making time to write | Life in the Realm of Fantasy

Most writers are hobbyists. This is because if one intends to be a full-time writer, one must have an income, and frankly, very few authors support themselves by writing alone.

My Writing Life Technically, I am a full-time writer. For about ten years after I retired from corporate America, I had regular office hours for writing. Nothing lasts forever, and now I am drawing on the habits I developed during my years as a hobbyist. I write when I can and devote the rest of my time to caring for my family.

It is easy to fit short bursts of writing into my daily schedule. When I was younger, I wrote at work while on break or at lunch. Sometimes, I was able to dedicate a block of time for writing by rising two hours before I had to depart for work. But usually, I wrote after the dishes were done and the house was clean. If I skipped TV, I could get a whole scene on paper.

A happy life is all about balance. I arrange my writing time around whatever the calendar says is scheduled.

IBM_Selectric (1) So, let’s talk a little more about what we write. Most of us don’t intentionally write to preach to people, but the philosophies we hold dear do come out.

Some people see good and evil as black and white. A person is either good or evil, with no middle ground. Cartoons are wonderful because often they’re a simple story of good and evil. Many times, a cartoon is precisely what I want at that moment.

Many of my favorite authors are vividly aware of the gray area between good and evil. They write engaging novels exploring that concept. Sometimes, I’m looking for that sort of story.

Whether we are aware of it or not, our life experiences and our societal and religious beliefs emerge in what we write. This is why authoritarian governments ban books they don’t (or can’t) read. Exposure to a broader world of ideas and values undermines ignorance. An educated population is difficult to manipulate.

Subconscious fears of climate change, anxiety about a society on the edge of collapse—these subliminal uncertainties fuel post-apocalyptic storytelling. Our hopes for a better society come out in our plot arcs and world-building.

In many ways, writing is undertaking a pilgrimage.

Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

People go on pilgrimages for many reasons. Often, they’re in search of moral or spiritual wisdom. Sometimes, pilgrims go to a location that has significance to their beliefs and faith.

Other times, the pilgrimage is an inner, symbolic journey. I find creating a world and writing a society involves a good, in-depth examination of my principles and values.

People are often changed by a journey to a different place and seeing how other people live. We evolve as human beings through our experiences and interactions.

Writing has the same effect on us as if we had journeyed to a far land and experienced a new culture. In the process of writing, we explore events that affect our emotions and challenge our values. We brainstorm our principles and philosophies.

My Coffee Cup Â© cjjasp 2013 We each grow and develop in a way that is unique to us. Sometimes, we are hardened by our life experiences, and our protagonists have that jaded sensibility. Other times, we accept our own human frailties, and our protagonists are more forgiving.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote fantasy showing the evil the world was capable of in the first part of the 20th century. He also laid bare his hope for a better future and understood how the masses are swayed by charismatic leaders. Tolkien recognized the tenuous difference between that which is right and moral and what is expedient and easily glossed over.

He understood how societies lie to themselves and justify their actions.

In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien put a face on the Engine of War. In our real world, the Engine of War is an evil that seems unstoppable, an endlessly hungry entity made up of faceless soldiers acting on commands given by faceless leaders, committing unspeakable violence against faceless people.

Wars can be fought on another front—my spouse has Parkinson’s. I see that battle not from the side of the military forces but from the side of the people upon whose lands those battles are fought.

Ice_cubes_openphoto_cropped The battles we fight on the home front don’t have to be serious all the time. Sometimes, they can be hilarious. When your spouse has Parkinson’s, life is like a blended margarita, as seen from the ice cube’s perspective.

One minute, you’re sitting in the ice cube bin with the other cubes, everyone acting cool.

The next thing you know, someone drops you and a few of your friends into the blender and then throws Lime Juice in.

Lime looks a little startled, but nothing gets her down for long. She’s a master at keeping things zippy with her tart sense of humor. You’re relaxing with the other cubes, chatting with Lime.

Then, Tequila drops in, and it’s all good—your fellow cubes love Tequila and Lime. Here comes Triple Sec, and now it’s a party. You’re all just sitting around, chilling and flirting with Lime, Tequila, and Triple Sec.

caloricclassic red blender Suddenly, some joker turns the blender on, and everything goes to hell. They turn it off, and you think, “Okay, disaster averted. It’s gonna be okay.”

But no.

