, do it, whatever it takes.”
said on June 6th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Wow! I could fill pages with my actual reaction, but Wow will sum it all up nicely.
(raises her glass of OJ) Here’s to doing whatever it takes to make Yes happen! We’re behind you all the way!
said on June 7th, 2006 at 6:47 am
Gabriele, you fell afoul of Akismet (the WordPress spam filter) somehow. I check through it before I delete anything, and pulled your posts out when I discovered them. I’m going to delete the first two because they say the same thing as the third, without the extra stuff–but that’s what happened.
And thanks. Yeah, here’s to staying healthy.
said on June 7th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Me, an evil spammer? Ouch.
*grin* My email spam filter catches some real mail, too. Better that way than getting all the lottery wins, bank account verifications and fake rolexes in the main folder. And the guy from Nigeria who wants to send me some money. ;)
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