New Year, New Organizer

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I don’t live a one-organizer-fits-all life. Does anyone? Which is good as I receive five or six as Christmas gifts each year and I put most of them to good use.

          Friends and family members give me planners with covers of dogs, outdoor scenes, and creative words—all things I love.

          I have a pocket planner for my purse so I know at all times when any family member has a doctor, dentist, or hair appointment—not to mention vet appointments as well. It fits in any purse so it’s always on hand as I schedule follow up appointments or six-month checkups while at the doctor, dentist, or vet, but there’s not much daily space for everything else going on in life. I use initials for events or people I’m supposed to go to or meet, but often need more detailed entries so there is the social events planner for activities, parties, meetings, and gatherings of all sorts.

          This is a larger planner I keep in the kitchen. As invitations arrive in the mail, by email, or phone, I jot them down on a page with enough space to add details like what dish or wine to bring, I also copy over all the information from the pocket planner to make sure there are no conflicts. Then I record dates for any workmen or deliveries. All other family members’ various activities and parties are recorded here, too.

          While not a planner, the family calendar on the wall in the kitchen is the biggest reminder for everyone what is happening that day, week, or month. That has to be updated from my planner—and any additions made by others have to go into my planners.

          No room for errors or disaster strikes!

          Then I need a work planner. As an editor, deadline dates are etched in stone each week or month. I need to assign articles to contributing writers by a certain day. I need them submitted to me by a certain day. I need to edit them by a certain day, then submit them to the Production Department by a certain date. (I mark all work deadline dates with red stars in the social events planner to avoid conflicts so all information is available in one place.)

          For a monthly publication, this gets tricky. For example, I make assignments for the January issue by November 25. This gives writers three weeks to set up interviews, complete interviews, and write their articles. They turn them in to me on December 15, I have until December 18 to edit them and send to the Production Department.

          The Production Department sends me first proofs about two days later. I have one day to make corrections and return them. Final proofs are sent back a day or two later. Generally, I have half a day to make final corrections—and then I start planning the February issue in December.

          This can get confusing—I’m planning Christmas before Halloween every year!—so I write it all down in a big work planner with plenty of space for detailed notes.

I’m also a contributing writer. Article assignments have many dates: a day to schedule an interview, a day for the interview, and a due date for the article. These go in my work planner as well.

My deadline dates for my freelance work also are recorded in my work planner, but I need space for detailed notes so I have a creative planner as well. This one gives me plenty of space to schedule/track the time I spend each day on my own book, screenplay, and freelance assignments as a writer and editor. There are a myriad of dates I need to remember while editing a client’s book. Writing them in a planner is the only way I can stay on track.

A pocket planner, a social events planner, a work planner, and a creative planner should cover all the bases, but I have one more—an inspirational planner.

I pick this one out for myself since it needs to inspire me even as I write my inspirations in it. I like ones that ask questions—sort of writing prompts in case I’m not inspired—but mostly it’s a place to think about future issues and record ideas for the magazines as well as essays, articles, plots for books, short stories, and screenplays. I like to look back to know when I had an idea and then when I completed it.

My life is full and fully documented. It’s the only way I can make sure everything gets done!

Great News, Bad News, Great News

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

      

                        

               Too long ago I started writing my novel with characters and a plot in mind, but, after writing the two most exciting chapters, I stopped.

              Why? Bored, mostly. Also, not sure how to keep momentum going even with a plot.

              Then, as I wrote last month, Cheryl shared with me that the prolific author Marie Force writes at least 2.000 words a day—every day—in one or both of the two books she has going at all times. (She has five series ongoing plus several single titles.)

              Furthermore, Force is a pantster (writes by the seat of her pants) not a plotter.

              She knows what she is talking about so I decided to do the same.

              Great news: I roughly finished my two partial chapters and wrote eight more writing fearlessly daily—and it was a blast! My characters said and did things I didn’t plan and kept the action/plot moving forward.

              This is the only way I’ll ever write fiction.

              The bad news: I didn’t do it every day. I should’ve as momentum does build and writing daily keeps it going. However, I had my monthly magazine deadlines and a two-week project also due.

              Bills have to be paid so I thought I needed to concentrate on my professional assignments, but this was a HUGE rookie mistake.

