All good things come to an end

I've been on vacation for the past week.  From the day job.  This means bonus time with the writing which I have been fast-tracking.

Elusive Shadows is becoming more focused and tighter.  I'm amazed at the amount of work that still needs to be done with it, but that's what happens when you step away from a story for a period of time.  I still find myself emotionally invested in it, and one of the common pitfalls in writing is becoming "married" to a scene.  There was so much I wanted to show in this story that wasn't needed, for instance, a character tie-in to my first story (The Treasure of St. Paul), which I overdid, and melaleuca trees.  I find their origin and history of melaleuca trees in Florida quite interesting and I had tried to work them into the story.  I'm sure I still could, but I'd forced it the first go-round, so unless I can determine a better use for them, they've fallen on the editing room floor for the time being.  I've also developed a much stronger bond with the characters, who were still introducing themselves during the first writing.  I know them better, I understand them better and their personalities can now come through more clearly.

Back to work tomorrow, but I'm still cruising along with the editing.  With the summertime allowing more "at home" time, I can continue with my forward momentum on the story.  Of course, there are still the outside distractions to contend with.  The weather has been marvelous.  Having the vacation time, I was able to budget mornings for outside activities and/or chores and the afternoons (heat of the day) for inside, butt in chair, hands on keyboard.  Then there was still time for the evening stroll around the neighborhood with DH.  Hours in a day - its how you allot them.

I've done it for 20 years - balancing writing with working a "real" job.  For me, this is the part of the year where the balance tips in favor of writing.  I'm planning my time with a project in hand.  While it would be outstanding if I could take these three months to completely devote to my writing, vacation time, like all good things, must come to an end.  Fortunately for this writer, that doesn't mean an end to the writing.

Anon