A Blog Post
I find myself at a loss today.
I was going to try to avoid anything remotely political or even socio-political, and instead mention that I've put together a print collection of my historical novellas. Three of the novellas have previously been in print, but had been allowed to go OP. And the third, "This Rough Magic", has never been available in anything but digital.
I read an article recently in Publisher's Weekly about "digital fatigue" and the ongoing decline of ebook sales. I've never stopped loving and collecting print books, so I have no idea whether digital fatigue is a real thing or not. Clearly declining ebook sales are real and can be graphed, but they don't seem particularly relevant to me. My sales have stayed pretty steady -- there's just that little problem of not being able -- motivated-- to write.
I'm still not exactly sure what's going on there. Am I just giving into laziness now? Am I more burnt-out than I realized? Or is this a natural lull in my productivity? I don't know. There's really no one to consult.
Is it depression? Is it a product of the fear and anxiety the TV serves with my morning coffee? Yesterday yet another young black man was shot to death by police. And today comes the news that five police officers were shot to death by snipers. The world seems increasingly violent and irrational -- and going on Twitter sure as hell doesn't help.
The world has always been violent and unpredictable. You don't need to be a history major to know that much. And the world is always in flux. Some things get better, other things get worse...and there's no guarantee we won't blow ourselves and the planet up in the near future.
But really...that being the case, what are our options? We can go on Twitter and harass and blame each other for not caring enough or not expressing ourselves properly. We can perpetrate our own violence in the name of...what the fuck ever. We can tune out entirely.
Or we can continue to do the best we can with the resources we have.
We can try to practice the tolerance that we preach. We can stop jabbering on Twitter and try actually contacting our political representatives. We can focus on improving the space around us -- and leading by example. Not in a grandiose way, but in a simple treat-others-as-you-wish-to-be-treated way. Because if that actually ever could happen all across the world? All our problems would be solved.
Just treat the people around you the way you want to be treated.
Don't be so godawful stingy with your understanding, your forgiveness and your compassion. It's not like any of us are in a position to judge. (And anybody who thinks they are in a position to judge is a big part of the problem.)
Today I am focusing on what is right in the world. What is good.
1 - Law and Order (because anarchy doesn't work)
2 - Gardenias
3 - Mockingbirds
4 - Tacos
5 - Love
What do you have to say for yourself?
I was going to try to avoid anything remotely political or even socio-political, and instead mention that I've put together a print collection of my historical novellas. Three of the novellas have previously been in print, but had been allowed to go OP. And the third, "This Rough Magic", has never been available in anything but digital. I read an article recently in Publisher's Weekly about "digital fatigue" and the ongoing decline of ebook sales. I've never stopped loving and collecting print books, so I have no idea whether digital fatigue is a real thing or not. Clearly declining ebook sales are real and can be graphed, but they don't seem particularly relevant to me. My sales have stayed pretty steady -- there's just that little problem of not being able -- motivated-- to write.
I'm still not exactly sure what's going on there. Am I just giving into laziness now? Am I more burnt-out than I realized? Or is this a natural lull in my productivity? I don't know. There's really no one to consult.
Is it depression? Is it a product of the fear and anxiety the TV serves with my morning coffee? Yesterday yet another young black man was shot to death by police. And today comes the news that five police officers were shot to death by snipers. The world seems increasingly violent and irrational -- and going on Twitter sure as hell doesn't help.
The world has always been violent and unpredictable. You don't need to be a history major to know that much. And the world is always in flux. Some things get better, other things get worse...and there's no guarantee we won't blow ourselves and the planet up in the near future.
But really...that being the case, what are our options? We can go on Twitter and harass and blame each other for not caring enough or not expressing ourselves properly. We can perpetrate our own violence in the name of...what the fuck ever. We can tune out entirely.
Or we can continue to do the best we can with the resources we have.
We can try to practice the tolerance that we preach. We can stop jabbering on Twitter and try actually contacting our political representatives. We can focus on improving the space around us -- and leading by example. Not in a grandiose way, but in a simple treat-others-as-you-wish-to-be-treated way. Because if that actually ever could happen all across the world? All our problems would be solved.
Just treat the people around you the way you want to be treated.
Don't be so godawful stingy with your understanding, your forgiveness and your compassion. It's not like any of us are in a position to judge. (And anybody who thinks they are in a position to judge is a big part of the problem.)
Today I am focusing on what is right in the world. What is good.
1 - Law and Order (because anarchy doesn't work)
2 - Gardenias
3 - Mockingbirds
4 - Tacos
5 - Love
What do you have to say for yourself?
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Yes to doing the best we can each and every moment. Good is making someone grumpy smile. Good is watching my son's look of horror at the veg in his plate :D
First of all: THANK YOU for the novella collection! I've already bought it and am looking forward to stories I have wanted to read for a long time but couldn't get my hands on in print. This might be only a little drop in the pond, but it's a positive and productive thing you've been doing and it counts - perhaps nowadays more than ever.I would guess that the news really get you down these days. I avoid them first thing after getting up and try to only read / watch what's absolutely necessary to know what's going on in the world. It's violent and depressing and one can't absorb it all.
