Day 1187: Christmas and Writing
Dec. 28th, 2014 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nagi_schwarzDay 1187: Christmas and Writing
Being a writer is a full time job. On top of my existing full time job, trying to write has basically thrown my life into disarray. My house is a mess. My sleep schedule is a mess. My eating schedule is a mess. To show for it, I have 83,000-odd words of fanfiction. For which I am very, very excited, mind you. I am super excited for it. There will be art. There may even be a fanmix. I've got several betas lined up.
But still. I think I am going to try writing at a slower pace from now on. On the other hand, now that the story is done, and I know I can actually finish, I am determined to go back and finish some other writing projects that have been hanging over me for, well, months, if not years.
While we were playing Christmas games, Cody's friend's mother mentioned that one of her sons self-published on Amazon, and he was contacted by Tor, and he's been working on another novel. If he gets it done, apparently he's written his ticket. I'm still not sure whether or not I want to be an actual professional writer. I am thinking I will do the self-publishing thing to make a little bit of cash here and there but I am not going to go out of the way to be a published writer, mostly because I like my current job and writing is still just a hobby for me, and I live in fear that if it becomes a job then I'll hate it, and then what will I do?
But yes. Writing and Christmas. That has been my life.
Christmas is always a stressful time of year for ordinary families. Dysfunctional families do much worse during the holidays. Between Cody pulling all-nighters at the lab, me not sleeping while he was gone, and me pulling all-nighters on this novel, I haven't been feeling super great. Subsisting on Christmas junk food instead of cooking because I've been too bloody tired and stressed out to cook probably hasn't helped the general disarray I've been feeling in myself. But work was...bad. I ended up having to pull two little boys one week before Christmas. I was broken-hearted. I was so, so close to bringing them home with me, but Cody would have been pretty horrified. Despite my poor sleeping and eating habits, I have not gotten sick, which makes me feel justified for having had a flu shot when people around me at work and church and home have been dropping like flies with illness.
Cody and I did waaaaay too much last-minute Christmas shopping. Usually I'm amazing at getting all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving, but this year it...didn't happen. Also, since I injured my stupid wrist, a good chunk of my homemade gifts didn't get done either. But we got things done.
We got to go out to breakfast with my best friend and her husband and my parents to talk about our awesome trip to England in May, and then we went to my niece's Christmas recital. She's three now, and much better at following/remembering choreography. She's still not great at it, but it was adorable all the same. Afterward she came down with a nasty fever and she wanted me - and no one else - to hold her, so they gave her some baby tylenol and then she and I took a nap. We went out to dinner with my parents, which was wonderful, and then we went home.
We spent Christmas with Cody's parents in Idaho. Christmas Eve we went to Cody's older brother's best friend's house and played Christmas games. Apparently their kids didn't show, so we were there instead. We sang Christmas carols, read the Christmas story out of the Bible, and then played Party Games like Big Bootie (not good for the rhythmically challenged or memory challenged), the Minister's Cat (which is a great game for those of us with big vocabularies but still challenging), and If Then, which was mostly a product of the inside jokes generated during Big Bootie and the Minister's Cat.
Christmas Day was spent with Cody's parents, his brothers, his grandparents (on his mother's side), and a family friend named Josh. We opened presents, had omelets, and lazed around watching movies. I got some beautiful homemade presents from my family - a letter C (for our last name), a cheese plate, and a lovely tiled picture my dad framed. My mother in law really loved the memory photo thingie my mum and I made for her over Thanksgiving. The in-laws got me a lap-desk so I can type on my iPad while I am in the car, which is awesome. Finished my novel using the desk, so I am grateful. Also we got a gun safe, which my mother was especially enthusiastic about. A gun safe is an important investment when one has firearms.
Most of all, we got to relax and have a fun time, and that's what counts. However, we were wildly silly and forgot to bring (a) the gift for Steve and Cousin Josh's wedding and (b) an entire suitcase of clothes. So we had to run to the store to grab some necessary clothes (also got some for Christmas), and we had to grab a wedding card (and stop by the shindig). We went to see the new Hobbit movie. Richard Armitage died. Kili died. I was upset.
Also, for the most part, Dingo and Ivy were well-behaved. They kept trying to get up on the couches, which they're allowed to do at home but not in the in-laws'. Dingo tried to push through the fence into the neighbor's yard and got his front half stuck. I failed to take pictures. He was pretty upset. I had to climb into the neighbor's yard to help free him, but then I inadvertently released the neighbor's dog when I was trying to bring Dingo back to "our" yard. After that he was pretty leery of trying to escape. So there were a few dog shenanigans. We bought an indoor bark correction device. When the dogs bark it emits an annoying sound. Apparently that is how the radio fence collars work as well - they emit a sound humans can't hear but that annoys dogs. We will need to train Dingo with it, but I think it will be well worth it to keep him safe and in the yard.
We also had a Christmas party at work, complete with Elf names, food, and had fun. Had a Christmas party with all my married friends from college. There was food, babies, and waaaaay too much cards against humanity. And a white elephant gift exchange.
Overall, the holidays have been good. I had time with friends and family, and I had a chance to relax.
On the way home Cody and I talked about our goals for the new year. It's going to be a good year.