              Marie Force is right—2,000 words a day on your book(s) or don’t bother. That’s a direct quote. She wasn’t making a suggestion; she was telling Cheryl to commit to her work—no matter what.

              So I’m sharing with you that you need to commit to 2,000 words a day—2k a day—no matter what.

              I should’ve gotten up earlier or stayed up later or written in any spare time I had to keep the momentum going. Even if my writing was rough or off tangent, the magic and fun would have continued. But I stopped writing 2k a day. Instead I made notes on “new” ideas to make a character have more depth plus opened up a new avenue for the plot.

              It wasn’t enough.

              When my magazine deadline was over and my project was submitted, my novel was cold. I lost my strong connection to my characters. After an unacceptable/unexcused absence, they were giving me a collective cold shoulder.

              I had a tough time starting up again, but then I read Stephanie Bond is Your Personal Fiction-Writing Coach. Having written over 70 novels, Bond shares a lot of great advice and tips although some are better than others. She got me started again—and I’m never stopping unless I decide I don’t want a dream career of writing, hopefully, bestselling novels after all.

              The key to success is hard work—writing 2,000 words a day for your book(s). Every day. No excuses.

             Great news: learn from my mistake and commit from the start. You’ll be surprised and delighted where it leads. Then you can call yourself an author. Is that your dream? Go for it—2k a day!

              

               

What Set Me Off to Rapidly Finishing My Book? Read All About It

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

                                                  

                                                         

              When Cheryl interviewed New York Times bestselling author Marie Force (see today's previous post to read reprinted article), she asked her what it takes to be a fulltime author.

              Force stated that you have to write at least 2,000 words for your book every day—even on weekends and holidays.

              That sounds simple enough. Yet how many of us will do this?

              Force writes two books at a time. She has published well over 50 books so she knows what the key to success is and it’s 2,000 words a day minimum.

              This daily goal works perfectly with my nine pages a day deadline: three handwritten pages for my fill-a-notebook-a-month deadline and six on the computer for my projects.

              To write 2,000 words a day, I write rough copy. I don’t worry about spelling or punctuation. I don’t reread or rewrite much or edit at all.

              Previously, I had written two chapters of my book: chapter 1 with an exciting situation that introduced most of the main characters and chapter 7 which had a big action scene.

              I had a plot for what my characters would do between chapters 1 and 7, but every minute cannot be action-packed excitement so I hadn’t written anymore chapters—bored, I think—until Cheryl asked Marie more questions about her writing process and she shared the answers with me.

              Force is a pantster (writes by the seat of her pants) as opposed to a plotter who plans every chapter. Pansters are happy to sit down and write every day to see what is going to happen. The danger is pantsters might write themselves into corners they can’t get out of plotwise.

              Since I hadn’t written another plotted chapter for my book, I decided to try writing chapter 2 as a pantster—and I had a blast! The characters took off doing and thinking things that surprised me. I could barely keep up with them typing as fast as I could. It was unbelievably fun.

              In the last seven days, I’ve started or added to existing chapters at every session. I’m starting chapter 9 tonight having worked on chapters 1-8. (I’m going to finish the rough draft by my next post.)

              Normally I love to write in the morning, but I find myself writing my 2,000 words in the evenings. I need the pressure of a deadline and, I guess, 2,000 words isn’t enough so I subconsciously added writing closer to the end of the day as I can’t go to sleep until I reach my goal. It’s working so I’m sticking with it.

              For added pressure, I use a timer to track my work. I started at 860 words per hour (WPH). Within five days I crossed over 1,200 WPH. And now I’ve hit 1,400. It would be fantastic to write 2,000 WPH then I can’t claim I don’t have the time.

              This week has been a dream come true. I’m a pantster well on my way to being an author—finally.

             

Deadline: Nine Pages a Day

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

                             

              I gave up filling a notebook a month in June. I thought it would give me more time to work on my other writing projects, but I just proved to myself again that it is not more time I need, but more deadlines.

              Deadlines and pressure are my driving forces to write. If I have a deadline, I don't miss it. Projects just for fun or on spec don’t create enough pressure although I enjoy finding out what I have to say. I need deadlines.

              Since no editor or publication is waiting for my projects, I need to write for more disciplined deadlines. Word counts do not work for me, but page counts do. I write about three pages a day in my notebook to fill one each month—this keeps me unafraid of the blank page and exploring ideas.

