Winter Wonder What?

I've been scarcer on social media these days. There are certain times of year that I simply know there won't be enough cheer to make it worthwhile. Presidential elections, the first time it snows, that whole fuck-lump from somewhere in the week after Christmas up until it's probably not going to snow again.

Fucking modern age of honesty... Too many people addicted to attention, oversharing their misery, triggered by events they try to piggyback. I miss the ridiculous amount of cat videos and joke posters.

I... know I'm being a hypocrite, setting that tone. Despite the rocky start, winter isn't my least favorite. While this first month wasn't the tone I plan to set for an entire year (less dental work, less peekaboo colds, that damned snain. Pick one. Snow or rain. Not both, you extra ass winter...)-- let's try this again. While this month doesn't count in setting the tone of my year, I find that I'm not drawn into the same shared misery. All said and done, sleep, recovery, and editing isn't giving me some rabid tail-chasing strain of cabin fever.

The isolation is zen. There are people in my home but we're mostly content to explore our own interests. My body is weak, the muscles sometimes refusing to work. It's the cold, the chronic pain and the comfort eating, but you can tell by my pajamas I'm not entering a damned beauty contest. I don't want to be social, don't want to go out to find something to post about, don't want to risk my shiftier moods upsetting the precarious peace.

Somehow, this January was pretty low stress and I'm keeping it that way. Closing up this final draft doesn't add tension. Covering some new ground while I set up my next book doesn't either. I'd like to sleep less but I take what my metabolism will give rather than lament what it won't. So despite some low lows, my attitude and determination to work with what I have has been crucial in that perception. I'm still in good pace with my goals. Knowing how the winter can weigh on me, I'd even planned for these hitches.

Will I take some kind of break after publishing this one? Mmm, probably not. I'll likely still be achy, maybe even juiced up to plow into the next project. Remember, I pounded out around 80+K words for NaNo and I try so hard not to think of it while closing this one up. It's a toughie--if an idea becomes too natural, I'm likely to think I've introduced it already when it's not on the pages at all. So if an idea is particularly juicy, I might scribble it down but smack my hands away from the story.

On another note, how do I have so much scrap yarn? I feel like I need to pound out some adorable and random amigurumi this winter too. Yet another isolated distraction.

Oh! I bought a fancy shmancy nameplate for my desk-slash-future-ComicCon-booth. Still have to go all thematic and design bookmarks, business cards. I want to make my characters out of the insanely tiny Mini Perler beads I collected. Look at gridwall racks for displays. Look at printing costs for custom banners.

Friends, family, country mice... See you again when the season thaws! Stalk my blog or, if I own a piece of your reluctant soul, message me to say hi. Head in the game...