It’s on – off – on – off – on – off – so chaotic you can’t keep up with it. At the end of it all, you and your fellow ice cubes, along with Tequila, Triple Sec, and Lime, are like Fukushima after the tidal wave – a slurry of confusion and terror.

Then, to top it off, the joker who ruined the party pours you into a glass and adds salt to your wounds.

You know you’re gonna die, but you’re still cool. In fact, you’re Stevie Wonder cool.

Blended_Margarita Life is like a blended margarita. It’s all in how you look at it, so stay cool and enjoy the party for as long as it lasts.

And let those life experiences fuel your writing.

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Ice Cubes, Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Ice cubes openphoto.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ice_cubes_openphoto.jpg&oldid=796010605 (accessed February 4, 2024).

IMAGE: Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:North Reading Room, west wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C. LCCN2007687083.tif,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:North_Reading_Room,_west_wall._Detail_of_mural_by_Ezra_Winter_illustrating_the_characters_in_the_Canterbury_Tales_by_Geoffrey_Chaucer._Library_of_Congress_John_Adams_Building,_Washington,_D.C._LCCN2007687083.tif&oldid=727674759 (accessed February 4, 2024).

Life has hit one of those inevitable snags, where writing has become more of a refuge than ever. My amateur nursing skills have been called into battle once again, as hubby has undergone a total hip replacement.

Four hours after the surgery, he was in the car, and we were going home. The minute the anesthesia wears off, they check the patient to make sure they’re alive and able to urinate, then send them home.

To be cared for by enthusiastic, panicking amateurs.

Two days in the hospital would have been better for him, but this is life in the USA. Even before COVID19, they sent patients home before they were able to care for themselves.

Thanks to having two children with seizure disorders and other family members with debilitating illnesses, I have acquired some of the skills necessary to handle this. My only problem is that he is 6’ 3” tall, and suffers from severe arthritis, so he has limited strength. I am just glad my brother is here to help when I need it.

We are 3 days into it, and hopefully, things will become easier as this next week progresses.

Everyone has family, jobs, external demands that limit the amount of time you can devote to writing. For me, the most important thing is to care for my family first. That means I do whatever housework is on for that day, make sure everyone is clean and fed, and if one of them is ill, I make sure they are comfortable and can rest.

I’m not a superwoman, so I do what I can around the house and don’t worry about what I didn’t get done. Some days that means just keeping a path cleared to the front door. Other days, the place is “fit for company,” as my grandma would say.

After surgery, blood clots can be a problem, so modern technology has devised an $80.00 solution, the PlasmaFlow Sequential Compression System. They are prescribed by a physician for use in the home to help prevent the onset of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in post-surgical patients by stimulating blood flow in the extremities. They do this by stimulating muscle contractions. These are battery-operated, rechargeable cuffs that go around the patient’s calves.

The surgery was on Friday, so of course, they failed at about noon Saturday. This didn’t seem to surprise the on-call physician at the other end of the telephone. They quit charging, and we can’t get replacements until Monday. So, I am making sure he does some extra exercises and helping him do the ones he can’t yet do independently. Regular massage and exercise should do the trick.

Sleep the first night was like the first night you bring the newborn baby home. Sleep for an hour, get up to resolve something, sleep for an hour, get up to resolve something—not a lot of rest. But the second night, he was able to sleep straight through, so that was good.

I have plenty of downtime between things, though. That is when I write or work on whatever revisions are needed. You would be amazed at what you can get done in ten-minute bursts.

The fact is, I rarely watch television. While I do play a little Stardew Valley (see my game review here), my real interests are reading and attempting to write the stories I wish I could read.

This week I have been trying to think up decent titles for two of my works in progress. So far, nothing has risen to the top. “Accidental Novel” is a fair enough working title but probably won’t sell the book.

Before hubby went in for surgery, I sent my Accidental Novel to my structural editor for a beta read. I have a gut feeling that the ending is weak, so I asked her to give me any thoughts on reworking it. All the rough spots will be resolved once I get Irene’s revision notes back. The external eye is crucial at this stage. Having a trusted reader who is also an excellent editor is a gift from heaven.

So, all in all, life is good. Once we get through this week, my husband should be on the road to better health, and we will be able to settle into a routine.

Life can be a bumpy road. The key is to focus on the good things and laugh at the annoyances. Make a little time to do what you love, and always make time for the people you love.