              I’ve now given myself a nine-pages-a-day deadline—three to fill a notebook a month and six on other projects. These can be handwritten or on the computer as my muse demands.

              Cheryl and I are discussing working on a project together so I’m adding that to my list. I finished a short story. I’m working on my book (90% completed), my screenplay, essays, and another short story.

              These nine pages are in addition to my monthly articles and essays for the magazines as well as my editing responsibilities.

              I’m a writer/editor. All of my working time and some of my spare time should be spent writing and editing. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. But it’s not enough. This nine-pages-a-day deadline is the only way I’m going to accomplish my project goals.

             

             

Creative Deadline

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I just completed another short writing project, but still have many other unfinished projects I’m working on. Why is completing creative projects so challenging? 

          In my case, it comes down to time and deadlines. I meet all professional writing deadlines, but for my projects without “real” deadlines I don’t always make enough time in my schedule.

          Also, I’m a queen of writing short pieces (under 1,500 words). I can get those done in seemingly no time as long as a deadline is looming. 

          However, I want to know what I have to say in longer formats. The only way to discover the answer is to write past my longest word count—about 10,000 words—and see where I end up.

While rereading Steven Pressfield’s essay “The Artist’s Life” on page 165 of his book The War of Art, I’m now inspired by this creative deadline:

“…Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”

That’s a deadline I’m excited to meet.

My Screenplay Update

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I’ve had a full week preparing for deadline for the magazines, preparing for company, entertaining company, and welcoming a new puppy. I was so busy, I didn’t even think of this week’s post until 11:04 PM Sunday. (With a midnight deadline looming, I don’t have time to waste.)

          I also had a huge week working on my screenplay. I was inspired by the TV show This is Us when Sly Stallone was encouraging one of the characters, coincidently named Kate, to follow her dream to become a singer even though she was in her late 30s. He told her not to listen to other people who said she wouldn’t make it. Nobody believed that he could write the screenplay for Rocky in three days, but he did.

          I had never heard that before. He wrote a great screenplay in three days. I’m guessing he had been thinking about it for some time, but he wrote it in only three days.

          I’m not shooting to write mine in three days, but I want it done by the end of this year. So I worked on it among all the other things I had to accomplish this week.

          Along the way, I came up with an excellent tangent project that should make the screenplay a more enticing project.

          I wrote all this down in my monthly notebook. I know I harp on this, but filling a notebook a month enriches my writing. The empty space allows my thoughts to wander and wonder—and come up with brilliant and creative ideas.

          You meet your muse on the page. I’m not the first to say that, but it’s the truth.

          If you are serious about being a writer, you have to write. If you don’t have assignments or a book or other project that you are working on diligently, then pick up a notebook and fill it in a month. See what you have to say. You will be pleased and surprised as well as following your dream.

Will I Ever Learn?

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

         

          August was a tough month for writing. I had visitors. I went on a trip. I had my usual professional writing deadlines. However, I still managed to fill my notebook for the month.

What I didn’t have time for was counting all the words. Takes a lot of time when you wait until the end of the month instead of counting them each day. Also, it’s tiring when I put off writing three pages a day which means I then have to write eight or ten or more pages a day during the last week of the month.

Procrastination is not a good habit.

I manage to fight it well when I have to meet a paying or public consumption deadline, but filling a notebook a month is neither—just a goal I set for myself.

Some days filling the notebook is effortless. I have an idea. I jot it down and expand upon it.

Other days I don’t have any ideas so I write observations about the weather, upcoming deadlines, even To-Do Lists, but, if I keep writing, eventually something pops.

One day I got an idea. I expanded on it for a couple more days and thought I was done. But three days later as I was just scribbling, I got a huge idea to add to the one from almost a week ago. The subconscious is a beautiful thing!

If I didn’t fill a notebook a month, would I have had the first idea? Maybe. But I am positive that I would not have had the really big idea if I hadn’t pondered for days about the first one.

Filling a notebook a month takes time, but the payoff in the end is huge:

Keeps my writing muscles (brain and body) nimble;

I can face a blank page without fear;

I write faster, too;

All ideas are written down for future reference;

Even bigger/better ideas show up in this welcoming space; and

Meeting deadlines is a fabulous feeling.

