Here we are at the birthday aftermath and the precursor to Passover. All I can say is: I’ll probably be grumpy and a rarity this week. My son has Spring Break until the following Tuesday. *rest edited out*
I’m thinking of taking an extra week of ‘vacation’ before tackling Book 8 of Legends of Windemere, but May has a slew of events too. I’m really starting to wonder how I’m supposed to succeed if I have giant blocks of time where ‘life’ won’t let me get to my writing. Kind of unfair since several people (some of which haunt this blog and might not be aware that I’ve caught wind of their haunting) seem determined to push events toward me quitting. I’m not talking trolls. There are people who think I should be forced to get a ‘real job’ and go back to writing once I’m ‘comfortable’. I’ve been in the comfortable position of life before. You know how? I worked my ass off to the point where I was too exhausted to do anything beyond outlining. You know what happened? Comfort was torn out from under me by forces beyond my control. So, there’s no guarantee that things will work out if I get a ‘real job’. I’m going to try to end the rant there.
It was a fun birthday week with the usual antics. Saw ‘Captain America 2’, which is highly recommended. Stay for the end of the credits. Hanging out with Greg went as smoothly as it always does. In other words, our original destination ended up being closed and then we found every restaurant we wanted to have lunch in was packed. Took us 2 hours of wandering to find a burger joint for a place to sit and eat. After that, we hit up a very nice bar called ‘The Thirsty Scholar’. Had some drinks, made plans for the movie, and off we went. All in all, it was a fun day and something I needed. I’m still hoping to hold onto the calm I had, but . . . well, look above at that first paragraph.
Goals for the week are going to be minimal with the toddler home:
- Get back into biking. Pulled a leg muscle last Sunday and haven’t been able to get back on it since. Tried for 15 minutes and it hurt . . . a lot. Honestly, I don’t see this one happening because of the full house going on.
- Work more on The Elysium Saga set up. Lost time since I outlined Quest of the Broken-Hearted this week, which was a spontaneous idea. Was it this week that I did that?
- Fiddle with the Project Phoenix idea that can solve a lot of it, but cause a new problem. Need to bounce the idea off someone to get feedback. Preferably someone who is listening.
- Play with the toddler and take him to the playground when weather is good.
- Try to ignore the hunger in my stomach because I’ll be sick of Matzoh by Tuesday.
- Keep promoting Tri-Rune. Though I think I’m burning out on the daily marketing. I can already feel a bout of ‘blues’ hitting me thanks to the tension in the house, which seems to be a topic I can’t shake on this post.
- Find reasons not to duct tape family to the ceiling in an attempt for peace and quiet.
Legends of Windemere 
Well, unless you made this post and scheduled it before Saturday and then really did all the things you predicted you did (have I lost you yet????), it means you survived your fun day and didn’t get so crazy you ended up in jail. I’m not sure any of that came out the way I was thinking of it in my head. Maybe you should just ignore me.
Glad you had fun.
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I wrote it this morning. We couldn’t get too crazy due to our original idea being destroyed. Still it was a nice break from the chaos. Hope it was enough.
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There’s nothing quite like looking forward to stress, is there? I can sympathize, as you probably know. Two things get me through it all: concentrating fully on what I’m doing at any given moment, even if it’s washing the dishes. If I’m alone (ha! doesn’t happen often) and I can focus completely even for two minutes, it’s like a mini stress vacation. The second thing is just laugh at it all. Even if it’s not that humorous. Laugh at it. Sounds ridiculous but it’s saved the lives of others and jail time for me.
See you on the other side, Charles. I’ll be thinking of you. You can do this!
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Thanks. I’m not sure I can laugh at this because it’s such a pain in the ass. It’s ridiculous that this circus happens every time we have company and I feel trapped in the house. It goes on for a week beforehand too including ridiculous criticisms of things that have nothing to do with cleaning. I think the object is to make the house look like a toddler doesn’t live here, which is impossible.
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I think my attitude would be if you don’t like it, don’t come. But I realize it’s not that simple. Hang in there Charles. If all else fails, you can always lock yourself in the bathroom for a while.
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I remember doing that when I was younger. It lead to me being yelled at through the door or brought to the doctor to get checked.
