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Dear Reader,
One of the things I can't ever seem to accomplish on my "fix-up Suzanne list" is being diligent and true to my writing schedule. Most writers are simply trying to be true to the task of writing every day. That's not a problem for me, I write every day--can't take any of the credit though--it's not from my own determination. I have a daily deadline. If I didn't write something every day there'd be a blank space where my column should be. You can't "fudge" white space.
My goal is to be at least two days ahead of deadline. So Friday's column would be turned in on Wednesday. Sounds nice in theory, and every-now-and-then I do meet my self-imposed deadline. But the truth is, most of the time when I get up in the morning the first thing I feel is fear--I don't have a column for tomorrow's book club. Then I panic and panic some more, walk around my desk a few times, lift some hand weights, take another peek at the clock--yes--it's still ticking away, getting closer to my "absolute" deadline and finally I start writing.
It's never as bad as the build-up. Once I start writing, I feel right at home and wonder what all the fuss was about. So I decided the other day to get rid of the "fuss" and I made a pact with myself to adhere to getting my work done ahead of time. And just when I was about to "seal-the-deal" and implement my new writing rules, a friend of mine, who's a writer, called and saved me.
He must have been reading my mind (even though I never brought the subject up) when out of the blue he said, "Suzanne, you're the kind of person who needs to feel the edge. You need a little terror, fearing for your writing life, it's where you do your best work. If things get too routine, you get bored."
I laughed as I was listening to him. My gosh that's me! How did he know? Why am I trying to fix myself? Perhaps I'll ruin a good thing. The mystery, the challenge, the journey with a little bit of edge--that's the fun part for me. Sit back Suzanne and accept the tumultuous ride.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com
P.S. Congratulations to Barbara Iacovazzi the winner of the writing books giveaway.
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