Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fate loves focus

I’m not sure why, but I’ve been a bit ‘scattered’ this week. Maybe it’s an awareness of all the things I need to accomplish over the next few weeks, or perhaps it’s just the end of a long, hard winter. Whatever the culprit, my concentration is non-existent.

Part of the problem may be that I’m physically tired. With the sudden change in the temperature, I’m not sleeping well. It’s too warm for blankets, and too cold to open a window and let some fresh air in the bedroom. And have I ever mentioned my bed partner feels the need to sleep plastered to my backside?

Tired or not, the break in the weather means it’s time to start walking again. I’ve not been able to get outside on my lunch breaks since Christmas. Every day this week, I’ve made my way to the small city park I like, and made two laps around the place. It’s twenty minutes of fresh air, sunshine, and stress relief. Next month, I’ll up the walk to three laps, and then four the month after. Before too long, I’m going to try on the skinny jeans and see how they fit.

If you’re wondering what that has to do with writing, well, here’s the thing. If I’m going to ever go to writing full-time (only 2,639 days until retirement), I’ve got to have a good exercise regimen firmly established. I refuse to channel Jabba the Hut as I sit at my keyboard. A better me means better writing, or so I firmly believe.

So what’s up with the writing this week? I’m scattered. I’m coming up on the end of a story, and the floodgate of new ideas has opened. Pick one. Pick one. PICK ONE! It’s always difficult to narrow it down to the most complete idea and forge ahead. But this time, my AQP publisher helped me along, albeit unwittingly.

Amber Allure posted a call for submissions that perfectly fit one of the ideas I had in development. I even had that folder open on my desk when I saw the email. Kismet? Fate? Psychic vibes? It doesn’t matter much. I jumped onboard for the series, which means I need to get the current work-in-progress, the shapeshifter story, finished. There’s no time to dally the way I usually do.

I don’t mind the nudge to refocus and get my butt in gear. Sometimes we all need that, but I am glad Fate chose a gentle and positive way to send a message. She doesn’t always take such care with me when she has a message. Nudges are preferable to slaps, so I’ll buckle down and get busy, and hopefully next time will be a nudge, too. I can handle those.

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com

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