Priorities

When we moved into our current house at the beginning of December of 2020, there was much to be done. First up, we had to get ready for the delivery of the greater bulk of our belongings. We had each driven a car from Arizona to Wyoming, both cars packed tight with the bare necessities we would need for the four to seven days before our things would arrive.

We did some grocery shopping, bought some cleaning supplies and got right to it. And kept at it for about nine months.

There were many renovations and repairs. All sorts of little things needed touching up. The house had been home to a family of seven and the structure had been fairly severely neglected and very hard used.

But it was welcome work all through the cold and snowy winter.

When spring came along with some warmer temperatures, our focus shifted to the outdoors. The yard had been equally neglected, or perhaps even more so, and so it needed a great deal of attention and time.

So I find myself here, at the beginning of September, having whipped most things into a shape I’ll call adequate if not totally decent. And my thoughts have turned to my writing.

I put my writing on an unofficial hold for a long time. It wasn’t intentional. It just sort of happened. Other things just seemed more important. I even pretty much ignored my blog for weeks at a time. But now that the pace of work on the house and yard have let up, I find myself wondering what more I could do.

My husband suggested I resume my writing. He even suggested which project I should work on. There are three incomplete novels sitting in our computer.

Realistically, a person, me, should probably really only work on one writing project at a time. But I can’t seem to stop myself having ideas and smack in the middle of one thing, I will find myself starting another. It’s not helpful really.

The novel my husband thought I should work on was not the one that I thought I should work on. His reasons for his choice were compelling. So I’ve begun the laborious task of re-familiarizing myself with what I have already written, the characters, the situation, and what I would like to happen in the end.

That novel is titled “Daria’s Tale.” I’ve written about it a little bit in my blog in the past. I’ve even shared a couple of the chapters. They were fairly well received.

I have trouble with priorities sometimes. I know there are things that I should do. I know that some things are more important than others. But when I am writing, that sort of becomes about the only thing I can do. I think about the story day and night. Everything else suffers.

I’m working to change that. I’d like to be able to write and get all the housework and yard work done, but I’m not sure that’s possible. And since my husband has gone back to working outside the home, there is more for me to do.

So, we’ll see how this all turns out. But right now, I am going to prioritize making a new page on my blog to feature “Daria’s Tale” and explain a little about the novel. It will be a place to get updates on progress and other news about it. You can find it under the main heading “My Novels.”

Maybe that will light a fire under me and I’ll get this one done in record time. Or maybe not. After all, priorities can shift and one never knows what might happen.