Novel Progress, Physical Regress

I have been hard at work on my novel for the past five months and have already completed 18 chapters.  Not bad considering that I work full-time (though the job is only temporary), have recently moved in the past month, and have sometimes battled fatigue in order to force myself to sit in front of my laptop and start typing even though I would have rather been in bed napping.

Unfortunately, I had to make some very valuable sacrifices: 

1. Time with my family
2. Time away from exercise

Naturally, the first sacrifice I have listed could have landed me in the cathouse...no, I do not mean a brothel (though I did become quite familiar with those back in the days as a strapping young Marine who visited various ports of call and actually survived to tell the tale!).  I mean an actual house that was designed for my wife's cat breeding business (we breed Cornish Rexes, a most wonderful, beautiful pure cat breed!).  But there is no A/C in said cathouse, although there is plenty of pussy prancing around (no pun intended, of course!  ;) 

Luckily, my wife and daughter have been somewhat supportive about my novel.  They could certainly be a lot worse about it.  So I am very fortunate in that regard.  :)

The second sacrifice is the one I am most worried about right now.  My weight has gone up from 240 pounds to 260, ever since I started writing 2018: An Uncivil War.  And I feel easily winded while pushing veterans around in wheelchairs in my job as volunteer at the VA.  Maybe I should call my novel:  "20 Pounds Later:  An Uncivil War".  :(

An old friend of a Marine officer I once served under used to be a fairly popular writer in his own right.  His name was Asa Baber.  Some of you out there may know him as the former editor of the Playboy Men's column.  I once read an article by him that mentioned the importance of working out regularly.  He stated that his mind was always so clear and that he literally wrote better when he'd had a good workout the morning prior.  I hate to say that I have let him down.  He passed away several years ago.  And it broke my heart. 

I actually arranged for him to be a guest speaker at the Defense Information School.  I wish that I could have been there to see him give his speech.  But my class had graduated months before.  The funny thing is that his appearance at the famed school of military photojournalism caused quite a controversial stir!  Women government employees and officers alike picketed his arrival, I heard.  But in spite of the controversy, Asa was a great guy!  I'll never forget him.

So as a wrap to this blog entry, never let writers tell you that writing is easy.  Time is a commodity that writers always have to manage well in order to keep their lives in good balance.  Maybe this is why there is a lot of single writers out there.  But I don't expect to be one anytime soon.  :o