Summer Days and Deadlines

People always ask if it's harder for me to write in the summer. I have both boys home with me all day every day for three months. But, the truth is, it's actually easier. I don't put my kiddos in a lot of camps over the summer so I'm not rushing them back and forth to things like I am during the school year. They wake up around ten, eat (they eat a lot throughout the day), and we go to the pool some days so they can swim, but our days during the summer are pretty relaxed.

This summer I decided to go one step further and challenge myself with a deadline for my writing. I haven't been writing much. As you can probably tell if you look at my releases. It's been difficult for me to stay motivated. I've started and stopped a couple projects this year. It happens. But when I saw a house had a call for sci-fi novellas, I figured what the heck. Might as well give it a shot.

Last month I wrote close to nine thousand words while trying to hit the deadline. Obviously nine thousand words do not a novella make. I missed the chance to submit to that house. But that's okay. It's been awhile since I've written nine thousand words on a story in a month. Working at the deadline helped me get back into the flow of writing, which is what I really needed. And I've since found another deadline with another house that I might make.

If I miss that deadline, I can always finish the story and submit it to the same house as a finished work so there is nothing for me to lose.