I will no longer be taking calls from the various personalities inside my brain who have been known to say things like “You aren’t good enough, you aren’t fast enough, you don’t deserve it, you won’t make it,” “You think THAT’S a nice sentence?” or the especially dreaded and apropos: “Don’t quit your day job, babe.”

I will listen to the voices who say, “Please make an effort to wear matching clothes today.” Or “Makeup was invented for a reason, dahling.” Or “You cannot eat chocolate pudding for dinner.”

Today I’ve been Twitter-free for five days. You’d think I’d be really on top on things, but I’m behind with blog interviews and I’ll get to them ASAP. Household chores too. The novel just needs lots of attention. There is so much I need to do, I had to make a difficult schedule choice today to keep up the momentum, and I had to turn down a rush freelance job, and I hope those weren’t mistakes. I’m just still getting myself settled and figuring things out. Maybe I’ll be better balanced next week.

Speaking of, to those who received my freak-out emails this week, I’m sorry. I owe you. Freak out to me anytime. And starting next week I will try to limit myself to two—count them, two—freak-out emails a week. If you get one, feel special.

Progress on the writing sans Twitter? These were my goals:

1. Finish a chapter: DONE!
2. Write a whole new chapter: aaaaaaalmost done!
3. Finish two tween pitches: not done yet.

p.s. I would have tweeted this little factoid, but I can’t, so you will have to sit through it being here at the bottom of this post: The New York Public Library is carrying my book! I’ve been secretly checking because I’ve been a library fiend ever since I was a tween. Not only will the NYPL be carrying—or is already carrying—DANI NOIR, there’s a copy on order for my very own local branch! (I owe them $2.50 in fines… do you think they’ll stamp “DEADBEAT” on my book cover so borrowers can see?)

p.p.s. I think my intense writing session, the one that broke my thumb, also may have messed up my mouse pad. It won’t click in the middle. How will I explain this to the Apple Store?

p.p.p.s. I am about to break 50,000 words on my novel. Will there be confetti at this milestone? Will there be balloons?

p.p.p.p.s. I miss Twitter. Can you tell?