This week was not productive in the “getting my book published” journey.  This week my other life took over with a vengeance (you know the work, mom, wife, child, pet owner, friend life).  That’s okay though.  I’m halfway through the six week moratorium on my book and it’s becoming fainter and fainter to me, which is what I want to happen.  I’m also looking toward the timing of week six, and realizing that weekend I’m volunteering at a cross country meet, coaching two soccer games, attending a birthday party, and throwing a movie watching party.  Not the ideal weekend to cram in a marathon read-my-manuscript-in-one-sitting session as recommended by my mentor, Mr. King.  However, there is a weekend just past that, one where Mr. Afthead will be out of town.  If I can get my parents to watch the little Afthead for a night I’d have the perfect quiet time to read my book.  So that’s the plan.  (Mom, if you are reading this, I’ll call you about babysitting.  No pressure.  Just my hopes and dreams on the line here.  Thanks!)

I did get some things accomplished this week. I filled out my approval paperwork for my director to sign.  (I don’t have it back yet, so no big identity reveal yet.)  I shared my book and blogging efforts with some friends.  I finished listening to Stephen King’s On Writing again and started reading my friend’s ex-wife’s book.  (It’s good, but not intimidating good, so it is giving me hope.)  That’s about it.  I didn’t fish out my short story to clean up for submission, I didn’t do anything with all those publishing books and magazines except move them off the table so we could eat dinner.  I haven’t reached out to my friends with publishing connections.  I did learn how to be a foster cat parent, have dinner with a friend, get back-to-school clothes shopping done, attend the mandatory soccer coach meeting, take the summer homework “place I like to read” picture for my daughter, finalize a work proposal, throw a work celebratory picnic, and go to the back-to-school watermelon social.  All priority items for this week, thank you very much.

One funny thing I’ve started noticing is the press, the announcements, the joy around “first time novelists” all around: in book reviews, on jacket covers, on the back of a book.  I have realized that this is my one chance to be a first time novelist, and I want to enjoy the journey.  After this one, I’ll have expectations for myself and baggage about how it went last time: why it worked and why it didn’t.  Right now though, it’s all new.  I get to make mistakes, I get to learn, and I get to chalk all that up to, “Well, it’s my first time writing a novel.”  I haven’t been able to be a newbie at anything since my daughter was born, and for that one there was little joy in the “I don’t know what the heck I’m doing” because there was this tiny life on the line.  This one is fun.  I don’t know what I’m doing, but I am excited for the ride.

Thanks to everyone for coming along on my journey with me.  If in case you are like my friend over at Kwoted by K E Garland and are wondering if you can learn from my process, I give you a resounding, “Please, please do!”  I hope that by sharing this I can make things easy for the next person behind me.  In case you are like my friend over at Around ZuZu’s Barn and are wondering if I have a working title for my manuscript I keep awkwardly referring to I can say, “Yes, yes I do.  The working title is Hallelujah.”  This is a great title, except, like bureaucracy, it’s a word I can never spell correctly.  Maybe I’ll title it Hallejulah and know that I’ll never have to worry about copyright issues.

Have a great weekend and enjoy whatever adventures come your way.