Inspiration

I let myself have a couple of weekend-like days, since I worked all weekend. I apparently needed to catch up on rest, as I didn't sleep well while I was gone but have been sleeping late at home. I really missed my pillow. I've become accustomed to a memory foam pillow that's shaped for side sleepers, and it's hard to make hotel pillows give the same effect.

Not that I was totally slacking on work. We've been brainstorming cover possibilities for Rebel Magisters, which meant scrolling through stock photo sites to come up with things that might fit the format established in the first book. Of course, looking at all these photos tends to spark other story ideas. I find myself wanting to write the stories that go with the photos. That may be a fun exercise for brainstorming -- enter key words related to an idea into a stock photo site and then see what comes up.

Today, though, I'll be digging into the copyedits on that book, which means that I'll probably have it edited and proofread and ready to go into production after next week, so I need to start brainstorming my next book. I have some research I need to do, so there will be a library trip, lots of reading, and maybe a creative brainstorming retreat to set the mood.

Though what I really want to do right now is go on a cleaning/organizing spree. Before I left town, I got my house fairly clean. Then I spent a long weekend in a hotel, which inspired me to keep the house clean (I've made the bed and done dishes every day) and makes me want to get it even cleaner and more organized, with this as a starting point. I guess you could call me a lazy neat freak. I love the idea of a perfectly clean, organized space, but I hate housework, so it tends to slide. I've promised myself that if I make enough money and get the house clean and organized enough to start with, I'll hire a cleaning service for a once-a-month deep cleaning. I figure that's often enough to give me incentive to maintain things on my own and not let things get out of hand (since I'm the sort of person who cleans before the maid comes) and takes care of the stuff I seldom get around to, like thorough dusting, mopping, scrubbing, and vacuuming. I can swipe at it during the month with the professional cleaning as a starting point. I finally have the house clean and decluttered enough that this goal is in sight.

Now I just need to write and sell enough books to pay for it.