Also, I love seeing full notebooks pile up on shelves in my office. They are physical proof I’m a writer since so many of my assignments fly out of my office via the internet.

I will continue meeting this goal every month. Maybe someday I will learn never to procrastinate!

Celebrating 5th Anniversary

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I cannot believe I’ve written a blog for five years. I’m so grateful Cheryl and I started it as it’s the best writing assignment ever.

          As I wrote on the first anniversary:

“If you want to be a writer or you are a writer, start a blog. Do it today. It's not difficult—and it is one of the best gifts you will ever give to yourself! I recommend following the easy step-by-step instructions in Publishing a Blog with Blogger (second edition) by Elizabeth Castro and the encouraging text of Are you There Blog, It's Me Writer by Kristen Lamb.

Start with a weekly post. That's not intimidating. A committed deadline motivates me like nothing else.

I recommend limiting yourself to a maximum word count like 500 per post. Again, that's not intimidating. However, it is fun work to make all the points on a given topic in that tight word count. You will be forced to stretch your vocabulary, but it will make you a better writer. However, as many famous writers have noted, it takes longer to write shorter.

Then share your thoughts on topics you love: books, authors--anything that inspires you. Since every writer has a different process, write about yours.

Writing this blog has meant I read more, too. I want to recommend writing books to encourage other writers. Also, I am always on the lookout for well written books to share with our blog readers. Writers can learn from authors even in genres we don't normally read.

Blogging has added so much to my life. I write more often. I write about topics and books I love. Writing about the things that make me happy, makes me even happier.

And when tragic and sad things occurred this past year, I had my blog to keep me writing in spite of the pain and anger. It is too easy to put writing aside for another day or week or year. I committed to Cheryl and this blog that I would publish a weekly post by midnight each Monday and I only missed that goal once by a few minutes due to technical difficulties (a frozen notebook). I take great pride in meeting my deadlines which is why I am so motivated by this blog.

I have written 53 posts now. I hope to write hundreds, even thousands more. Now that is intimidating as I cannot think of thousands of topics off the top of my head, but once a week I expect something to spark my imagination and inspire a post. That's all it takes to be a blogger. Now you know how to be a blogger, too!” ( from post on 9/2/13)

The pressure of this blog’s deadline pulled words out of me. I’ve now written 210 posts including some of my favorite pieces ever. I’ve loved writing reviews in the categories Reads for Writers and Masterclasses. I’ve loved sharing Personal Writing Class ideas. I’ve loved sharing my writing and, hopefully, inspiring others to write through my posts.

          I hope to write 210 more.

          Thanks for reading this blog!

Motivation by Deadline

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I’m a big believer in motivation by deadline. I have paying deadlines for the magazines I write for—both in print and online. I also have fun deadlines I assign myself—fill a notebook a month which keeps me writing almost daily and projects like Backpack Literature, a textbook by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, which I love because it requires reading, learning, and writing. I can choose to complete a chapter a week or a month.

          Because writing is hard work, writers need to keep their skills sharp by reading, learning, and writing. I love books that combine the three.

          While browsing at a bookstore yesterday, I discovered two more books I’d like to set up as personal writing classes: The Jane Austen Writers’ Club: Inspiration and Advice from the World’s Best-Loved Novelist by Rebecca Smith and The Writer’s Devotional: 365 Inspirational Exercises, Ideas, Tips & Motivation on Writing by Amy Peters.

          I don’t know about Austen being the best-loved novelist in the world, but I do enjoy her work so I’m intrigued by The Jane Austen Writers’ Club. With chapters like “A Fine Pair of Eyes: Point of view,” In Jane Austen’s Pocket: Techniques and devices of the great author as well as “And What is Fifty Miles of Good Road? Making use of journeys (and staying at home) in your work” I believe I will have fun studying her work and incorporating her techniques into some of my work.

          I’m even more intrigued by The Writer’s Devotional. This is not a flimsy list of writing prompts, but a disciplined writing course. Mondays:  Writers on Writing; Tuesdays: Motivation—tips and tricks; Wednesdays:  Writing Class; Thursdays: Editing; Fridays: Biography; Saturdays: Books Writers Should Read; and Sundays: Writing Prompts.

