Chafing at the status quo

The status quo is this: I've been absolutely slammed at work because I'm currently the only full-time attorney at my agency, which requires, at a minimum, two full-time attorneys. I hope and expect that we'll hire another attorney eventually, but it wouldn't surprise me if the process took six to twelve months. Meanwhile, our kids are still little but seem to grow up faster every day, and the younger continues not to need as much sleep as the rest of us. Combined, these factors have severely limited my potential writing time, of which I'm not making the best use, either, because it's so much easier to escape by reading or by seeking a sense of community on Facebook or Twitter.

The status quo is good. My wife and kids are truly wonderful, and these years are ones to enjoy. My job is difficult but important and provides adequate compensation and benefits. It also seems as secure as any right now. But my dream of becoming a successful writer--dream, hope, intention, calling--seems to be indefinitely deferred, and thus languishing. I've been at peace with this in the past; I am, after all, still young as writers go. But I may be allowing peace to slide into complacency, and that cannot stand.

When a situation fails to meet expectations, we have three choices: (1) change our expectations; (2) change the situation to the extent we can control it; or (3) be at peace. For now, I'll continue to be at peace, but I also need to change the little things I can control now, e.g. by refocusing on writing as a priority, if in fact it is my priority, as opposed to being a skilled user of Facebook and Twitter.

Who is Robert Rhodes? A writer or a pseudo-writer who's squandering his time and talents? That's the question I need to answer--not in my mind, but by my actions.

This weekend, I aspire to be thankful for my freedom, yes, but also to use it with wisdom, passion, and discipline.

Cheers,
RR

The twitterverse

I've succumbed and opened a Twitter account: rrhodeswriter

Thus far, the twitterverse seems a fascinating place. Am following established writers such as Neil Gaiman, Jeff VanderMeer, Jay Lake, and Tobias Buckell, as well as practical entities such as The White House and The CDC. (Am also following someone posing as Darth Vader and someone's cat--but hey, the cat is rather hilarious.) Much potential here, if and when I publish the next story/stories and the elusive first novel.

Speaking of which, am leaning toward going full-bore with Misericordia. (To oversimplify: humans versus vampires after a 150-year truce. Classic fantasy elements ... but not your classic vampires. Also, abundant room for exploration of social Darwinism.)

Cheers, RR

Lean times in fantasyland

And though that caption could apply to the effect of our current economic doldrums on a certain Magic Kingdom in Orlando, it applies equally to this author's writing progress. A number of factors are responsible, not the least of which are our younger son's refusal to sleep a reasonable number of hours per night and our older one's battle with chicken pox and other forms of schoolhouse fun. Conventional wisdom for aspiring authors is to write for a certain period, however brief, every day. No excuses, no exceptions. Conventional wisdom, however, has never had to raise our kids.

That said, my plans are unchanged. As Andy Dufresne proved in The Shawshank Redemption, it's simply a matter of quietly tapping the hammer against the wall, night after night after night. I imagine some parts of the wall were harder than others, particularly at the beginning. So be it. I have one story ("Devotion") awaiting publication and two others ("Death by Water" and "Love & Winter") on submission, and my stash of ideas is far greater than my available time. I plan to write and to write things good enough to allow me, in time, to become a full-time writer. I have faith that "in time" also means this will happen "at the right time" (which could be at a time when many more people have the time and money for indulging themselves with fantasy literature).

Speaking of fantasy literature, the magnificent site FantasyLiterature.net (for which yours truly is a regular contributor) has republished my interview with Rogue Blades Entertainment. I hope you'll read it HERE.

'Tis the Season ...

Those scoundrels at Rogue Blades have published an e-interview with yours truly in conjunction with the re-release of The Return of the Sword. It has fewer calories than a fruitcake and can be found HERE.

I wish everyone a joyful and restful holiday season and a productive new year. May we get every good thing we desire ... and give more than we get.

Light and rain

A gorgeous, strangely warm November day. In the evening, the reddened leaves above our neighborhood wove an illusion of lavender light. Two items of note. First, the manuscript of "Love & Winter," returned with a form rejection from a major magazine (disappointing, as it's a tale that I thought deserved some positive comment, even in rejection). But second, a surprise via UPS at dinnertime: a contributor's copy of the full, 4-volume edition of Books and Beyond: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of New American Reading, which includes the essay on sword-and-sorcery with which Howard Andrew Jones generously asked me to assist so many months ago.

One will simply have to imagine the expression on my face when I discovered the set retails for $400.

I'm reminded that people, a group that includes most writers, need both success and failure to grow and to empathize with others, just as simply as plants need both sunlight and rain. Some days, it seems, bring both ...

The hardest part ...

... is indeed rejection. I learned last night that "Love & Winter" is not one of the winning entries in The Writers of the Future Contest. I'd been trying, though, to prepare myself for that outcome during the last six weeks and am (very nearly) at peace with it. The Contest will continue to hold the story, in case the anthology has space for one or more non-winning finalists (who are still invited to the workshop in L.A., so this chapter is not entirely closed).

The sun is shining beautifully today, Halloween festivities are on for tonight, and I have countless other things for which to be thankful. And this story will see the light of day eventually, in the best possible place, for the ideal reader(s). All is well. Now, in the glorious turning of the seasons, I need to turn my attention to other works ...

The waiting is almost the hardest part ...

... second only to rejection. Be that as it may, however, I'm thrilled to announce that my tale "Love & Winter" is one of eight finalists for the current quarter of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. The eight stories will be forwarded to four authors/judges, who will select the top three ...

And wait till they see my swimsuit!

Wonderful news after a grueling day of court.