Deadlines

I started this blog three weeks ago and I have published nothing in that time.  Those three weeks have been a bit busy with my birthday (which also happens to be the three year anniversary of my second cancer diagnosis), a nasty head and chest cold that led to an ER visit for a CT scan, my kiddos each having a stomach bug, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and today - the first day of 2016.  During that time I've been thinking about the blog, even if I haven't added anything.

Over the past few weeks, I've been forced to realize how much depression (or something similar) has taken from me and from my family this past year or more.  I'm not going into details in this writing, just want to put it in black and white that I am going to make some changes.  I don't know if I am strong enough to do this, but I am going to try.  I love this quote - "Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over."  I have felt the need to start over for quite a while now, so why not take this new year to actually do so?

I've decided that I'm going to use this space for more than just my chapter in the book.  I'm going to try to keep "cancer stuff" here and on the FaceBook page I started to go with this blog.  I'm going to attempt to distance my regular FB page from CancerLand. 

My chapter in the book has to be a priority because it has deadlines.  Everything else will be worked in around those deadlines.  That is the plan, at least.  Most things in my life don't go as planned, so we shall see what happens!

Deadlines used to be motivational to me.  Deadlines used to be good things.  Now, just the idea of meeting these deadlines terrifies me and makes me want to give up.  I really want to do this.  I really want my story to be told.  I really want someone to be able to read it and receive some hope.  When I was first diagnosed, when I thought that I would have to chose between my life and the life of my baby, I found some stories online that filled me with hope.  I want to pay that forward.

In order to offer hope in this book, I need to meet some deadlines.  Here they are:

January 10- All contributors are finalized, chapter focus' are decided on.

January 15-Chapter Intros (The beginning of each story will have your basic timeline from diagnosis-final treatment)

January 31st - You have notes and ideas organized of how you want your chapter to be written.

Feb 16 - First (very) rough draft complete

February 28th - Draft has now been self edited and edited by a peer.

March 1st - Content edit

March 15th - Pictures for your chapter (nothing copyrighted)

April 1st - Ready to submit for first professional edit
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I think I've met the first deadline.  I'm fairly certain that I want to be a contributor and I'm pretty sure that I want my chapter to focus on education.  Now I just need to get rid of the indecision and make this commitment. 

Let's try that again.  I have met the first deadline.  I want to be a contributor and I want my chapter to focus on education. (Totally freaking out here with a strange mixture of fear and excitement!!!)

Deadline #1 complete nine days early - woohoo! 

The next deadline is the chapter intro, starting with a timeline.  My next post will be the timeline for our extended visit to CancerLand.  If I include everything, that timeline gets a bit long.  I've had to do something similar for new docs, etc.  I sometimes get slightly overwhelmed just looking at my timeline!  It should be interesting to put it all together.