Lately, I’ve been keeping my head down and working hard on my current young adult manuscript. What was originally scheduled for an end of March first draft deadline should in theory be done by tomorrow night–I gave myself one day into March because February gets the shaft when it comes to month length.
I love being consumed by my writing, jotting notes onto my phone on the subway, plotting while I run, and falling asleep thinking of my characters. But every once and a while, I wish I had a break so I could focus on other creative pursuits, or any pursuit, really, besides crawling into bed feeling mentally depleted after a writing session and watching Bob’s Burgers on Netflix–though Bob’s Burgers is amazing and proves a lovely reward after a long writing session.
Below, a short list of all the other things I could be doing if I weren’t busy imagining riot grrrl vampires:
Hosting my own podcast, Periods: In which I talk solely about grammar, but only once a month. Listen to me get very emotional about logical punctuation.
Writing The Menstrual Beast, a werewolf graphic novel: So I guess I’m really into period-related creative projects. Alas, like Jesse Ventura in Predator, I don’t have time to bleed.
Hosting a bi-coastal podcast called Talking Feminism With My Teenage Niece: I hear podcasts are all the rage, but mostly I want an excuse to chat with my niece. She’s way too cool for me these days.
Opening the first corgi cafe: I’m over cat cafes. I want a vegan doughnut shop where you can hang out with corgis.
Directing my Spanish-language B-horror opus, Dia de los Muertos: I used to have a lot of dreams about the zombie apocalypse, but the one about a family drama set in Mexico was the most cinematic.
Hosting a literary salon in my living room: I’d like to bring this back and feel like I know enough cool people to put together a group. If only I had a drawing room in Paris.
Getting over my fear of doing yoga in public and taking a class: I suppose if I can read my most personal writing in front of a room full of strangers, it shouldn’t be hard to stretch in front of them.
Learning to play drums, to surf, and to skateboard: I have good health insurance now, so that covers two out of the three. If only I had rhythm.
So the likelihood of me doing any of these beyond the yoga class is slim. It is nice to daydream sometimes about all the things I could do and lives I could live, but for the most part I’m pretty excited about the one I’ve got. Time to go; the manuscript calls me back. I’ve got a vampire love story that won’t write itself.
Kait Gets Lit 