A Knight and Jabbering About My Priorities

I woke late again today, somewhere around 11 am. The enormous meal from the night before likely had something to do with that, as well as staying up late writing.

No regrets. *grin.

Robyn treated me to a lovely breakfast in bed. Bacon, eggs, toast and a cup of tea. That was a nice surprise!

I returned Robyn’s desktop computer to her, as I had been borrowing it for the past few months when she had a work computer to use. So, I hoofed everything back upstairs and emptied out the writing cave. And after twenty minutes of snaking wires and attaching cables I tested out her Intous tablet and pen as well as making sure her speakers were functioning.

I’ll have to write on my laptop and other writerly devices going forward. I haven’t used the Pomera as much as I thought I would, but maybe now these alternative devices might be put into the lineup. 

The BYOK is slated to arrive early this coming week and I am excited to give a try as I head back into the office three days a week. As usual, the tracking software delays its whereabouts. I think Amazon’s speedy delivery is making us less patient with other providers like the postal service.

Our eldest is flying out to Halifax early in the morning and we will be her taxi to the airport. That means an early morning drive, probably around 5 am. Those of you who read this blog know I am not a morning person. But it does mean I’ll be up before sunrise one day before I return to work. Maybe my first day back won’t be such a shock then.

I am a bit behind on my word count goals for February anyway, and this will give me a chance to get some extra hours in tomorrow. I’ll be starting my first attempt at a novel. It’s something I have been considering and working towards for a while now. It feels like the right time to get it done. Based on January’s writing numbers, I think it might take me two to three months to write the book. Some of my word count is taken up by writing this blog and doing story assignments for my mentor.

I’m hoping that the interest I have in writing this book will give me that extra boost to get into the writing chair every day. The novel is the first writing project I am embarking on that wasn’t part of some challenge or course. It’s not for a magazine or a publisher. It’s just a project that I am doing for my enjoyment.

The key for me is to keep everything on track. I find every few weeks something comes along and derails you from your daily habit. I haven’t used the treadmill in four or five days. For a while I was using it daily. Same with tracking my meals and making sure I am eating healthy at least 80% of the time.

It’s amazing how easily these things can slip away from you.

I have managed to get my home studio space back into working order. It needed some final tidying and cleaning. All the software and system seem to be in place and operational. I found out I will have to learn a new assest tracking software on the new show I am working on.

Asset trackers are the least enjoyable part of the job. They are useful, but there have been some many of them over the years and they all work differently. Luckily, I am pretty quick at learning new things.

I packed a box of all the essentials I’ll need for the days I am in the studio. A good set of headphones is key. Some teas I like that aren’t offered by the studio and some sweetener because all they stock is sugar.

I was planning on making some Overnight Oats for breakfasts, but it turns out the kids have used up all our milk. There is a small, stoppered glass bottle with milk hidden in the vegetable drawer. This is what I refer to as “Emergency Milk”, and its primary purpose is to make sure my wife and I can get a cup of tea in the morning. The kids wouldn’t leave us a drop otherwise.

Maybe I’ll pick some up on the way home from the airport assuming I can remember we need some at 6 am.

I’m still reading Robert Crais’ “The Big Empty” and enjoying it. He’s a very good writer and his storytelling is easy to read and consume. It takes a high level of skill to be able to write a story that doesn’t feel like you are even reading it. I’ll definitely be reading more of his work in the future and typing in some chapters for my own learning.

Our friends John and Jody have invited us over in the past to watch Survivor and then have a hot tub. Sounds like the girls have found a new show to replace Survivor. Personally, I am excited by the hot tub part because it feels amazing on my weary muscles. I also enjoy the company of good friends and the conversations we have and the laughs.

Sounds like that will be on Wednesdays for foreseeable future.

Another thing I have on my plate this month is reviewing the novella I just finished writing. I know it needs some love to get the writing a little tighter and to fill sensory and setting details. Something I have been working on with my mentor.

I’m hoping my last assignment I sent to her showed some improvement in this area of writing. She’s the type of mentor that will flat out tell me if I got it wrong. Her mentorship has shone a light on some of my weaknesses and that’s rare to have someone so experienced helping find your way. I am very grateful for all her feedback.

I think I’ll take a break for a bit and watch the latest episode of ‘A Knight of the Realm’, which I am enjoying immensely. Robyn finds it a bit slow, especially when comparing it to ‘A Game of Thrones’. To me the two aren’t the same. The new show is more of a comedy, in the Greek sense, and less a drama.

