Yeah, I'm definitely struggling with having taken on too much.
I don't think anyone can properly frame or provide a comprehensible context for which to explain to youth, 'You will literally run out of time every day when you're an adult.'
At the same time, it seems like tempting fate if I were to complain about it.
Really, it's something that's being sorted out by attrition, and if there's one thing I learned about myself in those first couple years of being a father, it's that your real priorities will always bubble up to the top, and you'll discover if you're a good or a terrible fucking human being real quick. I'm glad I came out a good man. I've seen some other guys do the opposite.
It's one of those 'good problems to have,' or as trendy classist dickwads are fond of saying, it's a 'first world problem.' I've got a goob job, a great family, and a fair number of people that wish to engage me in various activities. I just wish I had more time for the writing and gaming.
I guess the opposite would be that I'd be unemployed and everyone would hate spending time with me. I'm glad to be on the positive side of that scale.
I've gone about a week straight with being serious about dropping weight. I've been exercising, I've been improving my diet, and I'm seeing results. I plan to continue this behavior and do what I can to finally make women jealous of my wife.
I got a great story idea last week after an odd encounter with a gruff neighbor who's rather fond of a bizarre lawn ornament. It's something about a neighborhood that welcomes some rather bizarre hillbilly neighbors that bring with them the scarecrow from hell. I imagine it being made form some badly twisted black wrought iron and maybe it comes to life at night and shit. I dunno. I banged out a page or two, and am eager to get back to it. Just not enough hours in the day.
Not much else to say.
-Blaine
On sale now!
20120613
20120525
Get Over It
I take great pride in the fact that I don't whine or cry about silly things on the internet. Or really anywhere, actually. I am terrified of being one of those types of guys.
That makes it very hard to write about myself or my writing on this blog. I've false-started a few times on here the last couple weeks because I started sounding too whiny and 'pay attention to me' and that's just not my style. I roll my eyes when other people do it, and I won't contribute to the slow erosion of masculinity that we see all over the US now.
So, to circumvent this issue, I will present, instead, bullet points. This will allow me to cut right to the point without the emotional lubrication that my provocative vocabulary can offer to my emotional weaknesses.
Here goes:
- I've been posting almost every day on my multitude of blogs, and have enjoyed the process, probably much to your personal detriment
- I've already been trolled once for my self-promotion, and as usual, it was a nearly-incomprehensible manner; honestly, being trolled is a good sign
- I'm amazed how busy I am now, and I'm concerned about the status of a couple projects I have in early stages; nothing to report about them unless they actually get off the ground
- I'm sometimes tempted to talk about my in-progress fiction on here, but I never think that's a good idea; it works for some writers, but not for me; there are certain things in my brain that I never talk to anyone about, for fear that they might have feedback on it, and stories are among those, now; I had more than a few stories that were workshopped to death back in college, and I'm never doing it again
- I've, over the last few weeks, unshackled myself from being one of those oversensitive twats that claim that they have to have exactly a particular environment, or they just can't write; I've purposely made myself write some of these posts in less-than-ideal environments, and there was only one that, physically, I couldn't do; I always disliked this quirk about myself and other writers, and I'm glad to have murdered it
- this has also, and I just realized this, to find that I can write without boozing; I've been a little concerned about that for over a year, but it's coming together, and the rusty old fiction gears are finally turning again, and I've birthed my first good science fiction idea in years in the last couple weeks
- going to check out the Chernobyl diaries today; there's a whole lot of great fiction that has sprung from what happened in Chernobyl, so I'm eager to see Oren Peli's take on it
- been traveling a lot, and I enjoy the expansion in perspective that forces; I don't like being pushed out of my routine or comfort zone, and this is a way to make that exercise fun and enlightening
- really pissed off a buddy with a post I put up the other day; has me questioning where to draw the line between life and art; I love writing, but it's not worth fucking up friendships
Questions for other writers
- where do you draw the line in including your life and your friends' lives in your non-fiction?
- how much do you discuss your in-progress fiction?
Questions for the rest of you knuckleheads
- any feedback on the blog posts?
Thanks for reading!
Blaine
Buy my book!
That makes it very hard to write about myself or my writing on this blog. I've false-started a few times on here the last couple weeks because I started sounding too whiny and 'pay attention to me' and that's just not my style. I roll my eyes when other people do it, and I won't contribute to the slow erosion of masculinity that we see all over the US now.
So, to circumvent this issue, I will present, instead, bullet points. This will allow me to cut right to the point without the emotional lubrication that my provocative vocabulary can offer to my emotional weaknesses.
Here goes:
- I've been posting almost every day on my multitude of blogs, and have enjoyed the process, probably much to your personal detriment
- I've already been trolled once for my self-promotion, and as usual, it was a nearly-incomprehensible manner; honestly, being trolled is a good sign
- I'm amazed how busy I am now, and I'm concerned about the status of a couple projects I have in early stages; nothing to report about them unless they actually get off the ground
- I'm sometimes tempted to talk about my in-progress fiction on here, but I never think that's a good idea; it works for some writers, but not for me; there are certain things in my brain that I never talk to anyone about, for fear that they might have feedback on it, and stories are among those, now; I had more than a few stories that were workshopped to death back in college, and I'm never doing it again
- I've, over the last few weeks, unshackled myself from being one of those oversensitive twats that claim that they have to have exactly a particular environment, or they just can't write; I've purposely made myself write some of these posts in less-than-ideal environments, and there was only one that, physically, I couldn't do; I always disliked this quirk about myself and other writers, and I'm glad to have murdered it
- this has also, and I just realized this, to find that I can write without boozing; I've been a little concerned about that for over a year, but it's coming together, and the rusty old fiction gears are finally turning again, and I've birthed my first good science fiction idea in years in the last couple weeks
- going to check out the Chernobyl diaries today; there's a whole lot of great fiction that has sprung from what happened in Chernobyl, so I'm eager to see Oren Peli's take on it
- been traveling a lot, and I enjoy the expansion in perspective that forces; I don't like being pushed out of my routine or comfort zone, and this is a way to make that exercise fun and enlightening
- really pissed off a buddy with a post I put up the other day; has me questioning where to draw the line between life and art; I love writing, but it's not worth fucking up friendships
Questions for other writers
- where do you draw the line in including your life and your friends' lives in your non-fiction?
- how much do you discuss your in-progress fiction?
Questions for the rest of you knuckleheads
- any feedback on the blog posts?
Thanks for reading!
Blaine
Buy my book!
20120523
Blogging About Blogging
It's been interesting writing every day again, and I must say that I've enjoyed it, and I've been pleased by the feedback. Traffic has ticked up nicely, and new opportunities have been borne of the efforts.
One of those opportunities can be found over at the Galaxy Next Door gaming site. Give it a read, and I hope you enjoy it. I'll be writing a column for them every Wednesday, and it seems like a pretty good fit thus far.
That will replace my Wednesday updates here. I'm not going to be actively promoting this blog anymore, but I will still be updating it. I'm guessing it may be lots of brief updates throughout the week. I'm not sure. I'm intentionally not having a plan for this space anymore, so that I have at least one blog that has no pressure or expectations attached to it. I know that sounds silly, but I like the idea of having a space in which I'm not looking at numbers or refining my craft. Though I'll still be looking at numbers because I'm obsessive about numbers and I think in numbers, and numbers rule my world in ways that would make you ask me to stop having sex at you.
That is all. Check out the new column and comment away over there!
-Blaine
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)