Something Has To Give

No one who cannot limit himself has ever been able to write.
–  Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m really extremely busy these days; between doing this blog, working on commissioned articles, giving interviews and going on my book tour I barely have time for real life.  We’re also hoping that by the end of this year, my husband will be able to spend a lot more time at home; that’s a good thing, but it does decrease the number of hours per week I can spend writing.  As I explained in “Public Conversation”, the changes I’ve already made have allowed me to shorten my email response time to a maximum of a week (by the end of last year, it was commonly two weeks or more).  But that’s not enough; I still spend over 72 hours a week researching and writing, and I need to get it down to 56 or below by the time I start the tour next month so I can have at least 6 hours a day average for tour activities, 6 for sleep and 4 for personal care (yes, I’ve planned it that closely).  By the end of the year, I need to get it down to about 40 hours a week.

Since I’ve instituted a new procedure to streamline my research time, I’m confident I can achieve these goals; something else has to give, though, and that’s unpaid guest writing (other than my long-term arrangement with Cliterati, because I republish those essays in my blog anyhow).  In the past, I was happy to do guest posts for others, and I still would be if time and energy permitted; unfortunately, figures don’t lie and the cold equations must be obeyed.  I had to find some way to save time, and I think this will affect fewer readers than any other change I could make.  I’m still available for interviews without charge; an interview takes far less brainpower than an essay, and is done in an hour or so rather than three or more for an essay.  And I’m still available for commissioned articles, of course, nor am I too persnickety about the word rate (so don’t feel bad if you can’t pay a lot).  The important thing is justifying the time and energy in my mind, and even if I get only $100 plus really good exposure, that’s totally worth it to me.  As regular readers well know I’m a creature of habit and don’t like to change things without good reason.  But as I’ve explained when I’ve made other changes in the past, sometimes they’re necessary for me to maintain both the pace and quality y’all expect from me.