November 2018 Blog
Time flies – then stops abruptly.
It’s a fact of life… and death. All things draw to a close – including this
year.
Time Tunnel: A Haiku
by Ann Wilmer-Lasky
Later
is now a
Less
viable option than
Now,
before never.
When I was young and had my whole life ahead of me, I was
always in a hurry. “Now” was my favorite time to do things, and I wanted to
grow up fast.
Well, my life has sped by and now there is not enough time
left to do what I need to do, let alone want to do. Yet now “I’ll do it later”
seems to be my standard mode of operation. It is also an attitude I need to
overcome – or run the risk of leaving this life mostly unfinished.
What would I have been able to accomplish had I retained the
“Now” attitude? Perhaps I would be sitting on a dais somewhere next to Stephen
King, discussing our next horrific joint-venture for Simon & Schuster.
Maybe tweeting to my millions of adoring fans about the release of my next
movie based on my newest bestseller.
Surely, I would be sharing a gif of my top ranking on the
New York Times bestseller list.
Those dreams should have been fulfilled long ago. That time
has long since passed. Those things will not happen.
I must look to my limited future and plod as I can toward
what goals I can yet accomplish. I am still able to write and edit and publish.
Perhaps I would be a lot more successful if I knew how to promote, but sales
have never been my strong-suit and that is a different story.
This year has only seen one book publisher – “Life’s Lemons and Lemonade: A
Collection of Haiku, Volume Two: The Write Life” and now it’s
NaNoWriMo time again. If I heed that call (which I have for more than 10 years
straight), then other projects must take a backseat – again.
So here I sit, once again, with too much to do and not
enough time to do it. Seems like I was in this position and state last year,
too. All I can do is smile and soldier
on. Perhaps take better stock of my available assets and employ them more
judiciously.
This blog is important in the grand scheme of things,
because it causes me (at least once a month) to take a good hard look at my
accomplishments or (as is the usual), my non-accomplishments.
I would prefer this blog be more of a success story than it
has been, so I guess it’s time to alter the plot to be more about me doing than
thinking about doing. That reminds me of my favorite Yoda saying: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” It was a great
admonition then, and it still is. Look where George Lucas is now. He certainly
heeded his own character’s advice.
Maybe I need some more ambitious characters. No, wait—they do do things, don’t they? Within their
confines, they are successful. Sometimes in a headlong rush that leaves the
faithful reader breathless at the end.
Now, that’s a great feeling – for the reader, the characters
and the author. That makes me smile. I need to do more of that – smiling.
I need to happily pursue my day writing, keeping house and
taking care of business. Perhaps even tally my accomplishments at the end of
the day and fall asleep with a sense of fulfillment.
Okay, even the thought of all that makes me want to take a
nap. No! Not now, I have to finish this
so I can post it on the first. (Yeah, it’s tomorrow) Left it to the last minute
again.
Did I mention I’m the world’s greatest procrastinator? I am,
you know, and I’m also distracted by shiny things. Actually, I think I
purposely look for shiny things to be distracted by.
There’s the TV, there’s the internet, and this great jigsaw
puzzle program on my computer. That’s why I love mild sunny days when I can sit
outside and write—only distracted by an occasional bird or squirrel or siren or
howling dog.
I guess no place is really free of attention getters. That’s
why I love to be deeply immersed in my characters’ worlds, where nothing can
pull me out and I can wreak havoc and engage in mayhem to my heart’s content.
Then I am happy. “Happy” is highly underrated. “Happy”
should be more of a goal than we allow it to be. If we could achieve a state of
happiness, our endeavors would seem less like chores and more like the road to
our bliss.
Okay, sidetracked—shiny things again. I guess “happiness” is
one of those shiny things that for the most part lies just out of reach for me.
So, I’ll head back to my drawing board and plot a path for
my November NaNoWriMo project and add it to my other projects and see where the
month will take me.
“Black Oak: Vengeance
Bound” will be finished about the same time. I guess “Global Warning” will
take a little longer than planned. But that’s not new news, is it?
Until next time, I welcome your reactions and responses to
any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my
Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me
there:
I’m also including a link to my Amazon’s Author’s page. Feel
free to visit me there also:
All of my books are available on Amazon.
November’s featured novel is my 1890’s Old West
Shapeshifters novella "Black Oak: Town of Joy" https://tinyurl.com/yaw5roju
This month’s featured poetry chapbook is “The
Castleweaver's Tales: A Dozen Glimpses of Medieval Madness: 25th Anniversary
Edition” https://tinyurl.com/y9d8czj4
