Writing Plateaus

I’ve been editing like mad lately. Well, I was. 

Whenever I get into this one-track-mind mode, it’s hard for me to do anything else. All other obligations lead to thoughts about how I should be editing right now. Of course, this leads to neglect of household duties, exercise duties and countless other things that I should be doing.

And then things start to happen. Like the entire month of April. Cars break down, my dog sets off the alarm in my house (having learned how to open the door to the garage), my other dog runs into my head (resulting in three stitches for me)... And all these distractions make me antsy. Incredibly antsy. Life is trying to keep me down! How dare it interject these interruptions into my life!

And then I have to stop and think. Yeah, they’re distractions. Yeah, they keep me from writing when I have to spend three hours waiting for a tow truck, an hour driving home to meet the Sheriffs and confirm that it was the dog who set off the alarm and not a burglar, and three hours at the ER getting my head stitched up. However, these distractions offer me a chance to investigate a scene I normally wouldn’t have in my life.  When I look at these “distractions” in this way, I can consider them more...research... And research, well, it’s practically like writing, right?