Two Months Already?

Yesterday I went to our first nano meet since November.  Our group is awesome, as we don't like to wait an entire year to see each other, so we meet up once a month, except for December, when we're all pretty nano-ed out (and with Christmas, it makes it hard to find a time.)

Anyway, it was fantastic.  While we didn't have quite the turn out that we have during November, I got to see more than a few people who I have been missing.  And it hit me while I was there...it's been two months since I've seen everybody last.

Two months.  Really?  I don't know about you guys, but my Christmas is always busy.  December is stuffed full of shopping that no one really wants to do, travelling that leaves you tired only to see the family for maybe two days before you find yourself back to reality and trying to get back into the swing of things.  For me January was nearly as busy, with me trying to keep up on the ridiculous amounts of editing I have to do for my Dangerous Waters book, along with critique group stuff.  And then losing my grandfather last week and having to drop everything I was doing to go down and see the family again.

These last two months have been crammed full.  They were tiring, and in some cases not all that pleasant, and I should be glad to have them done.  And I am glad.  I was glad that I could see the people that I am quickly coming to see as my family.  I was glad to be back in the atmosphere of a group of writers just wanting to get that book done.  While there wasn't the competitive nature that there is during November, just being there and seeing those people helped to remind me that just because nano is over and everything is changing, doesn't have to mean that it's all bad.

Despite how busy I've been, though, when I was sitting in that restaurant yesterday, looking around at the room full of writers that have the ability (and have managed to do so in the past) to scare waitresses and make them worry about us, I couldn't help but think 'wait, it's been two months already'?

Two months since I wrote three novels (and I'm not even done editing the one I started before nano)?  Two months since I've seen everyone.  Two months where I've barely written anything!

It's sad, really, that all I've written since nano ended is a single chapter that I owed a friend for a collaboration I'm doing.  I try to remind myself that I've been editing, but that's not really true, either.  I've been procrastinating.  I've been blogging (Which I love and wont stop doing.  In fact, you can start looking forward to two posts a week instead of one, at least for next month).  I've been critiquing.  But I haven't been doing what I should be doing, at least not with the seriousness that I should have.

So as of right now, I'm going to set this goal for myself:  I am going to finish Dangerous Waters by the end of April. (Beta readers allowing, of course.)  I'm going to have a new book (thus far untitled) written before the end of July (To the first draft.)  And I am going to update my blog twice a week.

To be honest, I don't know if I can do all of it, but I'm certainly going to try.  Because if I don't take myself seriously and force myself to do the work, can I really expect other people to take me seriously?

Wish me luck!