I find the limited location enjoyable and the scale of the story and stakes charming. They’ve done a great job on casting, locations and the writing. I’ll probably be back to this blog after I’ve watched the episode with my thoughts.

And I am back!

Another great episode. Quite the epic medieval battle going on in this episode as Sir Dunk fights for his life and a nice surprise at the end. If I have any complaints about this series, it is that it just too damn short. I guess it’s a good thing when you are craving more.

We got a bit of backstory on Dunk this week as well. A tragic glimpse at his younger self and something that may have shaped who he is today. We did get to see that he has always been a bit of an optimist with a tragic bent. It was a good way to let us get to know Dunk a little bit better before he goes into battle with odds that are overwhelming.

Before the show started, I decide to Uber some grocery staples to the house. Mainly I was after milk, but I also purchased some oat milk to use in my overnight oats. I picked up some chocolate as well.

I know my father suffers from the same affliction as I do after eating Indian food. WE both crave something sweet. It’s the only food that I have to make sure we have chocolate in the house before we order it. Today I wasn’t expecting to eat Indian, so I was caught off guard and ordered some along with the milks. Post Indian meal satisfaction has been achieved.

My writing mentor both do something interesting with their non-fiction books. Which isn’t suroring because they are married. But what they do is write article length blog post on a subject they are interested in, currently researching, or they are currently experiencing. Later, they will gather these posts and compile them into a book. They’ll add some introductions and make sure the chapters all flow together well. They’ll often add some extra chapters that didn’t appear anywhere on their blog.

I find that a fascinating way to write and create books. Certainly, they are not the first people to do this. Back in the day writers would collect magazine or newspaper articles into books in the same fashion. I just think it’s an interesting way to think about this blog. I don’t have any blogs that are about a particular subject, but it might be fun to write a blog post as if it were an article. About what? I have no idea at the moment. Something to keep in mind for the future.

Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. It’s the last day of my layoff. We are saying goodbye to one of the kids when we take her to the airport in the morning. It’s the start of writing my first novel, followed by the start of my return to work the following day.

I’ll be figuring out a new schedule again. Trying to balance my writing goals with my work responsibilities as well as getting enough exercise and maintaining a healthy diet.

I think the diet might be the hardest to control. I have taught my wife plenty of ways to cook healthy pan sheet dinners. She hates to cook. I mean really hates to cook. So, finding something she was comfortable to make has been a win. And the stuff she makes is tasty and healthy these days.

But in order to meet my desire to eat healthy at least 80 % of the time, I’ll need to control my breakfast, lunches and all the snacks in between. One trick that worked for me last time I was at the studio was to have an insulated mug filled with sweetened green tea or ginger tea. A big 500 ml mug. I’d sip on that every time I felt hungry and filled my belly with tea. It kept me satisfied most of the time.

Boiled eggs are another snack that works well for me. Particularly in the morning. I’ll boil 6-8 eggs and leave them in our fridge. They make a quick breakfast that keeps me filled up or a quick snack when I get the munchies at work. And I get the munchies at work all the time. Both the tea and eggs are relatively cheap options as well and who doesn’t need a budget conscience option in the day and age.

I will look forward to the twenty-minute walk from the station to the studio as well. There are few place I used to stop to get healthy food when I didn’t have the time to prep. I think it’s good to have these to keep me on track. One place of Front Street sold really good vegetable breakfast sandwiches. Another stop for me was Rabba Fine Foods. I could pick up two boiled eggs and a cup of fresh fruit for less than seven dollars.

Meals like that keep me from getting tired and groggy at work. And when I do get that way, I tend to seek out the free coffee. The studio had a nice espresso machine last time I was there. The only problem is the caffeine in coffee can make you crave food. So, I try to avoid it. But sometimes tea just doesn’t fit the bill, and you crave that stringer flavour and that caffeine boost.

It really is amazing all the things that keep popping up in mind. Things I’ll need to do to keep myself on track this year. I feel this year is going to be an important one for me on the writing side.

But, because it’s the one area of my life where I am the only one who invested in becoming a writer it could easily take the back seat. No one else is waiting for me to write the next book. No one is begging me to complete the next story. Therefore, I have to stay extra vigilante and make sure I am showing up and carving out time to learn and practice.

Time for me to get to bed. Up early to get the kid on a plane.

Goodnight! And Good Morning All!