Hooray for getting up at 5 a.m.!

Because I am a writing parent, getting up early in the morning to get stuff done is a necessity. I don't get up so early just to have the coveted "me time," though I do find time to pray and read while enjoying my first cup of coffee. I also use it to get things done for my writing projects. And this morning, did I ever get things done!

In the span of just 4 hours, I managed to:

• Find a beta reader for my children's book manuscript (this is the revised version and even though I felt that draft was final, I still wanted to find some readers just to be sure there are no hard words for children. One parent I asked is enlisting her THREE children to read it -- HOORAY! -- and my daughter, age 8, will read it, too).

• Find a beta reader for the chapters I wrote for the Revisions book, on revising short fiction

• Take care of business related to an article I sold (woot!)

• Fix up and submit the two extra chapters requested by publisher for the Praying book

• Reconnect with sources for the next volume to follow Spook City

I also got caught up on emails and, on the nonwriting side of things, scheduled an appointment for a tour of a preschool I am planning to enroll my youngest child in (*sobs* MY BABY!!!).

Overall, I am happy with what I have managed to accomplish this morning. The children did wake up early, as well -- my oldest, shortly after I did, and my youngest while I was working on fixing up those chapters -- but they have been playing all morning, as well as watching TV and eating breakfast, so I still managed to have a productive morning. I look forward to seeing what will come about from everything I've managed to accomplish so far. And now to use any extra free time I have available today for writing!