The awesome co-hosts for the May 6 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Beverly Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken! Join us hereto share your writerly insecurities, to kvetch, and to soak up support. It helps!

What is the Zone, anyway? For me, it’s that effortless state when scenes play on my inner movie screen and words flow effortlessly from my fingers. On a good day, before the Quarantimes, this state could last for three or four hours at most. How do I get there? Pour the coffee, shut the door, and reread what I wrote the day before. Perhaps some longhand noodling in my journal as a warm-up, then go. No meditation, no scented candles, no playlist—I need silence.

I’ve been spending a lot of time on social media since the Quarantimes began—one reason why getting into the Zone is so difficult. I’m as distractible as a methed-up squirrel, and so are many, many other authors on social media. Sharing our mental struggles helps soothe us but is yet another distraction from writing. Life is complex. More than one thing can be true at a time.

Just for fun, I looked at my calendar where I keep rough track of my “billable hours.” Note: I have two books coming out from my small press publisher, one this month and one this summer, so I had more promo and related chores than usual. Here’s what I spent my writing time on last month:

• Writing-related email and social media: 35 hours
• Promo for May 18 book release: 34 hours
• My WIP: 28 hours
• Blog posts: 11 hours (lots of guest posts because promo)
• Online meetings: 11 hours
• Final edits and proofreading galley for summer novella: 8 hours
• Online writing courses: 7 hours
• Blurb for novella coming this summer: 4 hours
• Judging writing contest: 4 hours
• Critiquing: 3 hours
• My newsletter: 3 hours

That means I spent 19% of my time on my WIP! Holy data analysis, Batman!

Well, the path forward is clear. I could spend far less time on emails and social media and still get the job done, leaving far more time for writing in the Zone.

Here in Washington State, the Stay at Home order continues through the end of this month. I wish you safety, good health, and lots of productive time in the Zone. Here’s to brighter days ahead!

She’s a free spirit. He’s a one-woman man.

Rejected by her family for her bisexuality, graphic artist Margot DuPont yearns for a life with no fences, no limits, and no family ties. Between college, work at Book Nirvana, and an art competition, she barely has time for her part-time girlfriend, much less a flirtation with her competitor.

Dumped into the foster system at a young age, ceramics artist Elmer Byrne craves a big, loving family of the heart. His artist family almost fills that need, but something is missing…until Margot. But when he offers his heart, her thorny defenses shatter him.

Thrown together in an art competition that could jump-start one artist’s career, but not both, their irresistible attraction forces them to reconsider the meaning of success.

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