I'm in the midst of writing the first draft of RIGHT SIZED , and feel like my writing progress has slowed to a crawl.
Fall is usually a busy time for me. Plenty to do around the house -- boats removal and winterization, cold weather prep for the house, lots of kids sports activities. I also doubled down this fall with a week-long hunting trip to the UP of Michigan, and soon another trip to Ethiopia.
The result is I don't have as much time as usual for writing.
Normally when I'm working on a first draft, the work progresses to a regular, predictable drumbeat. I write every day, which allows me to pick up exactly where I left off. This method is particularly efficient as I have to devote little time reminding myself what is happening to the story line.
During RIGHT SIZED, however, there have frequently been gaps of several days between work sessions. While I think I'm as productive as normal once I eventually get back in the groove, it takes time to figure out exactly where I left off the last time I sat down at the computer. Sometimes a lot of time. In addition, RIGHT SIZED adds to this problem because of it's design. The novel has two distinct plots that run independently for much of the book. The structure I've chosen to reveal the story is to explore those plots in alternating chapters. That results in even more reviewing and more lost time (but also what is hopefully an enjoyable way to read the story.)
I look forward to the time when all the extracurricular activities die down a bit and I can jump back into a daily writing routine.
