We’ve lived in Louisiana for almost three years and it always amazes me how big a deal Mardi Gras “season” is. It begins just about the time Christmas ends (I think there is an official beginning but it seems to be nebulous) and runs until the real Mardi Gras day, which is actually tomorrow.

The schools are closed on Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and Beloved gets tomorrow off from work. He took today, too, because the kids are off.

This weekend, I took a good look at the calendar. I want Sword & Illusion out the door by June and I’m done with the easy editing part. Now it gets harder – writing new stuff, changing things around harder.

Looking at the calendar, I realized I have to finish editing four chapters a month to even have that part complete before June, and that doesn’t count Beloved rereading it or my critique partners offering suggestions.

I started to panic, mainly because I’d reached a stall in the scene I was working on. The book is still headed to the same place but there are more sights to see along the way and I have to add those sights in.

So, because he loves me and wants to see me succeed, Beloved told me this weekend that come today, I was to do NOTHING except write. He would deal with the kids, any housework, any errands that need to be run, everything. My only purpose today was to write.

Well, it was exhausting and sometimes hard, but I got 30+ pages written and finished editing two chapters. One of those is pretty much all new material but I like what I did. I think now I could do better on days when the kids are in school and I’m home alone.

I’m tired tonight, though!