Whenever I finish one project usually it’s time to start on another one. However, it’s not always easy to dive right in and start creating another world, new characters and whole new set of circumstances. The problem isn’t that you don’t have oodles and oodles of ideas–far from it. In fact, ideas for new stories happen daily-sometimes two, three–a hundred of them pop into your head. Heck, the really good ones usually come when you’re in the middle of a project. The problem? Well, getting started. When you’re on page one of what will likely be a three hundred plus-page project-the task suddenly feels daunting. Like trying to lose that first pound of many. Your mind wanders and the next thing you know, suddenly there’s a million things you need to do before you can get started. Like: scrubbing the bathroom tile or you absolutely have to watch the Law & Order marathon on A&E. Next thing you know you’re talking yourself into taking the day off. Heck, you deserve it. Problem is: you’re going to talk yourself into taking tomorrow off, too because now there’s a CSI marathon.
And don’t get me started on the Internet surfing thing. Gotta check the emails. Gotta check the latest on the celebrity blogs, check to see how the books are doing at amazon-oops while I’m here I need to buy a few things. Then I’m off to ebay. Wow. I’m hungry, I better ride through someone’s drive thru-’cause Lord knows I don’t want to cook. By the time I finish doing absolutely nothing productive it’s six p.m and I’m wondering if I should pop in the latest from Netflix. Another day gone.

Wow. I really need to get started on that next book.

But right after I call every family member I can think of and see how their day went.

This, unfortunately, continues to about four weeks out from my deadline. Then the race is off. Will I complete the book on time or finally get that ulcer I’ve been working on for ten years?

I’ll let you know