Hello Friends,
While I know it is only mid-May, not early July, I've been thinking a lot about the phrase “the point of no return.” I am writing along on several projects. One has just passed the halfway point and I will soon be starting book 4 of the Austen Chronicles. The plan is to have six in the series, so as soon as I write the title page, (the only book in the collection to have a one-word title) and the dedication page (there can be only one person to whom I would dedicate my books), I will be at the mythical “point of no return.”
That whole phrase just sounds ominous, doesn’t it? On paper, it means that it would take longer to go back than it would to go forward, but in writing, that isn’t true. The first three books are written. Book 2 has a publication date and book 3 is with the editor. I am not going to undo those books. I am not going back. I am not giving up. That isn’t really an option because I love doing the work. Being past the mid-way point should be a positive thing, not a negative one, but for some reason, we have this idea that moving forward toward a conclusion is a chore, not a reward.
When I read War and Peace I didn’t get to page 613 and say, well, I can’t possibly stop now because I only have 612 pages to go. I could have stopped. I read about 350 pages in Stephen King’s Under the Dome (1047) and called it a day. I didn’t care about those folks and hoped they stayed trapped there forever. Because I didn’t finish reading, for me, they did. With War and Peace, I just didn’t stop because it wasn’t a chore. It took effort, but it wasn’t painful in any way. I quite enjoyed that book. Would I read those 1,225 pages again? I think the odds are way higher of me reading that again than, say, Anna Karenina (864) or Les Misérables (1462). I have never rooted more for the demise of the main character in the former and cared less about the intricacies of the Paris sewer system in the latter, but still, they were well-written enough and compelling enough that I read on well past the point of no return. For those, it felt like a challenge, but never a chore. I can promise that I will read Atlas Shrugged (1192) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1137). People can @ me for liking the former and think I am a nerd for the latter, but in both cases, I learn something new each time about myself and the world in which we live even though one is science fiction and one is high-fantasy.
I think the word chore comes into play here because it also has a negative connotation, and in this case, I am all for that. I don’t think cooking, or cleaning, or keeping my life orderly is a chore. I do think doing work in the yard is a chore. I live in a condo now and I wouldn’t ever have a lawn again. No, thank you. Getting to the halfway point of the lawn was the point of no return. I do think sitting in a four-hour meeting is a chore. Getting to hour two is a win. I have considered how many fingers I was willing to break to be rushed to the hospital to get out of a meeting. I have yet to break any, but I have seriously considered it. I have a point of no return with fireworks. I would like them to be over now. I find them fascinating for about 5 minutes and I am done. I know. I’m a monster, but they are a grind.
I am a firm believer that words matter. I love words. I am typing words now and you are reading them sometime in the future, but also now. Time is fun. I’ve changed some words in this newsletter from draft one to this final draft. I wanted each one to matter, to do something even if it seems insignificant, it matters to me, to this essay, to this experience we share.
Sure, I am going to be sad when The Austen Chronicles ends. I am going to be sad when the other projects I work on end. I am going to miss doing that writing, but things come to an end and something new comes to life. How many shows outlived their welcome? How many sketches on Saturday Night Live are just one minute too long? Maybe, instead of people thinking about the point of no return, people considered the writing, the creating, the whatevering as part of a fun journey. Maybe along that journey you have elevenses and hear Tom Bombadil sing. Remember, it doesn’t end in Mordor, it ends in the Shire. Anna may meet her fate under that train (finally!), but we see Kostya and Kitty (I’m not making that up) have a happy-ish ever after (It was Russia after all how happy can they be?).
Doing the writing is so fun. I love it. I love to do it. To think about it. To talk about it. To share it with others. It is a journey where the midway point is just the midway point. Time for a small break, and maybe a nap, but not time to lament “having” to do more work. I get to do more work. The journey should be a joy, not a chore.
Notes from my bookshelf
I recently finished a brilliant social commentary hidden in a collection of short stories called The Black Girl Survives in This One. It is a horror collection, so it isn’t for everyone, but it was a joy. Short story collections are often a mixed bag, but the weakest one here was still really good. In preparation for a series of appearances I did on the 20th Century Geek podcast, I read the forgotten classic This Island Earth. The movie is still really, really bad, and we talked about that on the show, but the book is so much better than it has any right to be. I am certainly doing a deep dive into Raymond F. Jones’ catalog.
Notes from my keyboard
I am just past the halfway point on a secret project and I am enjoying the journey. It is a totally different style of writing from The Austen Chronicles. It is nice to know I can write in a different voice when I need to. Also, a few years ago I had a short story published on The Fictional Cafe's website. It was such an honor. I am thrilled to be included in the print collection of the “greatest hits” from those years. The book is called The Strong Stuff Vol 2. From Fictional Cafe to the real world with a coffee table book. I can’t believe it. Finally, if you have not picked up your ARC of That Other Dashwood Girl or Comics Lit. Vol 1, you can do so here. All I ask is that you leave a review on Goodreads after you read the books. If you want to wait to have the books in your hands, you can pre-order them as well by clicking the links above.
Thank you again for being a subscriber
ARF
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