Morning, Sunday, July 28, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire
Hi, dear readers. It’s a balmy summer day in what, for now anyway, is my corner of eastern New Hampshire. If the forecast for Carroll County is correct, it should be a nice, if perhaps hot day, but certainly not as sweltering as in my native South Florida. It’s going to be sunny, and the high is expected to reach 86°F (30°C).
Weekend Update: My Working Saturday
For those of you who keep up with my blog, you’re aware that I’ve got some bittersweet vibes about heading back to my old stomping ground in Miami at the end of August. Between today and the big M-Day (still gotta pin down that date), I’m aiming to wrap up – or at least nearly wrap up – my novel Reunion: Coda.
I gotta find a way to hit this upcoming deadline, even though it’s kinda hazy. That means changing my schedule to get some writing done on weekends and even at night if I can swing it. So far, working late hasn’t panned out; I’m good at editing or tweaking what I’ve already got down, but cranking out new stuff is tough. Maybe I’m just wiped out, or maybe the stress about moving is messing with my head.
Just yesterday, I tried to buckle down and write on a Saturday for real. In the past, I’d sometimes dive into my novel over the weekend, but usually only if a sudden burst of inspiration hit me or if I had a scene or character stuck in my mind so strong I couldn’t ignore it. And, well, being bored and feeling alone when I was wrapping up my time in Tampa Bay pushed me to fill up my weekends with writing.
I was aiming to kick off a third scene for Chapter 19 or revise what I wrote on Friday afternoon. But, you know, even after a solid lunch and a nice little break, I didn’t get around to the first task, and I only made a few small changes to Scene Two.
I’ll try again to work on the novel this afternoon, so wish me luck.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
Comments
14 responses to “Struggling to Meet Writing Deadlines – Author’s Weekend Update”
Good luck, Alex. None of my business, but why back to Florida? You’ve only been up north about a year or so, correct? Like I say, none of my business. Good luck with the move and the writing, though I think you’ve got a better handle on the writing than you think. Wishing you peace.
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I’ve only been here for seven-plus months. I’ve written about some of my difficulties here in New Hampshire, including the Big Reason why I’m leaving. (I think I mention it in Wednesday’s post.)
I’m not thrilled about moving, but, c’est la vie. As to why Miami again? A classmate from high school has a spare room; he came up to New England to see the eclipse in April, found out I was here, and visited. He doesn’t think rural NH is a good environment for me, and I (reluctantly) agree. So…he said if I ever wanted to move back to the 305, I was welcome to the extra room in his house.
The whole story is on another post, though, so….
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Sorry to ask you to be redundant. I remembered you saying you were moving again, but I either didn’t read all the way through, or I’ve forgotten, so I missed the reason why. At any rate, good luck with the move. It’s always a pain, but once you’re settled, it sounds like you’ll be happy about the change. Peace.
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Here you go: https://alexdiaz-granados.com/2024/07/25/decisions-and-changes-transitioning-to-new-surroundings/
I’m going to take a break to de-stress. I hope to work on the m.s. when I return to my desk in a bit.
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Wishing you luck with writing. Changing your writing schedule can be a bit difficult but I know you’ll figure it out. And glad you’re moving back to Miami, your current situation sounds toxic and exhausting.
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Today wasn’t my day for schedule changing, P.J. I’m not physically tired, but headspace-wise? That’s another tale.
As always, your good wishes are appreciated.
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Yeah, some days are like that. Mental exhaustion really kills your mood to write.
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“Some days you catch the bear. Other days the bear gets you….”
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Yup, that’s life.
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I wrote a scene today. I’m so happy.
I hope you had a good day in Nairobi.
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That’s great, a step in the right direction. Thanks, I’m having an excellent day and hope you are too.
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Trying to finish the novel before you move I think is unnecessary stress. Just make sure you have everything backed up in at least two places before the move and make sure you have control of them. Let say you hold on to your laptop, have a thumb drive for backup in your pocket, and maybe online storage.
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I don’t have a thumb drive (and I can’t afford one). I do have two computers, and I have a draft of the novel in the “cloud.”
Right now, since most of my life seems to be out of my control, I like a sense of purpose. My attitude is: I’ll do my best to reach my goal. If I succeed, fine. If not…at least I tried.
Today…I’m just tired…and maybe a bit unhappy that I must move sooner than I imagined. I was hoping to stick it out a bit longer…but it wasn’t meant to be.
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Yes you are right. I hope it all goes well.
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