Work Habits.

Feel like I've had a little too much right brain activity and not enough left brain activity. (Yes, I know that whole theory has been somewhat discredited, but it makes for a useful analogy.)

Two rewrites in a row. Lots of thinking about what manuscripts should be tackled next, which should be finished, and where I should send them.

I sat down yesterday and winged out 6000 words on a new story.  A NEW story? WTF?

But that's just it, I needed it. I needed to just let the imagination go, and let it go wherever it wanted.

This isn't always the smartest thing to do, but it still felt good.

So now to totally contradict myself, I also think I need to put more thought into books before I start them. I've depended on my subconscious, and that has been great, but I've also noticed that when I already have a good idea of what I want to write, it comes much smoother.

For instance, with Blood of the Succubus, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I sat down and did it with minimal trouble. Added 35K words, none of which were misspent. 

Was watching a documentary on the glass blowing Pilchuck school.  "Think before you do," one of the teachers recommended.

Lord knows, I think it would be helpful.

I'm going to try something.  I'm going to buy a notebook, and I'm going to dedicate it to a single book, and I'm going to spend some time everyday just thinking about what I want to do in that book, but not actually start writing it.

Problem is, I only get so far on this process before the words start flowing, and I've learned never to turn down words that flow.

But I'm hoping to train myself to put it off, like I had to train myself years ago not to get caught up in the story when I go to bed at night or at work.  I say to myself, "Good thought, but come back when I'm ready."  Surprisingly, this usually works. Sometimes I make a note, but don't actually write the scene.

But even this is too much right brain thinking. I just sort of want my story-telling to take over for awhile without regard to results.



Meanwhile, my eyes hurt.

I sometimes get up and I can't focus. When I get in the car, everything is blurry.

So I've decided for the sake of my eyesight to do a few things.

First off, limit my online surfing. I know I've tried to do this before, but this eye-hurting thing is a pretty damn good reason to avoid the screen unless I'm actually accomplishing something.

Secondly, no more solitaire. I enjoy it, but I don't need to spend extra hours looking at a screen. Hell, get a deck of cards.

Thirdly, write some of the story in longhand. I like doing this anyway, and sometimes gives me a different flavor, and it's a built-in revision when I transfer it to the computer. Probably saves a little time staring at the screen.

Fourthly, get up every couple hours and do some far-focusing. Get out on the porch and stare at the mountains.

Fifthly, get out of the house and do other things. Go walking, or sorting books at Bookmark, or something. Gardening.