An Ordered Life?

I came across this glaringly apropos quote while checking my email this evening: “Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.” -Gustave Flaubert

 

The Steady and Well-Ordered Part

While absorbing these word, in the back of my mind sat the knowledge that I needed to write a blog post for tomorrow morning. I never leave my posts to the last minute, I know better than anyone that life can easily get in the way and make it so that doing things at the last minute is not only incredibly difficult but also nearly, or sometimes totally, impossible. Today is a good day though –obviously, since you’re reading this post.

I am an organizer. It is both wonderful and frustrating. Wonderful because I know where everything is, I rarely have to scramble, everything is planned three steps ahead of me, and surprises are minimal; and it provides the illusion that I am always on the ball. Frustrating because it’s time consuming, requires diligence, requires forethought, and requires planning. This week I am not organized, because life roundhouse kicked me in the butt and I am still dusting off my rear and dealing with the bruise.

Last Wednesday night my computer spontaneously shut down and decided it wasn’t turning back on. Ever. I didn’t freak out –high fives for me. When I realized it wasn’t a problem I could solve on my own, I knew I needed to replace my machine sooner than I had intended. I’m lucky I have generous parents who were willing to buy and give me my Christmas gift early. I took my old computer to tech people and prayed to the universe that all of my documents could be recovered. My last few backups failed and I didn’t put the newest pieces of work and research in my drop box like I had intended. Frickety frack. Yeah.

But all went well! The tech people said my hard drive had barely been able to give up the goods but the goods they did give up. Phew! With new machine in hand –a week later– and all of my work in front of me I am finally able to breathe normally. Yet, I’m still not organized. Why, you ask? Because my computer meeting it’s well-earned retirement isn’t all that has changed in the past few weeks.

I now have a full time job I have to work around –why does that feel like an oxymoron? Not to mention it’s holiday season, people I’m friendly with expect to see my face occasionally, appointments and errands are necessary, my house and clothes don’t clean themselves, my body doesn’t magically get the exercise it needs while I do nothing, and pets require attention. Oh, and I need food and sleep to survive.

It’s only week two so I’m allowed to be feeling out of sorts but I sure hope I get the rhythm of this new routine soon because my life is totally unbalanced and barely ordered at the moment. Granted, after this weekend the organizational part will be fixed (by golly it better be!!), but the balanced part feels like it’s going to be a long time coming.

 

The Fierce and Original Work Part

Um, my work can’t be fierce or original if I have none. I’m afraid writing has been pushed off the to-do list entirely recently. Between work and commandeering my mom’s computer for sporadic periods of time, no writing has been done for some time. This post is actually the first bit of writing I’ve done since I started at my new job on the 3rd of December, and the HOURS of research I put in the day before seem so insignificant in the time that has passed. Luckily, I have a project in mind that really needs to be done. That ought to get me in gear and willing to put writing on the table.

All in all, Monsieur Flaubert’s words have effectively made me feel small and pathetic. Awesome! Time to get cracking and practice BICHOK: Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard.

Ciao.

 

 

Thanks to Shoshanna Evers for the BICHOK acronym, found in How to Write Hot Sex.

Oh, and the project I need to get done also needs attention from readers! Please, check out What Follows and support us if you can: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1869717111/what-follows-a-fantasy-anthology