Do not disturb…
The Brown Recluse — Harmless when left undisturbed. Just wants to be left alone.
C.E. Grundler
…I’m disturbed enough already.
I’m finally rounding the last turn on the long rumoured third book, Evacuation Route, and it hasn’t been an easy process. And while life has thrown a number of obstatcles on the tracks, I’ve pushed on to reach this point. What’s the saying? If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. And while I’m not happy with how long this book took, I’m thrilled with how it’s turning out, and I’m taking the lost time as a learning experience on multiple levels. But enough of that. Dwelling on the past doesn’t change it, though learning from mis-steps and mistakes is one way to theoretically avoid them in the future.
At this point, I’m reaching a point where a nice stretch of time with as little interuptions from fellow humans or life in general would be ideal. More than just ideal. Yeah, basically I want to just lock myself in a room, hunker down over the laptop, and edit until my fingers bleed. Any intrusions from the outside world would at best be regarded as an unwelcome distraction and met with a less than civilized response. (See photo above.) I need to bug (arachnid?) out and go Walden on the world. But going away to do this would be more work than it’s worth, so I’m taking the opposite tack — I’m locking the doors, closing the blinds, shutting the phone, and basically retreating until this process is over. Sounds like a plan, right? My goal is to go full-blown crazy shut-in writer/recluse/hermit, breaking only to eat/sleep/bathe when absolutely neccesary and NOT to re-emerge until this round of work is over. That should probably keep fellow humans at a reasonable distance until I’m once again safe to approach.
As with any journey, (even when you’re not going anywhere whatsoever,) proper preparation is key. So let’s see what I have:
Somewhat flaky Writer – Check
No longer flaky Laptop – Check
One big messy draft in need of a good beating into shape – Double Check
Ass – Double-wide — I mean Double-check.
Chair – Check (Place ass on chair and get to work.)
Large supply of High-caffiene tea — Check, but no longer permitted. *sigh*
Decaf Tea — Check, but it just ain’t the same.
And here’s what I need:
To be left alone. Approach at your own risk. I’m serious.
Assorted snacks and meals that can be prepared and consumed with minimal effort.
The plan is short of fire, flood, or falling trees (it’s that time of year again,) to lock the door and not reimerge until this storm has passed. To literally not venture out, aside from walking dogs, checking the mail, and taking out trash, until I’m done. So, fellow writers, tell me. What provisions do you like to have on hand for this sort of single-hand passage?
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