You Must Choose Wisely

I faced a challenge this weekend.

I was granted two days to work on whatever I needed. Other than sleep, bathing (a necessity), taking the dog out periodically (also a necessity), and eating, I had the weekend to focus on anything I wanted.

The possibilities were…well not endless. We’re talking about twenty-six total hours, and I’m a guy with no superpowers. So the possibilities were limited, though compared to weekends when we’re flying to other cities, or I’m doing work around the house, it was a luxury of time.

I could’ve used the time to bing-watch the new season of Altered Carbon, enjoyed a Star Wars marathon (which it wouldn’t be my first time), read one of the dozen books that sit waiting for my attention, explore Denver, find a new favorite bourbon (dangerous), or I could work on my writing.

For those who know me, you know what I chose: writing. Even a beautiful, 60-plus-degree day couldn’t lure me away from the keyboard.

I faced a more unique challenge that I have had in the past, however: what, exactly to focus on.

My debut novel, The Price of Safety, is obviously done, set, cast in stone and at the printers. Yet…there is more to contribute. Like a needy child that keeps needing to be fed or changed or whatever, there are always things to do for my novel: twitter things to tweet, pictures to Insta, comments to post, etc. I have a couple of interviews already lined up—Citywide Blackout/Boston Radio and Golden State Media Concepts Book Review—so I need to prepare for those as well.

Or…

I’ve been mapping out the sequel to The Price of Safety for over a year. I started writing the rough draft a week ago of what looks like will be a longer book than the first, as I have a ton of twists, turns, developments, new characters, greater stakes, and action scenes.

Market my debut novel. Or work on the sequel.

It is now about 9:00 Sunday night. My fingers are tired and the dog is exhausted. But I’m happy to report that I’ve written about 14,000 words of the sequel over the past couple of days.

This is a challenge of being a writer. Few of us can solely support ourselves with our writing. Our hopes are that one day, we’ll be able to, but until then, we have to steal time to write whenever we can: on our commutes to work, late at night, and in boring meetings where we jot down thoughts about our characters’ primary motivation instead of notes about our employer’s quarterly earnings. (Or so I hear.)

So for me, when I get a chunk of time to focus on an aspect of my craft, I’ll take writing over marketing anytime. I get into a groove, a rhythm, the words stronger, the prose sharper. I’ll fall back to promoting The Price of Safety tomorrow or the next day. But for now, I’ll enjoy the work I’ve done advancing the story of Dray, Raven, Jex, and our other freedom fighters in their epic quest to save our future.