I've been feeling lethargic. A couple of projects got finished last week and though I still have plenty on my plate (luckily) the next few weeks hold no deadlines. So it's been hard to get moving.

The older I get the more obvious it is that caffeine and deadlines are the only things that keep me going. Unless I've got panic coursing through my veins, I'm just about useless.

Mind you, I've developed a knack for working myself into a frenzy by imagining I'm lagging behind with jobs that I've actually got well in hand. It's a skill that's served me well as a freelancer. I've known folks who've tried freelancing only to return to regular employment because they couldn't motivate themselves even to meet real hard and fast deadlines necessitated by publication dates.

I can sympathize. (Although the very idea of missing deadlines fills me with dread) I tend to work slowly before the due dates hove into view. Of course, nothing is more difficult than writing a book or story to submit on spec -- something no one's waiting on -- at least for me.

Well, if I don't get in gear, by the time I do see those deadlines looming, it'll be too late. Or so I need to convince myself. I wish this heat wave would break. Who wants to drink coffee when its 90 degrees?