Over the weekend, my brutally honest side sat down with my excited, wants-to-do-all-the-things side and told her that publishing four books this year ain’t happening.
So much more goes into a book than simply writing it. There’s the second draft, sending the story to beta readers, incorporating beta reader comments, proofreading the story, proofreading the story again, fretting endlessly about all of the above…
In short, it’s a lot. When I’m not looking at my project planning spreadsheets, my brain says, “Ooo, shiny! I can do that!” But the spreadsheet doesn’t lie.
Theoretically, logistically, unrealistically, I can write three more Christmas novels by December 31st. However, I cannot publish all three books by then.
I even went into the weeds and mapped out how many hours I’ll spend writing and proofreading each project, how long it will take to format them, etc. The math says there aren’t enough hours left in the year.
But this isn’t a whine session. (I love what I do.) This is a reality check. Publishing two novels in addition to Home for the Hollandaise is a stretch, but it’s possible. A lot depends on the muse. (She’s been stingy with her words lately.)
Home for the Hollandaise and Christmas Novel 1 are a go unless a grand piano falls on me while I’m walking down the sidewalk. Christmas Novel 2 is a definite maybe. I really want to write it. I think it’s going to be a blast. But we’ll see.
Now, off to churn out some more words!
