The half-way point

Time is ticking away. I’m cognizant that Sabbatical 2.0 has hit the halfway mark. I’m amazed that we’re here already. It’s going very quickly. Sabbatical 1.0 was only set for four months and I can’t imagine going back to work in just four weeks. Fortunately, I negotiated in an extra couple of months into the new-and-improved version, so I’m not staring that date in the face just yet.

So how’s it going? Despite being basically stuck at home, I’m loving it. I’m writing, I’m reading and I’m even getting many of those “I’m too busy to do it” jobs ticked off the list.

The good news? I’m sleeping better, walking more and far less stressed than I have been in recent years. And my whole family now has at least the first dose of a COVID vaccine in our arms. The bonus? My daffodils and then my wisteria bloomed beautifully this year. And I was here to see

The bad news? I’m still writing from home, and I’m not sure that I can figure out a safe way to travel before my current return date. It’s possible, if all the stars align, but I’m not counting on it. It’s taken me quite some time to come to terms with that, but I have. And I’ve learned that I really can write from my house. I didn’t need that exotic location after all.

The best news? I have a fully formed draft of the book that I started working on last summer. It’s currently in the hands of a few trusted family members who are finding my (many) mistakes and giving me good feedback of where it needs trimming or expanding. At the very least, they’ve told me it’s an enjoyable easy read and that I won’t embarrass myself by taking my little story further. Phew.

While they’re toiling away for me, at the amazing cost of nothing but love, I’m about 45,000 words into a second book, parts of which I’m loving more than the first, and I’ve been scribbling down ideas for a third. When I first started musing about writing a book, I wasn’t sure I had more than one in me. Now, I’m quite sure that I do, which is an exciting thing to think about. Who knows when I’ll really write them, but if nothing else, they can fill up my retirement years when those eventually arrive.

Now none of these books (I still can’t believe I’m thinking in the plural!) will ever be the next “great Canadian novel”. They’re light, fluffy things; not glamorous, but more down to earth. And I hope, sellable. So now the next question becomes whether I try and pitch my first to a real publishing house, knowing that most manuscripts end up in the slush pile, or whether I go the self-publish route. I have a whole lot of learning to do on that front. It would give me a whole lot more control, but also comes with costs, starting with a developmental edit.

Whichever route I take, I am thoroughly enjoying this experience and I’m so glad that I was able to put myself in a position to take a chance on myself. The next big challenge for me is to let someone else hold my “baby” in their hands, and to be prepared to hear that it’s not as pretty as I think it is.

So I head into the back half of my sabbatical, looking to learn, looking to continue to stretch and maybe enjoying some patio meals with friends sometime soon.