Lack of progress

Best-laid plans and all that …

By now I was supposed to be in the final stages of editing. In reality all that has been on pause since the end of January.

I mentioned last time that editing, for me, is the hardest part of the writing process, and that means summoning up a lot of energy. My energy and motivation have taken major body blows this year.

There’s the obvious generally sucky world situation. I knew a second Trump term was going to be a rough ride, but never imagined the depths he and his administration would sink to. I could choose to simply get out the popcorn and sit back to watch the clown show, ignoring the awful human cost of events south of the border, but his recurring obsession with Canada is hard to stomach. His attacks make it personal for me, and impossible to ignore.

Then there’s work. We are in dire financial straits and every item of spending is under a microscope. This means hours writing up justifications for everything we need just to keep essential services running, and weeks waiting for approval. Every week brings a new nail-biting situation as we push for permission to renew a key software license before it expires and brings a website down, or try to find someone in our diminished workforce with the time and ability to meet an urgent business deadline.

It all adds up to my mind being elsewhere right now. I’m not making an excuse, but it is a reason. I’ll work through it. I will get my shit together. I enjoyed writing The Videshi Dilemma and I will get back to it. It’s just taking longer than planned.