Flexible

 

books waiting to be mailed (photo from earlier this year)

It's a bit...fun...self-publishing your own books.  Not only do you get to write the thing in the first place, guide it through publication with the assistance (if you are wise) of an editor, you then get to market it.

During the 'birth' process there is a whole lot of 'wait and see' that happens.  Waiting while alpha readers give feedback, editing, feedback, editing, feedback, editing, finally you have relatively 'clean' copy and you trepidatiously send it off to an actual editor for the final polish and application of lipstick.

It is said that an author never actually finishes writing a book, they simply, at some point, *stop* writing the book.  If they didn't, the damn thing would never see light of day.

So a book gets written, and in between and around doing that, other things also need to get done.

As I wrote the documentation for the sectional beaming class for SOS, the document grew and grew and grew as I thought of yet more things that I felt needed to be said.  In the end, I wound up with a monograph - more than 20 pages plus photographs.  

I won't say it's a comprehensive document, that would have taken a lot longer and me doing a lot more digging than I was willing to do, but it's as comprehensive as I could make it within the context of supporting the video class.  And of course, not everyone will want to do things 'my' way, but perhaps they will see a hint or tip that helps them?

Will I publish it separately from SOS?  No.  If you want it, you can pay SOS $25 for a month's membership, take the class and refer to the supporting documentation provided.  

The coming two weeks are...fraught...with a number of things.  I got another box of Olds homework and there may be two more arriving soon.  The HVAC system will be installed next week, the craft fair and guild sales are happening, and I'm still dealing with three different therapists plus the pain clinic, trying to get more functional.

I can still weave, so I'm doing that as best I can in between juggling multiple medical appointments, including the cancer clinic on Thursday.  I don't think the cancer is back, but I'm in an extremely rare remission which could end at any time.  Like the Sword of Damocles, the prospect of that little life challenge hangs over me.  Living with cancer isn't fun no matter which cancer, or your prospects.

And life keeps lobbing curve balls.

So I try to pause, take a breath, think through what needs doing 'first', then concentrate on doing that thing.  I keep doing my exercises, hoping for more strength and hopefully functionality.  I keep on doing the slow and steady thing as best I can, in spite of my desire to move on to other things.  And not beat myself up too much when I need an afternoon nap.  

It doesn't do to get stuck in what you want to do when another curve ball comes blasting at you, so I dodge and change my expectations.  

Most of all, I keep going.  Because as Winston Churchill supposedly said, if you are going through hell...keep going.