It's Good to be the King

It's June 1st. I've been "off" from work since January 31st (the day after I got laid-off). That's a good 4 months of down-time, which I've used to 1) complete/revise my book and 2) start the process of finding an agent, which will lead to the publication of the book. It's been a great run, I must say. It's been a taste of the King-life (as in Stephen King, as in supporting yourself as a writer and only a writer) and I have to admit: "It's good to be the King!"

Basic Daily Itinerary:
5:10am - Wake with Carlos
6:05am - Drive Carlos to Hoboken so he can catch the Path
6:58am - Arrive home
7:20am - 12:30pm - Turn off the TV and write...
12:30pm - 2:00pm - Research and Query agents
2:00pm - Law & Order starts on USA Network

To sit and write, uninterrupted, for 5 hours straight is heaven. Granted some days, complete and utter shite makes it to the computer screen, but that's better than nothing at all. And it's a hell of a lot better than not having the chance to do it, either.

Time, that's all writers ever want (well, fame and fortune, too, but you gotta have the time first). But, in the "careful what you wish for" vein of existence, more often than not, when we get the time, we tend to freeze-up from the pressure of having to produce actual writing. "I have only this amount of time to get something/anything written...ugh!" and we sit there paralized. It's like the insomnia-circle of thought: "if I fall asleep now, I'll get this much sleep," but of course you don't so in about an hour you start the whole mathematical process over again, which is just more pressure. It's all just great fun!

But 4 months is more than enough time to relieve the pressure. You know that you have time today, tomorrow, the next day...so you're able to write, and write something other than shite, you are able to write your book, the novel that's been trapped inside of you for all these years and for some unknown reason (which you loath to speculate upon) the stars have aligned for you:

• January 2008, your company's portfolio is purchased by a new company, who instills their personal choice for a new CEO
• new CEO hates your boss and, consequently, you
• July 2008, your boss resigns
• new CEO bides her time until the market/economy takes its toll on your company and the portfolio
• January 2009, the powers-that-be decide a cut needs to be made, which gives the CEO the opportunity she's been waiting for
• January 30th: you get your walking papers (with 3 months serverence)
• January 31st you wake up with buckets of time sitting next to your bed

It all just falls into place, as it should be (one of my most oft repeated phrases). It's good to be a fatalist, as well as the King. you know it all happens for a reason and that reason is to be a writer, in the truest sense of the word: you sit and write.

The past 4 months have been a taste of a life that I will/do strive for on a daily basis. And it shall come to fruition. I too shall be the King!

Jeff