Short note — so sleepy, cannot brain.

So sleepy. Cannot brain.

My last final is today, and after that I’ve only got internships to grade, and grades to turn in, and I’m done for winter break.

I just need coffee to get through this. Luckily it’s on the brew.

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The coffee has arrived.

It might take two cups of coffee to get through this.

Or maybe even three.

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After break, stories to write. I’m a little torn at the expansion of Kami, because my writing is filling the background up — with Barn Swallows’ Dance, with its magic. I’m afraid it will be too strange for the contest I want to enter it in. Ah well, I knew I’m not that standard.

Have a great day!

Writing and the Balance

Yesterday I felt unbalanced.

It’s been a busy work week, just as it promises to be a busy semester. I have three research projects I’ll be working on, plus recreating a new class or two, plus the usual teaching and student work. I spent all of yesterday creating a new syllabus for a class, something that should have taken me a week or so.

(I promise you I’m not hypomanic, just busy.)

In addition, I got three rejections yesterday. That brings me up to 1/4 of my queries coming back as rejections in four days. At least they rejected me quickly.

After it all, I felt unbalanced, like I always do when there’s too much work and not enough pleasurable things in my life. I used to think what I needed was recognition — to get noticed, to get published, to get an award or something. In other words, to get what I would call a “cookie”.

Yesterday I realized that I don’t need cookies. I need, instead, to get rid of feeling bad.

In other words, I need to get back into balance. And I’m coming to realize that writing, in and of itself, helps me feel balanced. (So do good smells, reading, tub soaks, and surprising new discoveries).

So I will persevere and keep writing.

Short note — I’ll be on a short road trip to visit interns tonight and tomorrow. May not get much written today. If we get to our destination early (the Hotel Greenfield in Greenfield IA) I’ll get an extended writing time. Otherwise, probably not.

I wrote a thousand words on Prodigies yesterday! That’s more than I have in a while! I think the accountability partner has to do with it. It’s hard to blow off writing when you have to report to someone the next day.

Have fun and thanks for listening!