Being a writer is a full time job. On top of my existing full time job, trying to write has basically thrown my life into disarray. My house is a mess. My sleep schedule is a mess. My eating schedule is a mess. To show for it, I have 83,000-odd words of fanfiction. For which I am very, very excited, mind you. I am super excited for it. There will be art. There may even be a fanmix. I've got several betas lined up.
But still. I think I am going to try writing at a slower pace from now on. On the other hand, now that the story is done, and I know I can actually finish, I am determined to go back and finish some other writing projects that have been hanging over me for, well, months, if not years.
While we were playing Christmas games, Cody's friend's mother mentioned that one of her sons self-published on Amazon, and he was contacted by Tor, and he's been working on another novel. If he gets it done, apparently he's written his ticket. I'm still not sure whether or not I want to be an actual professional writer. I am thinking I will do the self-publishing thing to make a little bit of cash here and there but I am not going to go out of the way to be a published writer, mostly because I like my current job and writing is still just a hobby for me, and I live in fear that if it becomes a job then I'll hate it, and then what will I do?
But yes. Writing and Christmas. That has been my life.
Christmas is always a stressful time of year for ordinary families. Dysfunctional families do much worse during the holidays. Between Cody pulling all-nighters at the lab, me not sleeping while he was gone, and me pulling all-nighters on this novel, I haven't been feeling super great. Subsisting on Christmas junk food instead of cooking because I've been too bloody tired and stressed out to cook probably hasn't helped the general disarray I've been feeling in myself. But work was...bad. I ended up having to pull two little boys one week before Christmas. I was broken-hearted. I was so, so close to bringing them home with me, but Cody would have been pretty horrified. Despite my poor sleeping and eating habits, I have not gotten sick, which makes me feel justified for having had a flu shot when people around me at work and church and home have been dropping like flies with illness.
Cody and I did waaaaay too much last-minute Christmas shopping. Usually I'm amazing at getting all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving, but this year it...didn't happen. Also, since I injured my stupid wrist, a good chunk of my homemade gifts didn't get done either. But we got things done.
We got to go out to breakfast with my best friend and her husband and my parents to talk about our awesome trip to England in May, and then we went to my niece's Christmas recital. She's three now, and much better at following/remembering choreography. She's still not great at it, but it was adorable all the same. Afterward she came down with a nasty fever and she wanted me - and no one else - to hold her, so they gave her some baby tylenol and then she and I took a nap. We went out to dinner with my parents, which was wonderful, and then we went home.
We spent Christmas with Cody's parents in Idaho. Christmas Eve we went to Cody's older brother's best friend's house and played Christmas games. Apparently their kids didn't show, so we were there instead. We sang Christmas carols, read the Christmas story out of the Bible, and then played Party Games like Big Bootie (not good for the rhythmically challenged or memory challenged), the Minister's Cat (which is a great game for those of us with big vocabularies but still challenging), and If Then, which was mostly a product of the inside jokes generated during Big Bootie and the Minister's Cat.
Christmas Day was spent with Cody's parents, his brothers, his grandparents (on his mother's side), and a family friend named Josh. We opened presents, had omelets, and lazed around watching movies. I got some beautiful homemade presents from my family - a letter C (for our last name), a cheese plate, and a lovely tiled picture my dad framed. My mother in law really loved the memory photo thingie my mum and I made for her over Thanksgiving. The in-laws got me a lap-desk so I can type on my iPad while I am in the car, which is awesome. Finished my novel using the desk, so I am grateful. Also we got a gun safe, which my mother was especially enthusiastic about. A gun safe is an important investment when one has firearms.
Most of all, we got to relax and have a fun time, and that's what counts. However, we were wildly silly and forgot to bring (a) the gift for Steve and Cousin Josh's wedding and (b) an entire suitcase of clothes. So we had to run to the store to grab some necessary clothes (also got some for Christmas), and we had to grab a wedding card (and stop by the shindig). We went to see the new Hobbit movie. Richard Armitage died. Kili died. I was upset.
Also, for the most part, Dingo and Ivy were well-behaved. They kept trying to get up on the couches, which they're allowed to do at home but not in the in-laws'. Dingo tried to push through the fence into the neighbor's yard and got his front half stuck. I failed to take pictures. He was pretty upset. I had to climb into the neighbor's yard to help free him, but then I inadvertently released the neighbor's dog when I was trying to bring Dingo back to "our" yard. After that he was pretty leery of trying to escape. So there were a few dog shenanigans. We bought an indoor bark correction device. When the dogs bark it emits an annoying sound. Apparently that is how the radio fence collars work as well - they emit a sound humans can't hear but that annoys dogs. We will need to train Dingo with it, but I think it will be well worth it to keep him safe and in the yard.
We also had a Christmas party at work, complete with Elf names, food, and had fun. Had a Christmas party with all my married friends from college. There was food, babies, and waaaaay too much cards against humanity. And a white elephant gift exchange.
Overall, the holidays have been good. I had time with friends and family, and I had a chance to relax.
On the way home Cody and I talked about our goals for the new year. It's going to be a good year.
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Date: 2015-01-03 04:41 am (UTC)