April 2020 - Welcome to Inadvertent Consequences

The title says it all, I am currently struggling with my latest short story, which is weird because it should totally be in my wheel-house. This is my second foray into Sci-Fi instead of the Urban Fantasy stuff that seems to come so naturally, but the story idea popped into my mind a few weeks ago and refuses to let go. Sort of like a tick.

The basic premise is a hot drop from orbit into a very hostile LZ. Heavy armor suits with built-in Intelligences to aid the driver. Stout defences…oh, and the protagonist has survived 13 prior drops (against all odds).

The first 8 or nine pages came easy, but after that I’ve slowed to almost a complete stop. Which is too bad, really, because I had intended it to be my Q3 entry for the Writers of the Future contest.

The sad thing is that I absolutely love Military Sci-fi, gobble it up every chance I get, aaanndd I spent 5 years active duty in the US Army. I know these characters inside and out. So what’s the problem? I wish I knew. Maybe it’s because I do love this genre so much that sub-consciously I don’t want to fuck it up? Or maybe its because of the fact that I can relate to these people so easily that I dread the bad things I’m going to put them through? Who knows, I certainly have no idea.

I will persevere. I have refused to allow myself to set it aside and work on something else (trust me, I do realize that this is not a good idea) even if that is the easiest way out. Something in me has to finish this story…no matter what. Now I just have to follow through.

It amazes me sometimes the things one finds out about oneself in the process of telling a story. Even if you don’t think that the character(s) resemble you at all you discover differently as you go through the process. Self-improvement/therapy on the cheap anyone?…:)

Like many of you my family has been on voluntary lockdown for several weeks. And like many of you we are slowly beginning to lose our damn minds. School has been out now since the middle of March (and as of yesterday has been scrubbed for the remainder of the school year), which truly sucks for my daughter as she had just made the varsity fast-pitch softball team.

As for my wife, her company decided early on that their employees should work from home, and we already had a home office set up for her use so the transition was fairly seamless.

My situation is slightly different. I work for a large medical company that owns a few of the local hospitals, and while everyone in my office is now working remote, that is not really an option for me. Part of my duties are the tape backups of critical systems and this requires that I be on-site 4 days a week. I chose to just work from the office every day instead. Why? A couple of reasons. Firstly, I have a dual-monitor set-up that is necessary because I have a small 13″ laptop and my eyes just aren’t up to squinting all day. Secondly, I have conference calls every single day and having the option to use speakerphone makes my life easier. And finally, with the wife working remotely and the child doing remote school work, having all three of us in the house would be far too much. Multiple conference calls and such would be a PITA.

One of my brother-in-laws was laid-off due to Covid-19, and my mother and sister were “furloughed” yesterday. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that they will not be the last people I know to be let go during the havoc that this disease is causing.

We try to get food to go from local restaurants at least two or three times a week, mostly because doing so might mean that someone will get to keep their job. I could cook every night, but this is a choice I make willingly. I encourage anyone who can to do the same. Many of these workers barely make above minimum wage and not having a job is a disaster.

Not being able to go to a movie, or out to a sit-down meal is an inconvenience, but it’s not the end of the world. And yes, being in constant never-ending contact with your loved-ones can become burdensome and irritating, but just put it in perspective: you could be in a hospital fighting for your life instead.

I have no idea how long this pandemic will affect my life. It has already forced me to change my plans for a trip that I was planning to take in August, and I have no doubt that others are in the same boat. God knows the economic impact has yet to be truly felt, and where it ends up is anyone’s guess.

Hang in there. Help out where you can. And above all else, be patient…my suspicion is that this wave won’t be the last.

Month: April 2020

Struggling with my new story

Lockdown (Corona virus part deux)