The effectiveness of routine

My routine has been upended this year. Lots of interruptions between travel and other commitments. As with anything, being good at something requires practice. LOTS of practice. Want to play the piano well? Practice. Want to play a sport well? Practice. Want to write well? You got it. Practice.

Writing is hard enough without juggling several different things at one time. Producing the backlist in audiobook for EPITAPH was one of my goals for this year, and my narrator is doing a bang-up job. In addition, keeping up with the audio for the Elspeth Barclay series. Audiobooks require a "listening proof" to make sure the narrator hasn't missed something or missed my intentions in their interpretation. This is time away from writing.

I'm trying to write the next Elspeth Barclay novel (tentatively titled DARK SHADOWS), and I won't lie. I'm not very good at "multi-booking." I write a chapter. Listen to a chapter. The good news is I'm getting caught up in those Epitaph books all over again (which means I did something right while I was writing those!). The bad news is it distracts my train of thought on the current work in progress. I'm out of routine. 

Recently, my niece (shout out to Ashley!) went on a solo writing retreat. She's juggling the day job, multiple pet family, and friends and family on a regular basis, so I suspect she doesn't always get the writing time she craves. The good news is she wrote thousands of words while she was gone (congratulations, Ashley!). When routine lets you down, drastic measures must be taken. 

The good news for me - the penultimate audiobook for Epitaph is completed. I celebrated by writing thousands of words in the new book, and I told my narrator I need a couple of weeks to get back into routine before she does the final installment. Happily, I've been able to slip back into that routine, despite it being disrupted with distractions.