I'd agree with the above post about seeing a doctor. Do you know if you have enough vitamin D? I had some kind of burn out syndrom a few years ago and my doctor found out that my vitamin D levels were practically non-existent. It's very easy to cure.
And twitter is insane - so much hate. It doesn't matter if people post about politics or their favourite tv show, it soon escalates into nasty tweets and lots of negativity.
You're on the right track with focussing on the good things in life.
Best wishes!
on the night of september 11, 2001, i sat in my hot tub enjoying the quiet of the evening. no planes flying over head. now, i could have sat in my house and watched more news, but what would that have accomplished? a horrible tragedy for sure but what could i do? horrible tragedies happen every day to someone, somewhere. am i to lament on every bad thing that happens? or go about my business? we do what we can when we can. most people's fear and anxiety is about what has happened (the past) or what may happen (the future). and what is left? well; now. the present. every single person i see who expresses fear and anxiety are basing those feelings on the past and future. you want to feel good about something? take a homeless person to a diner. practice selfish altruism. stay at home and watch gardenias grow. really. contemplate that.
Hi Josh! Is the collection also available in digital format? No way I can get the print in my country so I'm lucky that the digital format exists and have no fatigue at all!
Hello, Josh!I seldom read blogs and this is only the second time I've ever posted a comment on one, but I accept your challenge, and would like to nominate one thing that I think is good with the world: your incredible writing.
I only know you through the tales you tell, the characters you've created and your very skilled prose. Whether digitally or in print, I have read nearly every tale you have published and have recommended you to my literary friends. I am constantly astounded by the variety of your plots and the range of emotion expressed and portrayed by your characters. Were I bold enough, I might profess to be your #1 fan, but I'm not sure I prefer to spend the time or energy it would require to defend that claim against the millions of others who would refute it for themselves! We can share...
I also share the malaise you suffer regarding the current state of the world: the violence, the politics, the needless and bitter bullying of everybody who proposes a different opinion or lifestyle. As a very private person, I tend to shy away from social media of any kind - including blogs - and it's been my experience that many, if not most, writers tend to be shy or private...introverted...as well. How else could they (you!) create so three dimensionally on the two-dimensional page. However, I would hate to think that you would waste your words and emotions on the ears of a therapist.
Not to suggest that your writing is in any way autobiographical, I can't imagine that you don't at least occasionally work through your emotional challenges by writing...as you've done here...about a difficult or obstructive situation. And not to suggest that you should attempt to recreate any of these violent events in one of your tales, but the raw, gritty nerves that have been exposed should be put to some beneficial - and healing - purpose. What could be better than constructive retaliation?!
Josh, you make the world a much better place when you tell us the tales that show us who we are, who we can be and how we can come together. I hope that you can use what you're feeling to help us all get through this...
Thanks for your enlightening contribution to the world!
Sincerely,
Don
First off I would just like to request/ beg you to please, please, please stop watching the news. All it's good for is depressing people. Hell, it even depresses ME, and I never get depressed. I get bummed out, sure, but never that bad. But you have a point there about treating others the way you'd like to be treated, and not being so quick to judge. "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" as my grandma used to say. And, yeah, you're right that maybe if everybody did that the world would be a better place. I quote Ducky from NCIS: "If society focused less on what separates us and more on what we could learn from one another, then we'd stop killing each other. THAT is what I pray for. " And I have to admit that I pray for that too. So, yeah, I think you should focus on what's good in life; I find myself doing that a lot these days since my father- the only person to remind me to always look on the bright side- had passed away. Depression isn't conducive to writing, I've also found out. So take a break from the news, and watch some Blue Collar Comedy Tour, and see what happens with your writing, okay? I hope you'll be having a better time, and I wish you nothing but the best in life. (You're one of my all-time favorite authors!
i'd say this was a depressed moment, and you need to get some sleep (everything feels worse when you're tired), but this has been ongoing from what i can tell from your posts.
i'm going to say to you what i would to any of my friends. definitely see a doctor and get a check up. have your thyroid, hormones, blood sugar, and nutrition checked. a lot can go wrong without you realizing, something i know from personal experience. and yes, sounds like you are clinically depressed. a lot of things mascaraed as depression, so get evaluated.
also, when's the last time you unplugged? social media (the new s/m) can take a toll, and maybe it's time to go on a short sabbatical - including a media break. with all the blogs and publishing you do, i would be worn out too. i'm not saying turn into a hermit, but do something new that allows you to get a different perspective.
i'm sorry if i'm overstepping here. i don't comment much, but i hate to see you suffering like this. as one of 'the quiet ones' who follow you, i know there are a lot more people with hugs and silent support lurking in the shadows.
::giving you all the hugs::