Today is my deadline for the new relic hunter story. I've spent the past few days writing 15 hours a day, sleeping in my clothes so I could jump up and start writing first thing in the morning, or not even bothering to dress and wearing pj's all day. I thought I was finished earlier, but my CP found all kinds of problems that needed to be fixed. I've been stressed, the house is a mess, laundry piled up, but Sunday, I put it all aside and spent Mother's Day with my family; Austin and the kids, my mom and dad, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. It was such a joy to just not worry about the manuscript. We ate and talked and played bean bag toss, which was so much fun. I don't know when we've laughed so much. It reminded me how important my family is.
The dogs had a blast too. All together, they numbered almost as many as us. We have our two boxers, Lily and Luna, Lucy the Yorkie, Jake the German shepherd, and Grizzly the golden lab. They chased balls and wrestled, having a great time.
But there was a more somber reminder to cherish your family while you still can. My mom is the most amazing woman on earth. I don't say that lightly. When she gets to Heaven she could sit at a table with Mother Teresa. Mom is the most caring, considerate, unselfish person I know. She's always thinking about other people. ALWAYS puts them first. She doesn't suffer from jealousy or envy or any of the other shortcomings that humans struggle with. But mom is getting older. Well, we all are, but after so many years of her being a powerhouse--there was nothing she couldn't tackle--her age is starting to show. She can't hear as well as she did. We sometimes have to repeat things. She doesn't have the balance she used to but she won't slow down. She fell several weeks ago and now her leg and hip are bothering her. We think she damaged her sciatic nerve when she fell. Then, she fell again Sunday morning, on Mother's Day of all days. The phone rang and woke her up. She rolled over, didn't realize how close she was to the edge of the bed and she rolled out. That would be really funny in a book, and we did laugh about it, telling her we should have gotten her rail guards for the bed instead of flowers. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt, other than scratching her arm.
But this is life. Aging is a cycle none of us can escape. There isn't enough wrinkle creams, plastic surgery, and artificial hearts to do that. So we do have to appreciate what is really important before it slips through our hands and live life to the the fullest.
On a final note, Liz mentioned bucket lists yesterday. I don't really have one, but I should. One thing that will be on there somewhere is "Don't turn in a manuscript on the last day." And another will be "Don't turn it in to your CP until you've done more editing yourself. EVEN if it means turning it in late!" We're all ready to kill each other. She's frustrated with my characters, and probably me. I'm frustrated with her....Hopefully the editor will be happy! So now I'm off to turn in this darned manuscript.
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8 comments:
So true, Anita. We are living through a few challenges in our family and I hear you. Love them all, all the time. And, I can't believe your ms has many issues at all. You're too good for that to happen!
Good luck to you, Anita. And hey, don't be so hard on yourself...you met your deadline! But I can relate. I always say I will never do that to myself again, yet I always do.
I hope everything turns out well for your mom.
Good luck with the book. It'll be perfect.
Cassy, this story was so rushed, I really had a lot of things I needed to fix. I didn't get to do edits myself before sending it to my critique partner. But what a great feeling it was to get away from the book and focus on family.
Kari, it's always so frustrating at the last minute. I'm actually still working on it. My editor suggested that I turn it in today or tomorrow, early or late,she didn't care. Since it's her suggestion, I think I will wait until tomorrow.
Lindsay, thanks. My mom needs to slow down. She's always had so much energy so it's difficult for her. I hope the book isn't too full of holes....
When I find myself in a jam, I have no qualms about asking for an extension of my deadline. I know this may lead to problems later on, but we all know how life can get in the way. The last deadline I had,I did exactly what you did and wrote way more a day than I normally did, stressing like you wouldn't believe.
This after a month's extension, too. And guess what? When I turned the manuscript in, my editor said she wouldn't be able to get to it for a few months because she was so snowed under.
I learned a really good lesson right there. I will never send anything until I am comfortable sending it.
That said, I know you edit relentlessly all through it like I do, so I'm guessing you are probably going to be okay.
Liz, I do edit as I go, but I didn't get a chance to do that deep editing before I sent it off to my CP. Didn't even get to read it through from start to finish, so there were some character and plot problems. Things needed to be pulled together. I'm working tonight and through tomorrow and I'll submit it to her tomorrow evening. She said there's no rush. We have some wiggle room. But I just don't want to be late. Since she suggested one day later, I won't consider that late. :)
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