Sometimes dedication is a 5a.m. start time

I've been writing for almost 25 years, longer if you count that flying horse thing I wrote in the 3rd grade. I have lived through life changes, set backs, the advent of written RPGs that are addictive as heroin, and I always come back to the page.

Lately, I've struggled with the "why" portion of my life. Why can't I seem to finish anything? Why has it taken 6 years to complete my first draft of my first real novel. (Well, I say "real" novel because I did finish one in high school by longhand that my mother accidentally threw away as I was typing it up. That's a whole other trauma)

I know my major problem is time management. I have a full time job, a family, pets, and other hobbies. It has taken me falling head-first into that Planning Life to get a hold of my time. Having a schedule is a revelation.

Now, I've added wellness goals to my seemingly never-ending list of things to do. I grocery shop on my lunch hour, I run errands, when do I have time to write?

My answer came in the form of a 5am start time. This week, I've been at my keyboard (dressed for work, sans makeup) by 5:30 in the morning. You know something? I've almost completed a chapter. I'm not a morning person, by any means, but I'm making it work. Do I miss the extra hour of sleep? Hell yes. Do I enjoy writing when there's no one asking me for juice, crying about a toy, or standing with one sock on watching Incredibles 2 when they should be dressing? Again: hell yes.

This may be a wild ride, but I'm going to push myself to the limit to fulfill my dreams!

Or I'll go stark raving mad. Only time will tell!

-C.A.