          In the first week, the Writers on Writing section starts with a quote by Anais Nin then Amy Peters discusses The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Persepolis by Marjane Sattapi, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Authors discussed on other Mondays include: Anne Lamott, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Jefferson, Stephen King, George Moore, Anne Rice, John Hersey, W. D. Wetherell, Mickey Spillane, J. K. Rowling, and many more.

          Tuesdays start with a quote by a writer followed by an essay on motivation—sometimes facts and figures about a writers’ work is listed, sometimes you just need to make a decision about your work or goals, sometimes you just need to read some advice.

          Wednesdays are writing classes. Week 1—write a short bio of your best friend. Week 3—write a blog post about a recently released movie. Week 11—write a haiku about your favorite season. Week 36—record your family history of an event you did NOT attend.

          Thursday are about editing. Learn how to edit your dialogue, delete all versions of “to be” from your work, when to use italics, colons, and semicolons among many other editing tips.

          Fridays are short inspiring biographies of writers like George Orwell, Stephenie Meyer, John Grisham, Marvin Neil Simon, James Baldwin, Rick Riordan, Mary Higgins Clark, and 45 others are highlighted on Fridays.

Saturdays give readers more than 52 book recommendations especially for writers.

Sundays are writing prompts which can lead to the completion of a sentence, a paragraph, or an essay if you want to spend the time.

There is also a list of resources and references in the back along with two indexes—one of literary figures and works as well as one of daily activities. The second index is very useful as it lists all the biographies of writers, books to read, editing by topic, motivations, writing on writing topics, writing classes, and writing prompts.

I like the look of The Writer’s Devotional so it will be my next motivational personal writing class. Now I just need to find the time!

My word count for the week of July 23-29 was 5,598.

Tough Writing Week

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I got smug. I’ll admit it. I’ve been writing at least 1,000 words a day in my monthly notebooks since March. Things were going well. No 40 pages to fill in the last week of the month like happened in January and February. I learned my lesson and wrote steadily—until this week.

          Company that had been scheduled to visit months ahead was arriving soon. Their dog can no longer make it up the stairs so we thought we’d change the rarely-used formal dinner room into a guest room as this particular dog isn’t the only company having issues with stairs.

          Mostly my stuff was stored in there so I cleaned it out, but, of course, it took longer than I thought. Once it was emptied out, it had to be scrubbed—walls, floors, cupboards. Then a bed, side tables, bureau, bookcase, and lamps had to be relocated along with some wall art.

          Then the workmen were scheduled. The old dining room needed a new outlet for the old TV in the new bedroom so called an electrician. Then the cable guy came the day after to hook up the cable box. Plumber came after that to fix a running toilet, but found a bigger problem under the sink. Pipes replaced with PVC the next day so it’s all good, but time consuming and distracting.

          Then I had to do the usual guest prep: make the bed, put out guest towels, fresh flowers, food shopping, cleaning the rest of the house while still keeping up with regular laundry and other chores and errands.

          It was also deadline week which left me little time to write. Obviously my notebook writing is the first thing to go when I’m in a time crunch. It doesn’t pay any bills, make company’s visit more comfortable, or keep our lives going.

          It does, however, keep me happy. Calm. I’m doing what I love while also jotting down thoughts, ideas, project steps, planning, venting, or crossing off To Do List items. My notebook is a place to check in with myself. Without it, I get cranky. So I squeezed in some writing by giving up sleep, not a choice I like to make. Too much stress during deadline week is too much for me to face without a pen in my hand, notebook pages to fill, and time to do so.

My word count for the week of June 18-24 was 6,937, but only 5,393 in my notebook.

What's in My Notebooks?

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I advocate filling a notebook a month as a great way to keep yourself writing—especially if you don’t have immediate deadlines. But even if you do have deadlines, filling the notebook keeps ideas flowing and gives you a place to vent if you are stuck.

          For about 15 years, I filled a notebook a month, but as I wrote more pieces for publication, I filled a notebook only every two or three months. I loved having a place to jot down thoughts, feelings, happenings, etc., but I wasn’t disciplined about it again until this January when I resolved to go back to filling a notebook a month.

          I started with an 80-page notebook in January—because 100 pages was too daunting—and wrote 21,598 words. I had no daily set amount of pages or word count. With a week left to finish, I had 38 pages to fill. I did it, but it wasn’t fun. I also wrote very sloppily in larger handwriting than usual.

