Authors, you know what it’s like when you’re on a roll, writing for months with such zeal that your keyboard catches fire? Then suddenly, WHAM, life gets in your way. Distractions steal your time–other projects, people, work, the neighbour’s kid’s rock band needing a drummer–but never fear! This happens to everyone apparently, and all you have to do is plant your digits on your wee laptop and continue where you left off! Easy as pie. (Mmm…pie.)

I had a nice and steady pace from May to September with writing Life in the ‘Cosm, and then October hit. I started preparing for my first craft show the following November. That’s right, I love playing with paper and running with scissors. Cait Cards is my craft business (caitcards.com). When I wasn’t working for my Web clients or my part-time employer, I was cutting, stamping, gluing, and fretting over the craft show. I had a great time of it in the end, but my writing suffered.

And getting back into it has been challenging. Because it’s November, in Ottawa, in Canada, and it’s cold, I’ve had a cold, and I’ve been pooped! All I’ve done is picked at chapter 18 for a few weeks, just a few sentences at a time, mostly in a cab on my cell. Right now I think I have a skeletal draft of it, so I need to look at it this week, clean it up, and have Celia (my British Google voice) read it to me.

I’m starting to realize that I need to think about how to wind down the story. I’ve really been enjoying the ride and I think I’ll feel a little sad when it’s over. I’ve become attached to my characters. Is that a thing?

Because my book is not really mainstream, I think I’ll self-publish, but that’s for another discussion, and months away. I keep saying to myself, “Stop thinking about publishing. You need to complete the story!”

2015 should be a very exciting year. At least I hope so. I already have ideas for another book, so this might be a very cool chapter in my life. Writing really brings me joy. If something makes you feel that, then you gotta keep doing it, right?

We now continue with our regularly scheduled book-scribing.

/cg

Cait Gordon has been a senior technical writer in high tech and government organizations. She is currently a Web Developer consultant for Dynamic Canvas Inc., and assistant to the Executive Director at H’Art of Ottawa. She also enjoys her crafting business, Cait Cards.