I saw an old friend and co-worker at Bill’s novel writing class last night. She looked fantastic! When I left the company, she looked exhausted and crumpled into herself. I worried about her and about all of the people I was leaving because the work environment was so hard and did so much damage to them. I felt lucky that I could leave to pursue my own dreams.

Almost two years later the environment has changed. Part of this is due to removing bad management but I suspect some of this is due to the competitive environment that companies now have to compete for workers in. She is well-treated and happy. She’s lost weight and looks vibrant. I’m so happy for her and for the rest of my friends.

However, the last month has been a difficult period for my writing. I’m a year and three-quarters into my novel-writing career and even if I discount the first six months when I had many things to do associated with my father’s death and the needs of my family, I’m still more than a year into this. I’ve started three novels, one of which I fired for cause early in the first year. The other two are in a difficult place and some days writing is so difficult I can’t remember why I started.

Today LinkedIn notified me that one of my old colleagues had posted a job that I would have killed for five years ago. It’s in my sweet spot. So, I hesitated before closing it. But that part of my life has passed. I am living my dream and part of that dream is overcoming difficulties associated with writing and publishing. I can never have the sweet, sweet joy of overcoming if I don’t pass through these difficulties.

Dean Wesley Smith wrote a blog post a few days ago that really speaks to me. He said:

Reaction to failure makes your success. 

That’s not all he said, of course, but that is the gist. It’s a good post and worth the read.

♥♥♥

Healthy eating continues without too much drama. It’s been much easier than I anticipated. I particularly enjoy Brussels sprouts laced with balsamic vinegar and mustard for breakfast. After two weeks I’ve lost six pounds and am sleeping better.

I’ve upped my backpack training weight to a 30 pound pack and, while it’s not an easy burden, it’s also not terribly hard. I can carry it for about an hour and a half without fuss, perhaps more. Tomorrow we have a long hike and it will be my first long one with the extra weight. I’m interested to see how I do.

♥♥♥

Writing in Public blog streak… Day 17

— Short Fiction: 00 new words.

— Novel-Length fiction: 1354 new words.

— Blog Posts: 489 new words.

— Editorial Work: 00 words.

— Year of Short Fiction Goal: 3 short stories finished and sent out by year end.

— Novel Goal: 1 complete novel by year end.

Healthful Eating Streak: Day 14