Oh, dear, my careful schedule is shot to pieces. It’s fatal to lose momentum when writing, and
after visitors on Friday, the course on Saturday, going to a wedding party,
having guests, going out for a drink last night (hair of the dog) and coffee
this morning, getting nails done … well, you can see how easy it is to slip
behind.
You might think that getting my nails done is hardly a
priority under the circumstances, but tomorrow I am off to London for the day
to have lunch with my editor, my agent and my publicist. (Hang on, I need to say that again in case
you didn’t get how cool it was: lunch with my editor, my agent and my publicist (OMG, I have a
publicist!!!!))
Now do you see the vital
importance of the nails? A fresh layer
of gel and a coat of Bordeaux does wonders for the confidence, and I had no
hesitation in moving a manicure up the priority list.
Of course, I am deeply excited by the prospect of such a
glamorous day, but it's tempered by an undercurrent of anxiety. Mainly in case my editor wants to read what
I’ve done so far on my WIP.
I’m only on 27,198 words (which means I still have 3802 to do today to
get back on target … like that’s going
to happen) and they are so not ready
to be shown to anyone. This is a Shitty
Second Draft, and the thought of anyone looking at it in its current state
makes my toes curl in distress. (If I
ever fall under a bus, my executors have strict instructions to shred any SFDs or
SSDs without even glancing at them)
And what if they want to know my PR strategy? No, wait, that’s the publicist’s job, isn’t
it? I have a little fantasy that she’ll
say: "Darling, forget about setting up another blog. Don’t worry about Facebook or Twitter or any of
that. You don’t need to think about
promotion. The book will miraculously
sell itself. You just concentrate on
your writing."
As you see, I have a rich inner fantasy life. I suppose it's handy when you're a writer, but coming up against reality is always a blow.
Never mind, I am determined to enjoy tomorrow – after which I
will have to come home and wrestle my schedule back on track.
Have a great day tomorrow. It sounds so glamorous. And now you've got nails to match the occasion :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, I didn't miss the publicist on the first pass. Have a terrific day tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThanks, gals! Up extra early this morning, so just need to put my face on (a long and tortuous business) and then I'm ready to go ...
ReplyDeleteTotally get the nail thing. The minute I've moved and stopped breaking the wretching things on boxes, books and stuff that I'll probably never look at again, but can't bear to throw away, I'm going to get mine done, too.
ReplyDeleteI might, even, one day, write another book!
Have a fabulous day.
I have *never* had my nails done. Maybe time to make a change — when I've finished wrestling with the current wip.
ReplyDeleteHave fun with your editor and publicist. Am so looking forward to reading this new book.
Never??? Anne, that's so sad. A manicure - or pedicure - is one of the great pleasures in life. If I make it out to Australia next year, I'm going to take you for one!
ReplyDelete