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Tell them you just need a time-out.
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That’s rather dangerous. My days off from the circus tend to end with getting hit by extra stress that was being built up in my absence.
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It’s tough being the one everyone relies on, isn’t it? I know exactly how you feel – overworked and under-appreciated.
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I wouldn’t say they rely on me. They could easily do this stuff without me. For some reason there’s a major interest in what I’m doing and how I’m living my life as if I have no clue what I’m doing.
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I reckon that writing is the “realist” job in the world, and it’s who you are, so please never stop – I want to read the whole series and the next! Before I was diagnosed with celiac and before I stopped eating feathered guys, when I was really young, I used to plague one of of mom’s Jewish friends for her chicken soup with matzo dumplings made with chicken fat. I don’t think that anything has ever tasted that good – pardon veggie friends! Best put up the mental stormboarding and try and have fun maybe. 🙂
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I plan on continuing, but it gets hard to keep the optimism when I feel like most of the people that are physically around me aren’t in my corner. I don’t think people realize the mental aspect of a writing career, especially at the beginning. Honestly, it makes me really hate being around here at times.
Matzoh ball soup is really the only good thing about this holiday, but it gets old fast. Back in college, I didn’t have a chance at sticking to it because the cafeteria thought pasta was allowed. It’s really a pain here because there were already a few restrictive diets in the house. I’ll just be happy to make it out of this week in one piece. My fear is that by the time it’s over, I’ll be too exhausted to start in on the next book and that will cost me another week.
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Sounds like a week of pain, and putting toddler guy in closets. People really don’t understand how we need to get into the zone. Drama and negativity don’t do it for me either, and there is always a recovery period after life stuff before I can scribble a word again. Sorry Charles – but cheering your corner and hoping it zooms by quickly.
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Thanks. That recovery period is nearly impossible for me to find. I already know that if I take a week off after this week then it’ll be filled with more drama and negativity. It seems to be the norm around here and when it isn’t like that, I try to take advantage and relax. Either that or I keep waiting for things to crumble again.
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Makes me glad that my wife and her family don’t take Passover too seriously.
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Lucky. I’ll see how far I make it this time. I typically don’t get to the end without cheating.
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All they do is a Passover dinner that gets shorter and shorter every year. But even that I can’t stand any more. I probably won’t attend this year.
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We do a short Seder here, but the dinner is typically the same. Boring poultry and side dishes where only the potatoes are worth eating. Since we live here, we can’t really get out of it.
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That’s one of my complaints about the dinner … almost nothing worth eating. Chicken that’s too dry. The only thing I like is probably the hard boiled eggs.
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Even worse when it’s turkey and there are raisins in everything. I keep saying Chinese Food or boneless hot wings are allowed, but nobody believes me.
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Some pics of the family duct taped to the ceiling will make a great blog post cover image. :). And, really, you are such a prolific writer, I can’t see you doing anything else. I admire the tenacity. You’ve got three spots on my reading list this year and I’m halfway through Tri-Rune. I’m expecting two more books. Keep at it!
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Thanks. The other two books for this year are in first draft stages. Need to get the editing done and wait on cover art.
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Every year we set a place for Elijah. Would it kill him to show up and help clean for once?
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I know. Then people get angry when you drink his wine. Such a waste otherwise.
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I am always listening. Of course my advice may be worth what is costs….zero
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I think you’re underpricing yourself. You are a wise and insightful man.
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Well know I’m here if you need to bounce something.
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Thanks. 🙂
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Ouch! It’s frustrating when others don’t seem to be able to see the value in what we are doing. It pales in comparison, but my daughter doesn’t understand why I can’t babysit every day when I’m “just” writing. Not that my nerves could take her two all day anyway.
Passover sounds like Christmas with food restrictions. Same sorts of prep and relative issues without the pleasure of eat til you drop. Do try to avoid jail time though. Then again, that might give you some writing serenity.
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It’s actually closer to Easter with food restrictions. 😀 In fact, we have eggs as symbols and there’s a ‘hunt for bread’ the night before. Also a hunt for a piece of Matzoh that’s supposed to be ‘dessert’.
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Where do you hide matzoh?
