Oh yeah, there's a title that is sure strike some fear into the hearts of people in line at fast-food joints. Or those who didn't make it through the auditions for The Biggest Loser.

Lilith Saintcrow did a fabulous post on The Midnight Hour about feeding your muse, and I think that's what I've forgotten to do while chomping down fudge and taking naps with the kitten. I've been spending way too much time racing around trying to tie up loose ends and organize the piles of crap (sometimes literal, kitty is still in training) around the place that by the time I sit down to write, I'm spent. Like a coupon at a discount grocery store. On triple coupon days.

Oh, how I envy my American friends who can experience double and triple coupon days. Le sigh.

This post was also going to be about 9/11, like I did last year, but I'm feeling spent on that too. My intent is not to disrespect the grief, loss and outrage surrounding the events and aftermath six years ago -- I just want to leave it alone for now. So much has changed since then, yet so much has remained the same.

With all this pondering and coupon organizing, I find myself falling into that all-too-familiar act of regular procrastination. Hence the regularity reference. Too many of the projects currently on my plate aren't due for at least another month, so my work ethic went into hibernation. I know because I can hear it snoring from the couch in front of the TV. And it's not the DH; he's upstairs.

So I decided to do something different during my lunch hour today: an outline of my next novel in 30 minutes. You can do it too! Alicia Rasley has a great article that takes you through the steps to help you figure things out.

For a pantser like me, outlining is a completely foreign subject. Like Latvian. But the struggles I had writing H&B showed me that having a map, even if it's a little blurry and has a huge hunk torn out of it, might prove to be useful as I work through TCW.

Oh yeah, I've even figured out a super-cool title, which for me signifies a huge step. Some people might think that actually writing the book is a step I should focus on (yes Michelle), but I have until Saturday before I really need to start cranking out five pages a day.

That's the goal: five pages a day until I hit somewhere around 320 of them. Preferably in English. That should take me a little over two months to accomplish, but I've given myself three just to be on the safe side.

Okay, time to clip some more coupons...I need to stock up for the fun times ahead.

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