WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE I swore when my beloved cat died, I would never have another cat again. I also swore that I would soften the blow of her glaring loss in my life by adopting a dog shortly after she passed away. It was a plan I put in place the day I looked into her tired, old face and realized our time together was coming to an end. You see, Bugsey wasn't just a cat. She was my best friend of 20 years. She was the one who licked my tears away when I cried, who stole all my chapsticks and kept them as her "babies", who treated an old soccer sock like it was her prized catch of the day, and who thought the most comfortable place in the world was on top of my keyboard or notebook. The day she died I was away on a cabin retreat with some friends. I remember having this sense of foreboding before I left for my trip, as if I knew something bad was going to happen to her. I gave her a hug, kissed her on her head, and whispered, "I love you, baby g...
I will be the first to admit that I never have time to write. Between the day job, family obligations, and all the marketing involved in selling and promoting the books I currently have out there, it seems I need more hours in the day to get everything done. So, how the heck do I find time to create a story when I have a million balls in the air? Good question. I'll let you know when I figure it out. Just kidding. Sorta. Maybe just a little. Ack. It's hard. It really is. It's especially difficult convincing friends and family that your time on the computer isn't just hours spent social-media surfing and watching YouTube videos of laughing babies. So, while I'm not perfect in keeping to a writing schedule, I've seen major improvements in productivity by following the steps below. Hopefully this post will give you hope rather than stressing you out even more. Breathe, friend, breathe. 1. Invest in a Good Planner Say "hello" to my little fr...