12.7.13

So nice to be home. The kittens grew whilst I was gone, Jameson actually growing taller, which tells us we don't have a little cat, like we thought we might. They've both gained some weight, and seem happy and sassy, so clearly Randy did a good job with them this week. They've both been on me all day, draped around my neck and asleep in my lap, so I'm feeling wanted as well. 

Got up this morning, did a bunch of overdo Christmas shopping, settled in at noon to work, then realize my laptop was still on Pacific time. Two hours lost! So I didn't get as much done as I wanted, but I got a start on the revisions I need to make to the first third of the book before I go on to write the rest. 

One of the many things I find fascinating about Catherine is her work set up. Her work computer does not have Internet, and it's in a different part of the house from the computer that does. (She also has the willpower of a General, and laughs at my difficulty keeping work and life separate) I've been trying to decide a good way to handle this, realizing that it's very important not to have the constant siren's call of distraction in my lap at all times. CC has a great, non-connected rhythm to her days, one I effortlessly fall into while I'm there, and quickly fall out of when I'm home. 

This isn't a new problem for me. I'm a laptop addict, though, and can't imagine not having Internet on it - plus I use Dropbox, which constantly updates during the day. Yes, I use Freedom quite a bit, but by shutting my Internet off completely, I don't have the backups.

What if there was another way to create a distraction free environment?

Before Dropbox, I used to email myself the manuscript at the end of each day as a backup.  I had a Sony Vaio several years ago, and I set up a separate user account on it, with parental controls that severely limited the Internet and weren't easily circumvented, and an email account that I could use to mail the manuscript back each day. It worked rather well. But with Dropbox, all I need is a wireless connection, and the work is immediately backed up each time I save.

So I created a new user on my MacAir, took everything out but the wireless, Scrivener and Wunderlist (because I add stuff to my to do list at random throughout the day) And voila, a distraction free environment, sans bookmarks, Safari, and anything else that calls to me through the day.

We'll see how this works. I spent an hour in it this afternoon, and while I was tempted to go back over and check my mail, I didn't.  It's not a perfect solution, but it's elegant and simple enough to try for a while.

I'd love to hear if you have a good hack for distraction-free work time.

Sweet dreams!

12.5.13

We did it! The book is now totally outlined, all the way to the end. Lots of happy dancing around here, especially because neither of us are outliners. But having a real live roadmap might be a welcome change, to be honest. And trust me when I say, two heads are definitely better than one. 

Over the past three days I've added 7000 to the manuscript. Love this forward momentum. Flying home tomorrow and I think I'm going to read and chill, then start again in earnest Saturday. I am now officially on deadline. I want my draft done in mid January so I have lots of time to edit, so I'm going monk for a while. Early to bed, early to rise, as few distractions as possible. 

Sigh. Best do my Christmas shopping on the plane, huh?  

We had a fabulous Christmas lunch with some of the coolest writers in the Bay Area today, too. There is nothing better than hanging around a bunch of authors. I've done it twice this week, and I'm telling you, I am energized and inspired by the amazing ladies I've been blessed to hang with.

Sweet dreams, chickens! 

12.4.13

Bleary eyed after a long day. We have plotted, and revised, and cooked up all sorts of fabulous things. But my brain is broken now, and I can hardly think straight. I have visions of Nicholas Drummond dancing through my head - not that I'm complaining, Nicholas is really rather divine - and boy, how, does he get himself into it this time.

Must find a better way of keeping notes, I have scraps of paper and new pages in Scrivener and notes in the chapter documents and my spreadsheet/chessboard has grown into a behemoth. Tomorrow I may try for a simple notebook. The problem is I type faster than I write. I wish we could videotape a brainstorming session, it is fun as all get out.

Also went to the High Cholesterol Factory for lunch, and a little bit of retail therapy to wake us up. California has the cutest clothes, slightly different than Nashville's selection, so I always come home with a few new goodies. Bought an adorable dress at Anthropologie. I'm in love with that store. 

Hear tell there's a big big winter storm winging its way toward Nashville. Send a prayer to the weather gods that I get home Friday evening before it hits.  

Sweet dreams!

12.3.13

Safe and sound in sunny, albeit chilly, Northern California. We had a headwind on the flight out which added an extra hour to the flight, but that was a good thing. I'm telling you, no Internet = enhanced productivity. Hands down. I'm wondering if I should have Randy take my router to work with him in the morning. Yes, I wouldn't be able to research, but I'd also not be able to futz around.

Had an interesting idea for how to manage the plot of the new book. Spent a large portion of the flight pulling it together, and I was surprised by how well the method worked. Once I've given it some real thought, and if it still makes sense to me, I may be able to use it to teach in January at the Tennessee Mountain Writers' January Jumpstart. Last time I taught there, I ended up writing the opening and a huge chunk of the plot for THE COLD ROOM - oh yes, my pretties, if you're taking a class from me, you are expected to WRITE! 

Catherine made sure I was properly fed and watered (had a lovely Langhe Nebbiolo, a Piedmonte grape which is so luscious!) But I miss the kitties and my man, and we have a long work day tomorrow, so I'm headed to bed.

Sweet dreams to you!

12.2.13

There is nothing better than stumbling across a quote that resonates in your head, a moment of clarity, of truth, which gongs like a bell through your brain. I ran across this on the fabulous Quo Vadis Blog yesterday and had to share. 

“Many of us keep diaries or journals full of our individual thoughts, experiences, and feelings. The art of writing out ones thoughts has a therapeutic side to it (as in narrative therapy): in the process of writing the thoughts or emotions are somewhat ‘distanced’ from the “I” experiencing them. There arises a tiny ‘space’ between the ‘I’ and the experience so that we can explore, study, evaluate the experience and its effects more objectively.”

— Dr. Susan Smalley, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA.  

I've mentioned before that I am not a natural journaler. I try. I buy pretty notebooks, leather covers, special pens. I'll stick to it for a few days, maybe even a few weeks, then I'll skip a day, and boom, I'm off the path. There's something weird about putting all my thoughts, my personal stuff, down on paper. Maybe it makes it too real for me. I don't know.

But what I do like is what Dr. Smalley talks about above. Narrative therapy. Allowing myself a broad scope view of my work, my process, my artistic life.

And it hit me. THIS is why I blog. THIS is why I post these little evening updates. It's a mirror of my creative soul. This has become an important part of my process, these few moments at the end of the day, when I ruminate on my work. It allows me to be present, to gather my thoughts, to assess what's important, and what's working, or not.

Narrative therapy.

"A-ha!" said the writer with the shiny lightbulb above her head...

Sweet dreams!