h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow. -- "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare

How much longer can I put this off? No longer, it seems. It's time to finish this.

It was with a bit of trepidation I signed up for the NaJoPoMo challenge here on HooToo. I didn't expect to stay the course because I've had so many other projects hanging in limbo over the years it's almost comical…or sad…or plainly a sign of procrastination. All that unfinished business is one of the reasons I said "Yes" to the challenge: to prove to myself I can actually ~do~ a scheduled series of writings.

Honestly, I don't think I could've pushed through the whole month without a little bit of pre-planning before the challenge kicked off. Sitting down to consider the types of things I'd feel comfortable writing about took some of the edge off the project; it gave me a defined path with milestones and enough prompts to put me at ease with each session of writing. I confess there were a couple of times I flew by the seat of my pants, but--for the most part--I stuck to the schedule of topics, though I shuffled a few because I drew a blank and had to work them at a later date. Just having the basic framework in place kept me from panicking, though, because I ~could~ trade out topics as necessary. So, the 2-column table of dates, paired with a title and a short set of blurbs to jog my creative juices, paid off in aces!

I now have a real sense of accomplishment for seeing it through to the end. It feels good. Yet, it also feels a bit awkward. "Why?" you might ask.

I think it hails back to my teenage years, when I used to build scale models. I built everything from the battleship Bismarck to a Romulan battle cruiser, from a Husqvarna trail motorcycle to a Frankenstein's monster diorama, from a USAF F-106 Delta Dart fighter/interceptor aircraft to an Opel GT fastback coupe automobile. If it entailed plastic parts, paint, and lots of lemon-scented glue, I was working on it. And--oh!--I enjoyed the process of building each one of the models. The attention to detail they required is what I thrived upon. I'd sit down with the illustrated parts breakdown and the parts tree, then ensure everything was available. Next, I'd check my supply of paints and level of thinner, then make a list of any new or replacement colors I'd need for the project. Condition of the brushes? Buy new ones if needed. How's the tube of glue holding out? Get a new one if there's an inkling of running short. Rubber bands, clothes pins, drop cloth? Check, check, check. All systems GO!

And--as I said--the process of assembling the model was sheer joy. The day of completion was a day of celebration and showing it off to my parents and to my friends. Then came the day after, when the model found a home on a shelf. I'd often pull one down and gaze at it, reveling in the special touches I'd imbued it with, or noting the tiny flaws in my workmanship and promising myself to "do it better next time." As the days passed, after finishing, I'd experience an odd sort of malaise and an unrequited longing. The feeling would linger until I found another project to dive into, immerse myself in; something to occupy my time and challenge my skills once again.

I know that crazy feeling is going to happen again, as soon as I hit the "Submit" button for this posting. I've already experienced some of the same tendencies with these Journal Entries as when I'd finish a model. I've gone back and re-read each one, weighing the merits of the information presented, gauging the style in lieu of the subject, noting the syntax and grammar, catching the odd misspelling (bath, instead of bathe), and printing each one for inclusion in a portfolio to chronicle this effort. I've reveled in the completion of each one; I've felt the pangs of moving ever forward to the next one. And the malaise is still waiting for me, skulking in the shadows, expecting me to fall into the same trap as in years gone by, intending to wash over me and bring me to my knees once again. This time, though, I'm prepared.

I've promised myself out as a "galley slave" for my wife. A--- has actually done the NaNoWriMo competition this year; it's her first attempt and she has worked it marvelously! She concentrated her efforts upon it often, and multi-tasked at other times in order to add to her story. She surpassed the requisite 50k word count and will submit her document for validation a day ahead of schedule. She's motivated like that. But now she needs someone to peruse it and edit it for SPAG. I'm her man!

Not only the editing job, but the renewed interest I have in picking up the threads of the stories still unfinished. These tasks will stave off the melancholy of the "aftermath" of all this work. It has been fun, and I thank those who conceived the idea for getting us all involved. This exercise in writing has revealed a number of things to me about how I do this, the mannerisms I drag into the process, the flow and tenor of the words I use to get ideas across, and the format in which I present the tales. It's been an eye-opening experience, and for that I'm eternally grateful. Now…on to the next writing project!

B4Iclose,realizingthatperhapstheendinghasnotyetbeenwritten†



† Myst -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158814/quotes



http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/brunel/A426692

{Yes, I know this doesn't work in the Posting, but you ~could~ use it in your Personal Space introduction.}

Your posts have always been very thoughtful, and very thought through and I've appreciated that, B4. Congrats to you, and to your wife of course!

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