Writing is not my job; it’s my passion and my hobby.  Therefore, it should be enjoyable.  On the other hand, a type A person can’t help but apply type A attitudes even to hobbies.  What used to be a leisurely activity now has demands and goals and achievements and that’s not even factoring in the latest brouhaha’s in the writing world.

Just today, on my lunch break (still in progress), I mentally compiled a list of what I felt I needed to do.  Now, please don’t quote me the “don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff” because I already know this.  It doesn’t seem to matter.  Here’s my list, not in order:

1.  Rewrite query for The Pure

2.  Edit The Pure (this one never seems to go away) to address my own findings and my Beta readers’ findings.

3.  Edit All’s Fair per Beta readers’ suggestions

4.  Beta read (got one in full swing, one on hold)

5.  Polish and submit short stories (Yes, plural)

6.  Write The Book Portal (my abandoned JaNoWriMo project)

7.  Do my agent research and set up in QueryTracker.net

8.  Edit my synopsis for The Pure

9.  Get freebie CreateSpace novel (All’s Fair) ready to submit–but at what point?  Now or after I’ve edited?  I’m not going to be self-publishing it.  It’s a one copy memorial to my NaNo win.

10.  Consider entering Amazon contest and gather up materials required.  Possibly tone down heat so it won’t be considered too sexually explicit (which is not defined by Amazon).

11. Read!!  I can’t not do this but my to be read queue is a source of stress all on its own.

12.  Edit my book trailer.  It’s not perfect…yet.  Now I know this is a low priority but it’s fun to do and tends to monopolize my time when I pull it out to work on.

13.  Read and comment on my fellow Blog chain members’ posts (I’m about two behind but thankfully there’s been a lull lately and my own has already been posted.)

14.  Workout 6x per week doing something more challenging than walking on my treadmill whilst reading.

15.  That particularly intriguing writing contest a friend emailed me that’s due on Friday by 2 PM Pacific.

Now this doesn’t even consider the other things I need to spend my time on:  tax return, filing my reimbursement claims for 2009, planning our European vacation for this summer, hounding the kids on their homework to get their grades up, the house, the laundry, the bulbs I bought at Costco (is Jan too late to plant them?), the cat that’s overdue for his shots, the husband, the job (remember I said this was not in any particular order).

My blood pressure is rising even as I type this.  It’s ridiculous that I can’t have things I enjoy doing without having them turn into chores and obligations.  Heck, even watching reality television has kicked in its own set of demands.  Do I watch the full 2 hours of Biggest Loser and miss American Idol or do I miss the first hour of Biggest Loser to watch American Idol then watch Biggest Loser On Demand?  The latter adds an extra hour to my time demands that I don’t have, dammit!

And of course, I have to blog….and surf Absolute Write, and read others’ blogs, and update Facebook…yeegads it sucks being type A sometimes.