The Light at the End

Crazy Cousin Mary was dead. There was no doubt about it.

Catchy, huh?

That is the opening line of my latest book, The Trouble With Mary. Problem is here lately, the trouble hasn’t been with Mary, it’s been with me, and finding time to write.

I took on some added responsibilities at church when our youth minister resigned and we needed somebody to fill in. Shortly after that, we went through a reorganization at work, and my responsibilities not only changed, they grew! Added to that are the normal, every day things that pull in so many different directions. When is a girl supposed to sit down and crank out a book?

For me, finding time to write meant learning to be ultra organized. No TV for this writer chick. I cut out the hours watching “Gilmore Girls” and focused on creating characters of my own. Guess I’ll have to wait until next season to find out of Luke and Lorelai ever get married.

I also limited my emails. My crit partners can tell you, I’ve been almost invisible for the past several weeks. While this hasn’t been easy, it’s made a world of difference. Now, instead of surfing the web the minute my computer boots up, I make myself write a minimum of five hundred words. When that is accomplished, I reward myself with a few minutes of internet time before heading back to the book.

Will all this extra frugality make a difference? I hope so. I’ve twenty thousand words to go and only two months left to do it. Then again, when I say it like that, it sounds completely doable!