Write On!

Dog Days of Summer

Every year August seems to appear out of nowhere.

And August means the end of summer in the northern hemisphere. That used to be September, but somewhere along the way, things got moved up. 

My birthday is in August. It's coming up pretty soon. And when I was a kid, I always looked forward to this month. But as an adult? Not so much.

Especially because I am a teacher.

To all you kids out there: your teachers dread the beginning of the school year just as much as you do. 

It's not because I don't want to work. I actually like my job quite a lot. My coworkers are awesome, my principal is cool, and the overall vibe in my building is pretty positive. Every place has its hiccups and stressors, but if I had to choose between going to work or being a stay-at-home parent, I would definitely choose work.

It's the change in routine that I don't like. The unknowns. This year my job is changing a bit, which brings about a bunch of uncertainties. I'm taking a position that's not in the classroom. Instead, I'll be a resource room teacher. In many ways this will be an easier gig, but I've never done it before, so I'm not 100% sure what to expect.

And even if I wasn't changing roles, every year there is a new schedule and a new batch of kids. There is always a lot of work to do on the front-end to make sure the year is set up for success.   

Which, of course, means less time for Wattpad.

Maybe that's really what I don't like about August. I always enter the last stretch of June with big plans for myself. Huge writing goals. 

And then reality sets in.

Or really, my mind gets inundated with a bazillion ideas. Like, writing this blog, for instance. And instead of focusing on one project, I let my imagination play.

God, I love writing. I love new projects and exploring ideas and thinking about scenarios and what-ifs. It's better than watching TV or playing video games or reading books.

But then August comes and I have a bunch of half-started outlines, some of which I will re-visit, and others that will never see the light of day again.

I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?

Funny story: The Queer Rebels is an idea that I first started doodling about in December 2013. I went back to it and tweaked it a bit in both the summer of 2014 and 2015. It got up to around 3,500 words. Then I forgot about it until June 2023 when I was asked to pitch ideas for a sci-fi/fantasy romance. And now it is a Wattpad Originals story that is going to be around 90 chapters long.

So, who knows what idea will sprout and grow into something meaningful. If I had all the time in the world, I would want to develop all of them.

But none of us have all the time in the world. Even if you don't have to worry about making end meet or raising kids or other obligations, time is always finite.

That sounds depressing. Especially because my birthday is coming up...

But it is also a reminder to focus on what you love doing. And, as I write this, maybe it's also a reminder to stop thinking so much about what "success" means and worrying about my follower count and engagement percentages.

Okay, good talk, everyone. Thank you for reading! And if you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, I would very much appreciate it.

Also, the video on top is of me and my dog. Her name is Bailey. Although she is a doodle, we got her from a local rescue back in May. She is around a year old and has lots of energy and loves to play, but she is also a very good girl who loves to snuggle.