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Friday, January 4, 2013

Just Five More Minutes


Come on, you know you’ve said that phrase dozens of times in your life.

“Mom, let me sleep…just five more minutes.”

“Husband, just let me sleep….just five more minutes.”

“We’ll just watch TV for five more minutes.”

“I’m almost done reading this chapter, just five more minutes.”

Muttering to yourself, “Just five more minutes to write this scene, I can do it!”

And a day not quite as good as the first one, “Okay, just five more minutes and you can quit and do something productive since writing isn’t working today.”

See? I bet you’ve said most if not all of the above things at one point in your life. When its sleep, you can’t pull me out of bed. I have to get out myself or I’ll bite your head off. It didn’t used to be like that. But after four years of working graveyard shifts at Denny’s while going to college and teaching at the same time, my sleep is vital and precious to me.

My poor husband has to deal with my “just five more minutes” all the time. Though I set the alarm so I can have those five minutes and force my body out of bed at the correct time anyway. Yes, I plan ahead.

With TV, when I was a kid with a bed time, it was five more minutes. Now with TV online, I really don’t care as much anymore. I can watch whenever.

Now with books, that’s a different matter. It used to be “just five more minutes” and if you touch my book/kindle I’ll beat you. Now, I can’t stop in a book halfway. I NEED to finish it. Hence the 4 am bedtimes sometimes. *shakes head* I read everywhere, much to my hubby’s chagrin. I’m getting better and I know I need a 12-step program. But really, I just need five more minutes.

Now with writing….I see those five minutes going at least two ways.

Sometimes you’re just there. You have the ideas, your fingers are working, the pain in your wrists can be ignored, the ideas in your head are screaming, the characters are telling you exactly what they want and it goes along with your plan.

Those are the days in which you have to be at an appointment or have dinner on the table….just five more minutes.

I despise stopping in the middle of my mojo and work as hard as I can to not let that happen. Thankfully I have a caring husband who understands this and as of right now, I’m not a mom. But next year and the year after that when I’m planning on starting a family?

Yeah, those five more minutes are going to change.

Now, there’s that other five minutes of hell. *cough* I mean, just five more minutes of forcing yourself to write. Even though it’s crap probably, I force myself to write during those five more minutes when my Muse is off doing tequila shots off of my hero while the heroine is dancing on a tabletop telling me that I’m a horrible author.

Yes, this is what it’s like living inside my head.

It’s a scary, scary place.

But I force myself to write just those five more minutes. Sometimes it gets me going in the right direction and my characters sigh and come back to me while my Muse gets sober with some coffee. Other times, they go clubbing far away from me and after those five more minutes, I do something else that needs to be done.

Because believe me, there’s always something to be done.

If only I had an extra five more minutes…

What about you? When do you say ‘just five more minutes’? What would you do with an extra five more minutes?


And while you’re there, I’m going to shamelessly promote myself and tell you about my brand new release, BLURRED EXPECTATIONS, and it’s trailer. Because really, I only have five minutes to get your attention.


Blurred Expectations - Redwood Pack Book 4.5 - Coming 2013

Hannah Jamenson has babies on the brain. It seems that her sisters-in-law are expanding their family in the blink of an eye, but Hannah feels left behind. Every time that little test reads negative a little part of her dies and she feels like her Healing powers are failing her. Her mates, Josh and Reed, are doing everything they can to help her deal with their trials and losses, but they too feel like there is nothing they can do.

Just when the lines of what they mean to each other go out of focus, an enemy from Josh's past is back to prove the things that go bump in the night are real and everything they had held dear is now in jeopardy. In order to fight back and find their way, they'll need to put everything on the line before they lose it all.

Author’s Note: This is a novella set between books 4 and 5 to give you a taste of Reed, Josh, and Hannah. It is best that you have already immersed yourselves in the Redwood Pack world, however even new readers will enjoy a glimpse of the Redwood’s favorite triad.

Find it On:


14 comments:

Katalina said...

Great post Carrie, I sure know how it feels to want those last five minutes. A good idea often appears just as I'm shutting down for the day or on my way out the door.

Nicole Morgan said...

Carrie, you and I both know that if you were to take "five more minutes" it would soon turn into an hour and before you know it your muse would be in high gear. LOL. Seriously though, I totally get the 5 more minutes thing. If only we could store them up for a later date and use when we wish. Now THAT would be awesome! :)

Sandy said...

Oh, Carrie, I need much more than five minutes. lol Can't our days be 48 hours instead of 24? Wink!

Carrie Ann Ryan said...

Yep Katalina, know matter what happens, I always find a way to get annoyed with those 5 more minutes!

Nicole! That would be great. Save a minute here, thirty seconds there...

Tonya Lyn said...

I can completely relate. I am the 5 minute queen and have been as far back as I can remember. I dont know how many people have told me in response "you said that 5 minutes ago" I am a procrastinator. That is my guilty truth. I just need to change my whole entire mindset. Baby steps though. However, the 5 more minutes when it comes to reading, yeah, ummm, dont think I can ever change that one. :-)

Carrie Ann Ryan said...

LOL I'm not a procrastinator and I'm perpetually early to things...its just that extra five minutes to do even MORE things that would be nice.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Carrie Ann! Lately, my five more minutes is for a needlepoint project I want to finish before September. That may sound a long way off; however, life interferes in unexpected ways and the project is a big one. So every night, Handsome says let's go upstairs and I say, "In five minutes." LOL

Carrie Ann Ryan said...

LOL I know how you feel vicki!

Anonymous said...

For me its five more hours, or five more days, sometimes spreads out into months. My fives are never in minutes!

GREAT book cover, Carrie!

Harlie Williams said...

What's this "five minutes" that you speak of? Between a husband, kid, reading/reviewing/writing and then just time by myself, I don't even have 5 minutes for myself anymore. I'm still digging out of all the emails that I got during the holidays when I sick. Five minutes doesn't even put a ding in it. LOL!

One of goals this year is to make myself more important. I seem to have forgotten that last year.

Marika/Harlie

Paris said...

Loved the post! I can relate to five minutes more often turning into half the night when I'm reading a good book, lol!

Allyson said...

That is so me...Just 5 more minutes:) My 3 year old says it too...but it's mommy 10 more minutes or mommy one more show or one more game...not bedtime yet...not time to clean up yet...lol:) I reading a really good book I'll read for 5 more minutes which can turn into 2 hours...lol

Allyson said...

That is so me...Just 5 more minutes:) My 3 year old says it too...but it's mommy 10 more minutes or mommy one more show or one more game...not bedtime yet...not time to clean up yet...lol:) I reading a really good book I'll read for 5 more minutes which can turn into 2 hours...lol

pc said...

My sister gets so peeved when I use the "5 minutes more" ...we just need more hours in the day!

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