Obviously I stayed with the 80-page notebook in February. I wrote almost every day, but still had 19 pages to fill the last week. Again, I filled it, but wasn’t as helpful because I just jammed stuff in it. Total word count was 25,574. Not being as rushed, I wrote less sloppily so more room for words.

In March, I again went with the 80-page notebook, but this time I tried to fill 2-3 pages every day. This was much more helpful to all my writing projects as I had space to think about topics, come up with ideas, and whine when writing wasn’t going well. I wrote 26,203 words.

Feeling more comfortable with my new habit, I switched to a 100-page notebook in April and wrote 35,006 words. My goal was 1,000 words a day, but I ended up averaging 1,167. I looked forward to writing in my notebook. It wasn’t a chore or a resolution anymore.

What do I write about in my notebooks?

I rage or regale about my writing projects. Work on titles for current pieces. Consider new projects. I also work on plots. Copy down quotes I love from books I’m reading. Jot down notes whenever I see an author being interviewed on TV as well as any thoughts I want to ponder—and then I ponder.

I write down observations about people, pets, nature, TV, and books as these often lead to posts for this blog or thoughts for my Editor’s Viewpoint column or my Facebook essays for the magazines or sometimes because they are funny. For example, out to dinner with three writing friends, we simultaneously stopped talking to listen to the conversation at the next table. The foursome was getting into a heated discussion about whether an evening can be enchanted or not. I don’t know how the topic came up, but it was fascinating. They got up to leave so we rushed to pay our bill so we could continue to eavesdrop in the parking lot. They were still going at it as they got in their car and left. We stood in the parking lot and laughed at ourselves for being such writers but how could we resist listening to such passion about a description of a night.

Nature gives great copy on walks or even when I look out my office window. There is a 25-foot tall trumpet vine growing up an evergreen tree. Every summer, several Ruby-throated hummingbirds visit to drink their fill of nectar from the dozens and dozens of bright orange blossoms putting on a colorful show. Then there was a black butterfly that played with our puppy for over five minutes fluttering just out of reach back and forth in the side yard. At first I was worried the puppy would hurt the butterfly, but he/she flew up and around over and over again to the pup’s delight only leaving when the adult dogs arrived to see what the commotion was all about.

I’m also very human in my notebooks. I write about my feelings, whether happy, sad, or angry, putting things into perspective.

If you give yourself space and permission, you will find yourself writing pages and pages. None of it goes to waste. Even if nothing appears in other formats (a rare thing), filling these notebooks increases your writing speed, improves your observation skills, and clarifies your thoughts.

This is why I recommend filling a notebook a month and also reading Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Her essays about the writing life and her life are engaging and full of wonder. The author of ten writing books and novels, her writing practice is filling up a notebook a month for about forty years. This book made me a much better writer because writing begets writing.

Start filling your own notebooks now!

Word count for week of April 30-May 6 was 11,034.

Writing Tired

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I’ve just wrapped up another deadline week. Worked a lot of hours and I’m exhausted, but the May issues of the magazines are at the printer.

          Exhausted or not, I still have project deadlines including the one for this blog. No excuses, I have to write my post by midnight.

However, only one of the three lightbulbs in the ceiling light fixture is working. Two were working yesterday. Now the lamp is causing a glare. As I stare at my keyboard I realize I’ve worn down some of the letters on the keys. The N and the M look almost identical now with only the left side up and down strokes visible. The O, C and the G keys are identical—all two thirds of a C. The L and the I keys are also identical as are the E and the F. The T is only a top dash. The H key is a backwards 4. And the A key looks like a funny P.

Weird how I didn’t notice this while in my deadline frenzy, but now that I’m writing for my own pleasure, my tired eyes can’t see anything else as I hit the wrong keys repeatedly.

But, as I mentioned, there are no excuses for not meeting a deadline. I’m hunting and pecking because I don’t want to misspell any words.

As soon as I’m done, I’m ordering a new keyboard. Tomorrow, a taller person than I will replace the burnt out lightbulbs. I bought some IFD, I mean LED ones that last for a decade or more, supposedly. We’ll see.

In the meantime, no excuses. My deadline is met despite the obstacles. Writers write.

My word count for the week of April 16-22 was 10,814.