“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.~John Muir, American environmentalist
I did not publish my memoir on Sunday night as planned, and I’m okay with that.
Why? Sunday turned into family time. My husband and I went out on an excursion to local towns. What I thought would be a few hours in the afternoon turned into a full day and night on the road. Family time is important. So is Pokémon GO.
I’m a tad embarrassed to admit that I played Pokémon GO all day Sunday rather than write. Dedicated and real writers write. I played a video game. I also got an afternoon of distraction-free time with my husband. Yes, we stared at our phones sometimes, but while driving, we had time to talk. No laptop. No social media. No work. No cleaning. No cooking. No TV. Just us. All that and a great bonus structure because of the failed PokemonGO Fest in Chicago on Saturday. We walked and hatched eggs. We drove to nearby towns to find unusual critters. I leveled up to Level 35 early afternoon, and by the time he pulled into the driveway, I was 80,961 XP closer to the 1.5 million needed to get to Level 36.
During the day, he talked about his work and challenges with projects. I talked about my writing and goals for this memoir. This all led to discussions about Star Trek conventions, our parents, next year’s anniversary trip to Disney, jobs, house expectations, Penn State football and more. I would not have experienced this with my nose buried in my laptop.
Am I unreliable? This was a self imposed deadline, something that allowed me plenty of time for social media and marketing leading up to the annual Star Trek convention in August. Now my promotional time will be shorter, but I will have a better product.
I also decided to hire a cover designer and an editor, trying out services on Fiverr. The artist who created my Dad Memoir cover is still available, so I contacted him. I’m scanning the list of editing gigs to try someone out. I wish I could say this was delaying publication, but I keep editing and editing. Fiction removes words; memoir adds words. When I am done, I will have a book that I can say “I am finished.” I’ve given myself 4 total rewrites before an editor gets it. I’m on edit #2, so it’s time to get writing.
