Panic Mode

So I’ve hit panic mode writing the latest book. It’s not as bad as it sounds — I’ve been working like crazy the past few months, and panic mode just means that a lot (more) anxiety is riding along with it now. But it’s also really, really focused, so that the writing is a lot smoother. I don’t second guess myself, don’t go down any meandering plot trails (which I have a habit of doing), so a week of panic mode ends up being a good thing, especially at the end of the book.

This used to happen to me in college, too — the panic mode on that final nights before a huge paper was due. Same thing there: caffeine IV, no sleep (and when I do sleep, mostly half-sleep that is filled with weird writing dreams, anyway.)

But there are a few things that happen:

I eat a LOT. As soon as I turn this book in, it’s going to be Exercise-R-Us for a few months. Gah. I hate sweating.

My house turns into a disaster. My husband tries, he really does. But there is a Day of Cleansing in store for me.

I turn off all of my e-mail programs/phone except for a few times a day, so I’m pretty sure I’ll have to make it up to any friends later.

No books read for months, which means my TBR is … frightening.

(Marjorie Liu once had an awesome picture of her in deadline — it’s pretty much that, except I don’t have a poodle. Oh, and I can’t find the link quickly enough either. (PANIC MODE, FORGING AHEAD, HERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT POPPED UP IN THE GOOGLE SEARCH FOR MARJORIE’S FUNNY PIC: APPARENTLY LADY GAGA IS A KITSUNE. (I didn’t read the rest of that article. I think this response might have been a joke? I hope…?))

I know there must be panic modes that aren’t about writing deadlines. What brings yours on? And how do you cope?