Hello, Orbiteers! For my first post here, I thought I’d share with you a day in my life as an urban fantasy author. Brace yourself. The reality ain’t pretty.
6:15 Wake up and stumble downstairs to start coffee. Heads will roll if I am out of this life-saving, life-affirming elixir.
6:30 Get Spawn dressed and fed.
7:20 Drive Spawn to school. He’s wearing jeans and t-shirt. I’m in PJs and slippers. Yes, I’m that mom.
7:40 Return home, chug another cup or three of coffee. Boot up ye olde Internet. Check email, Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, IM. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
10:00 Finally shame self into closing down Internet.
10:30 Really shame self into closing down Internet. Sometimes crowbar is necessary.
10:40 Okay, really, SHUT DOWN THE INTERNET.
11:00 The cursor taunts me. Winking, winking, winking. Write a few words. Delete them. Write a few more words. Reach for coffee mug. It’s empty. Get up for a refill.
11:30 Didn’t we already talk about this Internet thing? Seriously.
11:45 Have one page done. Convince self its drivel. Reread, nitpick, move some sentences around.
12:30 Stomach starts growling. Stumble downstairs for chocolate and more coffee. Crap, the pot’s empty. Switch to Diet Coke. My kidneys surrender.
1:00 Actually writing now. Hmm, this is pretty good. Characters are behav– Crap, where did you come from? I didn’t plan on having a weremonkey in this story. But you’re kind of awesome. Make notes to go back and work weremonkey plot into earlier pages.
1:15 Begin Googling weremonkeys. Because, you know, research. Somehow end up on Amazon to check my sales rank. Make the mistake of Googling self. Shamed into getting back to work.
3:00 Hey, somehow I’ve managed to write six-to-ten workable pages. That means it’s time for a reward. Let’s see if anything’s happening on Twitter. Oh, look, all my author friends are procrastinating too. Convince self this is promo and spend an hour making jokes about weremonkeys.
4:00 Realize I’m still in PJs. Rush to take shower and put on real clothes before husband gets home.
5:00 Mr. Jaye gets home. Asks me how my day was. I tell him I’m very excited about weremonkeys. He gives me The Look. Tells me he spent his day in meetings and fighting traffic. I pity him. He asks if I did any laundry since everyone in the house is out of clean underpants. I laugh at him. We go get Spawn.
5:30 After my stressful day, I simply can not cook. We eat at one of the restaurants we cycle through each week.
6:30 Get home, help Spawn do homework. Then it’s his bedtime routine of running through the house naked as I try to wrangle him into the shower. Manage to bathe child and wrestle him into PJs. Read to him. Lights out.
7:30 Head back downstairs, crack open laptop and spend rest of the evening playing Bejeweled and live Twittering whatever TV show I’m watching.
10:30 Get in bed and read a few chapters of whatever novel I’m into.
12:00 Realize I have to be up in six hours. Curse self for not getting more sleep. Dream of weremonkeys.
about the author
Jessica Kennedy
November 6, 2009
at 12:16 pm
This was awesome!
Pretty much how my day goes too. Except I read and comment on blogs instead of writing books. I also post to my blog. Or I read.
I also spend a few minutes looking for a full time job. Nothing in my specialty is available though.
I usually make dinner though, and I don’t hide that I haven’t showered or dressed for the day.
Instead I flaunt the nasty hair and the pjs. Nasty, I know.
The internetz are a curse!
Barbara Elness
November 6, 2009
at 5:49 pm
That was hilarious. Unfortunately, all I can do is be amused from afar, as I go to an office every day and work long hours before I get to come home and check out twitter and the blogs, etc. We’re all lucky that you get those pages written and they turn into great books like Red-Headed Stepchild, which I absolutely adored and recommend to everyone who’ll listen.
Nicole Peeler
November 6, 2009
at 5:55 pm
Are they hawt dreams of weremonkeys? Is it the thumbs that give them the advantage?
Jaye Wells
November 6, 2009
at 8:38 pm
Jessica, it’s a double-edged sword. The Internet is useful in so many ways, but it can quickly become a labyrinth of procrastination if you’re not careful. I do find that once I settle into a book, I tend to spend a lot less time online. It’s just that ramping up phase that’s dangerous. Thanks for stopping by!
Sherri
November 7, 2009
at 8:24 am
Funny.
This is pretty much how I do things, too, except it seems I have a lot more guilt about the time-wasting. Of course, I go through all my activities feeling like I’m wasting time. If I’m writing I should be doing housework, and if I’m doing laundry I should be writing.
BTW, I’m reading Red-Headed Stepchild right now…it’s getting good!
Tom Gallier
November 7, 2009
at 9:27 am
Weremonkeys ARE awesome. You’re very productive. And I thought you just sat around and played all day. And another thing…um…I’ll get back to you, I have to go check Facebook and LiveJournal…its been like three minutes. Duh.
Jaye Wells
November 9, 2009
at 9:00 am
Barbara, so glad you enjoyed the book.
Nicole, forget the thumbs. It’s all about the prehensile tail.
Sherri, oh there’s guilt. I just cover it up with snark and weremonkey jokes. Glad you’re enjoying the book!
Tom, the beauty of writing speculative fiction is I get to consider daydreaming about faery porn and hairless demon cats as work.