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There’s an envelope/sleeve that you put it in and the person running the Seder hides it somewhere in the house. Then the kids go looking for it after dinner.
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For what it’s worth I really, really get that feeling of frustration. I’m in the middle of a spring break and for once I’ve managed to get my work to a stage where I can leave it quite happily and relax about not writing for a week or two. It’s been wonderful.
Cheers
MTM
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I think I’m at a point where I don’t want to leave my work. It’s more fun than reality and I seem to be able to get more time from people if I’m working on that kind of a project. Outlining and editing aren’t seen as big time consumers.
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You know what I would say to those who tell you to get a real job? Ask them to define “real job.” Then tell them their definition of a real job doesn’t mean success. Success doesn’t mean making money but being of value to society. And if they come back to you and say you’re not being of value to society, ask them to define their life in simple terms (i.e “I am a…”). That’ll shut them up because when you say, “I am a writer,” it beats the pants off of anyone who wants to top that.
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I’ve asked that and get an odd response. ‘What do you think we mean?’ or ‘Do what will make you happy?’ Answer to 1 is simply stating that they want me to waste away in a cubicle. Answer to 2 is saying writing makes me happy.
I think the idea that success is defined by income is where I get into fights. The truth is that I’m not guaranteed a better income or job stability if I work for someone else. I learned that the hard way.
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Maybe I can help a little with #7. That will cost a fortune in materials. 😉
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Thanks. Maybe I should try gorilla tape.
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Oh dear…. 😦 I can relate on the Easter break situation as I have my boys at home too. It means that any writing time is grabbed rather than scheduled and it can get frustrating. I have to say though that I have no idea about the Jewish faith and so most of the post (including the Matzoh?) completely passed me by. Sorry about that 🙂
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By the time I get to writing, I’m usually too exhausted. I won’t get back to the books until next Tuesday. As for Passover, hard to explain it all. Matzoh is basically a giant cracker.
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Oh my it’s so strange that people are always onto the “real job” – “real life” – real something or other as though writing isn’t real. I think there’s a bit of ambivalence when it comes to not producing money in large amounts, then the productivity of a writer can’t be seen as in putting together a material chair or punching a time card. When I did the old 9 to 5 gig leaving home at 7 and getting home around the same time more or less, there came a moment when I asked myself…shouldn’t there be something more to life than this…what’s the sense? I do have my problems at times due to writing even though I’m a woman, and yes it makes a difference even today, crazy world we live in….Hope you get through the week without too much hassle. Auguri!
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I think it’s very much about the belief that success is determined by income. It doesn’t matter if a person is making progress or succeeding in ways other than the financial. It’s a very money-based world, which might be why artists of all kinds aren’t as nurtured as they once were. I’ve seen more people with artistic talent talked out of pursuing the path of an artist than supported, which is rather sad. Makes me wonder what a world would be like without art. Probably be rather scary.
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It’d be such a steril world without art and writing. My youngest was telling me he came upon a site that taught how to make modern music with just three notes…he said this not as something great but something sad. So art, in all it’s forms is suffereing unless it’s a sort of a fast food concoction and pulls in the big dollars. Sounds pretty sad.
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Music is taking an odd turn. I haven’t listened to a lot of modern stuff, but the instrumental sounds very similar every time. Then again, I’m sure people said that about what I listened to.
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Nope…what you listened to had to have a little more than some of the stuff coming out now. But, there may be an change by the time your son grows up. I went through two different eras of popular music…my elder sons were in their teens in the 80s my youngest is 24…then there was myown generation in the 60s. The new popular stuff is repetative … it’s difficult at times to distinquish one artist from the other…and that could seem logical from my point of view but my son confirms what i’m saying. Originality hits and becomes a sort of matrix, but maybe it was always lie that…
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I think a few original things show up and stay on the outskirts. In many industries, people don’t want to take a risk on diverting from what ‘works’. You see it in writing too. Especially books that are being turned into movies. Everyone wants the next ‘whatever came before’ and it seems to be something different that wins out.
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Yes, that’s what I meant…it’s a sort of cultural levelling…towards mediocracy.
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Everyone is average! Should be the education system’s slogan over here.
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And please don’t rock the boat…
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