Yet more edits, and a side of guilt!

Well, I spent the whole day today checking all my manuscript changes. So far, so good! Tomorrow morning's job is a search-and-destroy on my common mistakes, and I'll also double-check all the non-English words in the manuscript (of which there are many, since the book is set in Zimbabwe) to make sure that they are all spelled and used correctly. Once that's done, I'm going to email my editor a few queries in the afternoon ... and then I can put The Cry of the Go-away Bird aside for a few days and concentrate on Current Book. I'm planning to finish the second draft of Current Book by the end of next week - there is probably another 10,000 words worth of work still to go, but I want to power through and get it all done so that I can get a bit of distance from the story before re-assessing it. The plot and structure have changed so dramatically in my revisions that they are unrecognisable, and once the draft is finished I'll need to let it sit and stew for a while, to make sure it all works (and makes sense).

I've finished work for the day now, and am enjoying a nice glass of wine, but I still feel like I should be working. Do any of you suffer from working-from-home guilt, like me? Here are the signs:

1. When you're indulging in a hobby or some other pleasant activity when you've finished work for the day, a little voice inside you is saying, "You should still be working! Why aren't you working? WHY?"
2. You look around at the un-folded laundry, the un-ironed ironing and the un-washed dishes, and the same little voice says, "But you've been home all day! Why haven't you done the housework? What's wrong with you?"
3. Your computer seems to assume an expression of righteous indignation whenever you shut it down. And you can feel it watching you. And judging.

Working for yourself has its advantages, definitely, but it does put a bit of extra pressure on you. If you have a bad day at work, it's hard to shrug it off at the end of the day and leave it behind - you're the only one who suffers!

I hope you've all had a lovely day. Once again, thanks so much for bearing with me during this busy time while I can't reply to all your comments or visit your blogs. I really appreciate it!