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...

Winter Loves a Writer

I know not everyone enjoys winter like I do, yet it does suck to be out in freezing weather, even for me. What I like most about braving the cold is the immense satisfaction of coming home, brewing a hot drink and diving under my sinfully soft blankets to hunker down on my computer. Drawing, writing-- wherever the day takes me, I am so much more appreciative and motivated to do creative work once the cold blast of winter is blissfully outside when I'm in.

For my fellow night owl/bears, winter is also a time for lots of dark and even more sleep. Even my more insomniatic days are less troublesome than any other time of year. It feels like a time of recuperation, healing, planning, introspection and really cracking down on work.

If you have furry ones in your house, their heat-seeking cuddling ways are even better too. I don't mind closing my laptop to appease a loving kitten for a few minutes. They're only a few months old and get into everything, but that also means that, unless they're sleeping, they don't demand me very long before they're off chasing the nearest moving target. 

Of course, there's chapped lips and dry scorched lungs and coughing and sniffling and numb asses and stinging thighs--the list goes on, but I always feel like those things melt away. Even when I'm drained or in pain, too tired and sore to do anything but collapse into bed, there's no regret because recuperative sleep is also important. I know that I'll probably be up for a long session once I wake.

On that note, I signed up for an instant job temp service, one that lets me work whenever I want, wherever I choose, and for living wage pay. Many states offer services like these and a lot of companies are grabbing at this method so they can build relationships with workers before offering a good fit employee a more lasting position. Of course, you don't ever have to commit to permanent work, just stick to their commitment and building a good reputation that makes them look good. It's really the Uber of job markets and I'm excited to blend this sort of work into my creative pursuits. Programs like these will help so many people find meaningful contributions without starving a dream or themselves for that matter. I think it's a model that will help hard-working yet unconventional workers a place in society. Like self-publishing, I hope to see it flourish in the future!

In any case, much more creative work planned! I'm doing a sweeping edit of UnSung, adding a few scenes that support a spanning plot and getting those pesky homophones and errors knocked out. I know it will need at least one more sound edit before I decide on the next steps, but with a whopping 250K+ word count, it's a lot of ground to cover. All the same, since its sequel got a 73K start during NaNo, I'm really optimistic about the direction of this series. The real intimidator will actually be the fourth and final book. It's really going to be a wild ride with so many plots weaving to a final resolution. This series is a big one in terms of development, but I've had great practice from game series like Uncharted, Dragon Age and even Final Fantasy.

Yes, I know. Bad serial novelist! Games are not books! But I have plenty of those influences too. I was literally THAT GIRL--you know, the one who dug through boxes of books and read all summer when everyone else was swimming. One of my best summers involved discovering The Sisters of Eluria, The Summer Tree and Sabriel. Still, I've even used screenplays to inspire the way I approach plot. There are many wonderful and exclusive advantages to every medium and I truly labor to utilize what novels best offer. Novels can offer sensory and emotional excursions, for one. They can offer unique transitions and unconventional story telling formats that aren't quite as effective elsewhere.

In any case, enjoy the winter season! I won't insist you get into the holiday spirit and for some people, it's even gloomy and depressing. All the same, I still want all of my cold weather people to maneuver through this time of year with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. Hell, start yourself a nice winter hobby! Take up crochet or knit, write, draw, sculpt, paint, play video games, stare at walls. There's a lot of potential for internal growth in inclement weather, so take advantage.

Just Stuff

Cold weather is finally here and if you know me, I'm as psyched as the people who like hot weather (and probably enjoy those same people whining about how cold it is). Right now, I kind of just want to sleep under the warm fluffy blankets I dug out to celebrate and breathe in the ice cold air pouring into my window. No fans, no heaters, just silence to enjoy or fill with purposeful noise.

Of course, there's a cutoff. Once the cold dips towards freezing, I close windows. Once it dips into the 20s, I pull out the space heater (if my fingers and nose are icy). Yet, my favorite wardrobe comes out-- giant sweaters, fleece pajama pants, crocheted hats, fluffy socks. Things that aren't comfortable to wear unless the air is genuinely chilled. Even a cranked AC can't quite create the same environment a legitimate fall/winter permeating chill can.

Sometimes it can spark health issues, but for the most part, it's ripe for crochet, reading, writing, hot drinks and wholesome food holidays. I even met my weekly writing goal towards UnSung this week so I can hibernate and huddle up and plot if I want. (Getting so close to the end, but I'm really trying to tie up plots in the draft rather than throwing it together and dealing with an editing mess.) Still have cover art to do, still have NaNo prep underway, still have holidays to squeeze in so my loved ones don't think I'm losing functioning status on the social spectrum. Kingdom Hearts 3 will steal my soul in January and maybe Dragon Quest XI which I've been meaning to play, but haven't gotten yet.

Priorities still point to writing. Aside from the daily grind of feeding little people, keeping the house clean, and maybe some tablet gaming while nodding off at the end of the day, the usual juggling became more concentrated. At the least, I want UnSung's draft done. It will get put aside after that. I won't edit it again until December and not just because of NaNo. I really want to kick some dirt over it and look at it with fresh eyes. While starting its sequel for NaNo, things might shift even. So I'm looking at a 2019 release after all. I really want to avoid rushing things even if it means pushing them around a bit. It will be worth it to be more flexible in plans to get them just right.

That being said, time to enjoy this chilly weekend, however I use it. About to make some hot tea to start. Oolong, if you want to know. Here's to a productive winter season. Buh-bye, bugs, sweat, sun rashes! Hello, wonderful smell of dying leaves, fire pits and seeing my breath when I breathe!

Not a Fan of Summer

I used to be a fan of summer. It's impossible to say for certain when I went from a summer person to a fall/winter. My skin stopped tanning and started breaking out in rashes. Bikinis made me hiss in revulsion. Shaving became more trouble than it's worth. Fall and winter became fluffy blankets, curling up in hoodies, hot drinks, crochet, the smell of leaves and their changing colors, writing and untouched blankets of early morning glittering snow...

I could run the comparison charts, PowerPoint the fuck out of it, but there's one grand reason this summer stinks and it's not the nuisance of fireworks.

Hot. Summer. Garbage.

I love morning walks, the coolest time to fit them in, but it's still no reprieve from Wednesdays in the summer. Stubbornly, I dodge garbage cans, holding my breath or living dangerously by breathing shallow. I wish Rumpke had a summer bleach spray service because it can be vomit-inducing.

Sunglasses are foggy sweat goggles already but it has still crossed my mind to hang a wicker basket full of potpourri across my face like a horse's muzzle. Would Vick's VapoRub do any good or would I stilll be immersed in the smell of week old diapers and beer enemas with a mentholated twist?

Rest assured, it's not for love of candy corn, pumpkin spice lattes or hayrides. I love just hunkering down under blankets and settling down into low maintenance hygiene. No painting toes for sandalwear, no shaving legs. It also takes well below freezing weather for me to even need the heater so I don't have to hear something running constantly to avoid sleeping in a puddle of sweat. It's not even the holidays or the weather itself. Too many grey days can make me gloomy too. Still, garbage does not transform into silent olfactory assassins. 

That counts for everything.

Cincinnati doesn't see a lot of mild weather like it used to. We get a lot of summer-winters over the years. Mild weather is actually ideal. However, when we hypothetically have to choose between hot and cold, we laugh bitterly first... Then tend to have a PowerPoint ready with a clearly chosen side.