Post-Partum Depression

I finished the first draft of my sixth DIAGNOSIS MURDER novel yesterday, a few weeks ahead of my March 1 deadline (much to my surprise), which gives me some time to "fine tune" it. But,  basically, it’s done. While I am relieved it’s completed, and that I will be able to turn it in on time, I feel a loss.

My next DIAGNOSIS MURDER book isn’t due until Oct. 1,  which is like a gift… it will be the first DM book I’ll have more than four months to write.  I’m not on a show yet… so there are no scripts to write, either.

For the first time in months, I’m not racing to meet deadlines, trying to squeeze in sleep, family, and physical therapy in with my writing.  I actually have some time to myself. 

I can finally do all the things I’ve been putting off. Read some of those books in my TBR pile, organize my desk, clean my closet, put nice labels on my hundreds of tape-toDVD-Rs transfers, watch some movies, catch up on my favorite TV shows, browse at bookstores.

But it’s been so long since I’ve had a break, I don’t quite know how to deal with the freedom.

And it’s only been a day. 

This Thursday I’m off to speak at the San Francisco Writers Conference for the weekend, and next Wednesday, I am off to El Paso for Left Coast Crime for four days… it will be nice to attend those two events without having to worry about when I can  squeeze in time to write.

I’m not sure I know what that’s like…

But I know I need the rest… considering awhat the last 12 months have been like… writing three books, writing a season of a TV show, enduring two broken arms and two surgeries…so I’m going to relax.  Really, I will.

For a week or two, anyway.

9 thoughts on “Post-Partum Depression”

  1. Hope it happens for you.
    BTW, I notice that you said you finished the first draft. Does this mean you generally don’t rewrite? If not, how do you get such great books written in one draft? After all, all writing is rewriting.

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  2. Having read the first three DM novels, I’m certainly not critizing. I loved them! It was more surprise that he could write that well the first time around.

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