I’m back home after my mini-tour. I blogged about that last week, and all-in-all, I think it was time well spent.
Except for the writing part.
Usually I can write when I travel, but that’s when I fly to a conference and am at the same hotel for five days straight. I set aside writing time on a schedule so I know I’ll always put in my hours — the time changes depending on what I need to do at the conference, but I usually work either four hours in the morning or four hours in the afternoon. This helps me stay on track, even though it’s a shorter writing block than I typically write.
But when you’re jumping from place to place and spending time in airports and in transit, writing is next to impossible. I HAVE written in airports, but I need at least 90 minutes to be marginally productive.
So I had to cancel a lunch I’d planned for tomorrow with friends because my book isn’t done and I’m determined to finish it in the next 2 days. Even if it ends up being total crap, it needs to be done.
I can fix anything once it’s written.
And then I can catch up on my television shows. So no spoilers! The only show I’m caught up on is THE BLACKLIST because I was able to download it to my iPad before I left for Arizona. And GRIMM because that was the one show my boys insisted we watch last night when I came home (they were waiting for me!) Oh, and PERSON OF INTEREST because I couldn’t sleep last night.
It’s April, and that means the shows are working toward the May sweeps. This is always an exciting time because the writers pull out all the stops … usually ending on something big, sometimes a cliffhanger, sometimes a twist, sometimes just a big finale.
I personally like the big finales the best because I really don’t like waiting 4 months for the season opener. But, last year GRIMM did a great job with the cliffhanger, leaving Nick in a zombie state with a passport that wasn’t his own. It was big and twisty and led into what has been a fantastic third season.
Speaking of finales, WAREHOUSE-13 was renewed for a short fifth season, ostensibly to wrap up all the loose ends. My boys are totally looking forward to this, but I’m truly upset with the SyFy channel for canceling the series (while I’m also pleased that they granted them the ability to wrap up the series.) This was a terrific show that appealed to a broad audience and something I could watch with my boys where they had fun and opened up conversations. Almost like VERONICA MARS was for me and my girls.
Cancellations are being announced right and left. I don’t expect ALMOST HUMAN to survive, which makes me both angry and sad. Another great show that was screwed up by TPTB. While not on par with the ill-fated FIREFLY which will remain the greatest series ever destroyed by network television, ALMOST HUMAN definitely was destined to fail … and not because of the story, writing, production, or acting. If it ends up being renewed, I’ll be surprised.
Speaking of behind, I haven’t even started SHERLOCK season 3 or the final LUTHER season! They’re bought and downloaded on my iTunes, but I need a weekend marathon!
While I love my television, the book needs to come first … which means no TV for me until it’s done.
What do you sacrifice when you’re on a tight deadline?