Sometimes creative choices are tough. You want to do your thing, but you’ve also committed yourself to do things for others. You have to weigh your priorities, evaluate deadlines, and basically triage projects to determine what comes first.
Since my “super secret embroidery project” is done (it was a scroll for an SCA award that my husband received), I now have:
- A paid embroidery commission, due by the end of the month, in-progress
- An embroidery project for me, due before the second week in October
- Two SCA garb outfits, due before the second week in October
- Another paid embroidery commission, due before December
- Book 3’s first draft, due…well, I haven’t been given a deadline. I’d like to get it done ASAP, but, well, see above list
I really, really want to work on Book 3. I wanted to do the workshop with my publisher…but I just couldn’t manage it with the other things I have scheduled.
It doesn’t help that my creative mojo is sort of on the fritz when it comes to my writing. I am more than a little stuck after beginning the workshop and finding that I had to rewrite the beginning of the draft. My “hook” just wasn’t hooking. I’ve got a new opening that’s a better hook, but now I don’t know how to transition into what I’ve already had.
Bottom line, I need to step up the speed (while maintaining quality) on the SCA projects and get the ol’ noggin brainstorming on the draft. If I can just finish this September commission and get my October projects done, I think I’ll be able to breathe again for a bit.
Even my Laurel has started to caution me on the number of projects I’m taking on. That’s a sign that I am volunteering/agreeing to too much stuff, and I need to reign myself in before I take on more.
I’ll get Book 3’s draft done…eventually. Probably not by the end of this year at this rate, but I’ll get it done. I just need to buckle down, focus, and get the other things done so my plate is clean.