Rebooting

The lingering ear infection and cold have knocked me for more of a loop than any illness I’ve had in recent memory. Most difficult in all of this was the fact that I seemed unable to read or write. But I think I am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and just in time, too. We head off on vacation in a week. So far in December I’ve written fiction on only one day: December 1. My attempts at 500 words a day have, since then, been completely stymied by my illness. I’m hoping to get back into the saddle in the next day or two.

I’ve also started back on my Golden Age reading. I postponed Episode 29 of my Vacation in the Golden Age by two weeks because I couldn’t keep up with the reading after getting sick. Today I started up again and I am on track for the new date for Episode 29, which is December 26.

Of course, as we close in on the end of the year, I’m starting to look at my writing for 2011 and comparing what I wrote to my goals for the year. Things don’t look good this year, and so I’m thinking about ways for improving next year. You can expect a post on that.

The illness has also reminded me that we don’t heal as quickly as we get older–and that I am just a few months away from turning 40. I feel like I’m in pretty bad shape there, too. And it was just 4 years ago that I was in what I consider to be the best shape of my life. It seems a reboot is required there as well, and I’ve been thinking about that over the last few weeks.

I’m most anxious to finish the first draft of the novelette/novella that has given me such trouble this year, and which I’d finally found my footing just before I got sick. I still plan on having the draft finished by the end of the year. Ideally, I’ll be able to send off the story in January, but we’ll see how things go.

A few weeks ago I wrote a flash piece in a single sitting, 900 words or so. Editing and sent it out all within about 90 minutes of getting the idea. I received a rejection for the story earlier this week, but it contained a note that read, “This story was an ‘almost.'” Not too bad for 90 minutes worth of work, start-to-finish!

I’m really looking forward to vacation. We’ll be heading off to warming climes, as we do each holiday, and we’ll have 10 days to relax. The kids will be with us, of course, but so will the grandparents and that makes things easier.

And warm sunshine can’t hurt, either. Kind of like Superman recharging his powers from the yellow sun.