It’s summer holidays down this end of the world and for most of us it means sun, sand, the beach, and kids out of school. Yay right? Not if you’re a writer. With deadlines.
Writing is my day job and I love it but working from home has its downsides. For example, the kids have 6 weeks off school now but do you think I can get work done while they’re around? No. I have to wait until the husband gets home from work or write weekends. Or I have wait until we’re on a family holiday and instead of going swimming, I hole up in the beach house with my iPad and write instead. Which is kind of why I’m experiencing a bit of dejavu right now.
Because that’s what I did this time last year. I found out I won a pitch contest and the Entangled editor who had requested my work, wanted the full manuscript. When I got the news I was in a camping ground in the North of New Zealand. In a tent. And I only had the first 3 chapters of my book written because I hadn’t expected my pitch to be chosen. But it was. So my summer holiday was spent in a hot tent, furiously writing the rest of my story on my iPad, in a deckchair that gave me a terrible backache. I wasn’t alone however. I did have the little boy from the family staying next door staring at me. According to his mother he was a farm kid who ‘didn’t get out much’. He really can’t have got out much if the sight of me sitting in my tent typing on my iPad was so fascinating!
Anyway, fast-forward a year and here I am again. Writing the same story. This time I’m doing revisions for it and this time I have a contract, but I’m still working madly. No tent, I’m at home. But the kids are off school and I have to ditch my mother guilt and turn on the TV because I have a deadline. With my book out in May, there’s a heap to be done.
We’re going away again in a week but it won’t really be a holiday for me. Because I’ll be getting second pass edits on this story and probably edits for book 2. And in between those, I’ll be writing book 3, which is due in April. So once again I’ll be holed up in the beach house while everyone is swimming.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because this is my dream job. And well…don’t tell anyone but actually it’s not really work for me. 
So what have you been doing for your holidays? Anything exciting??
Nothing as exciting as sitting in a beach house writing on an iPad
Just the usual round of bbqs for us, along with trips to the beach, Wii games, shopping excursions and movies. Everyone’s bedtime gets pushed back because of the heat and the casual holiday vibe and quiet writing time is almost impossible to come by.
Love it. I’m with you….writing is a dream job. I am still working outside the home, but hopefully one day I won’t have that issue. lol
Enjoy your holidays and your writing. You’ve come a long way in a year from the sounds of things! Congrats!!!