Check-in Week Two

1. I did my morning pages five and a half mornings. I got only a page and a half written one morning. I noticed that I was recording my troubles and that after I wrote them I felt like I had been consoled or thought of a way to handle them better so that I was less worried. Also I noticed that when my friend called me for our almost daily chat that I didn't feel the need to vent to her and was better able to listen to her troubles. Instead of being filled with compassion for myself, I felt taken care of, so I could offer her a more honest friendship.

I also found that I was extremely excited the first week, and frankly - depressed and down the second. I had all this energy for cleaning and working on all sorts of different projects - especially making dinner. This last week, I was like a lump. It was terrible.

2. Going on an artist date is hard work. The best I could do was that while my husband waited in line at the registry place, I took my kids in the double stroller and went for a walk in the surrounding area. I found myself taking particular interest in the vehicles that were parked there since the shops sucked. I can't believe how many racer stripes I saw painted on Mustangs. I also saw a man playing a violin on a bus stop bench. The thing was, that usually when I'm stuck doing mundane things, I don't often open my eyes to whatever is going on around me. I was just going to stay home with the kids, but then I thought - why not go for that walk?

3. This week I finished chopping up my novel and got it off to my friend for a continuity check. This week I plan to go over two of the chapters that I felt I may have lost continuity and see how they measure. The thing that was the most significant was that I did the last three chapters in one day. That's taking on a heavier work load that I usually do per day. I binged on work then sluffed off with depression for the rest of the week. I need to be more steady. Oh, and my enthusiasm for other projects teetered. I also didn't feel like sending my book in - even though I have a publishing company waiting for it.