A Cautionary Tale

That 2^nd short story collection won’t be out for the holidays.

Sometime in 2020. Maybe for summer reading—or maybe in the fall. I’ve made much progress, but lots left to do.

Also coming in 2020, a month happily lost to a 40^th anniversary trip! Life beyond writing

Here’s the thing–perhaps a clue to those inclined to the mistakes I made:

• A self-imposed deadline as a motivational tool
• Well thought out (seemingly) steps with due-dates
• Forgetting that stuff happens, bumping the agenda
• So, an Eagle Peak Annual delayed three months by care of another and illnesses of my own
• Extensive planning required for that 25-day trip in 2020
• A week away to a Florida retreat in December—planned and booked a year before

One might suppose that some authors with several books out can reliably predict when the next one will be out. Others, not necessarily. Less likely is the writer who has published only two. That includes me.

Self-motivation and discipline are essential for an author—especially a self-published one. I have those. What I don’t have is a crystal ball to predict events that overcome a publishing agenda. So, if you have a life beyond writing, here’s my tip to you: don’t be too free posting far-off book releases. More so when few words have been written.

I have publishing goals for the next ten years (year by year). They need revising. From now on, I won’t confidently proclaim, many months in advance, when those books will be out.

Still, the least I can do is repost a poem from five years ago.

Meeting Death in the Kitchen

In the darkness before dawn, I see Death in the kitchen

Draping itself casually upon a chair, penetrating blackness beckons

Yes, come then, get your glass of water—you have time for that

Ahh—just a sleepy eye deceived, a sweater left behind

I must speak to her about that