Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Back to School

Today is officially my last of summer break. Faculty meetings start tomorrow, and registration begins Thursday. Classes start on Monday. That means less blogging and visiting blogs. At least for a while until I get a new routine established.

It was a fairly productive summer. I did finish a book, although I'd hoped to do a few short stories too and did not accomplish that. I did sell a few reprints, which is always nice. I also did not get as much reading as I would have liked done, and that is largely due to playing lots of Skyrim when I took breaks from the writing.

Unfortunately, next summer will not be as free. Given an analysis of my sales, I realized that I can't really afford to take entire summers off to write anymore. I'll be teaching at least half of next summer. Just too many costs and not enough going in to the coffers. I hope I can maintain at least half the summer free to focus on writing.

Off to visit blogs now on my last free day. Then I've got errands to run and some preparations to make.

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31 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Enjoy your last day of freedom. Bummer you'll have to work next summer, but bills come first.

Tom Doolan said...

Skyrim is like crack.

Here's hoping you have a good year, Professor Gramlich!

Adventuresfantastic said...

So far I've managed to avoid getting hooked on Skyrim (so far). I started back yesterday and have meeting this week before classes start Monday. I doubt I'll get much blogging, reading, or writing done before Worldcon.

Good luck with your semester. I hope it goes well and you can find some unexpected time to write.

Angie said...

What Tom Doolan said about Skyrim. :)

Happy Last Day of Freedom; I hope something awesome happens today. {{}}

Angie

Victorian Barbarian said...

My summer reading including finally getting around to :"The Witch of Talera," which I bought when it came out but had never read. I quite enjoyed it!

Charles Gramlich said...

Alex, indeed true.

Tom, yep. I'm gonna have to break away from it.

Keith, I know I'll find a few hours here and there. It's the consistency that is lacking, of course.

Angie, yep

Victorian, thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.

Cloudia said...

Something tells me you will enjoy the new tempos & textures as long as Lana is there to share it:-)

Your posts & visits always feel special. You just be around as you can, Charles. Have a good semester



Aloha

David Cranmer said...

Rest, Charles, Rest.

Jessica Ferguson said...

Hope you have a good year, Charles. And find a slot for your writing and blogging. The summer went fast.

We're back in Louisiana and I'm out of my Oklahoma writing routine. I feel a little lost.

Charles Gramlich said...

Cloudia, I'm hoping it will go smoothly.

David, that's what I'm trying mostly to do.

Jessie, I don't yet know what my new routine will become. Guess I'll see.

Ty said...

Sorry to hear you won't be "around" as much, and that you're facing limited writing time in the coming year or so. But Skyrim will always be there waiting for you. ;-)

As will we.

Riot Kitty said...

What is Skyrim? Finishing a book is no small feat, incidentally. Hope you enjoyed today and here's hoping for more sales, too.

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

"Back to School" — that's one thing I never liked to do after summer vacation in April-May. I hope you have a good run this semester, Charles. Is this the beginning of a new academic year in the West?

pattinase (abbott) said...

Faculty do not teach in the summer here any longer so it's not an option. Grad students and adjuncts do it for a pittance. Hard times indeed. Have a great semester.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Faculty do not teach in the summer here any longer so it's not an option. Grad students and adjuncts do it for a pittance. Hard times indeed. Have a great semester.

Erik Donald France said...

Good luck, man ~! In similar situ, as far as meetings and start-ups.

Huzzah ~!

jodi said...

Charles-doesn't time fly? Maybe a compromise between teaching half time and leaving some time for writing? Sounds like a great summer all in all!

Charles Gramlich said...

Ty, that's a nice thing about a fantasy world, I guess. :)

Riot Kitty, Skyrim is a video game involving sword and sorcery themes mixed with some other stuff. There are dragons, but also vampires and werewolves. It's a huge world with a lot to explore.

Prashant, it is. Most colleges start around this time. High schools a little earlier.

Patti, since Xavier is primarily an undergrad university the faculty still have the option of teaching in the summer, Pay is smaller but can be a help

Erik, ate least we got 77 new majors, which continues our run as one of the biggest majors on campus.

Charles Gramlich said...

Jodi, it sure does. I will probably try to teach only half the summer if I can manage it.

Greg said...

Hope this school year is a good one! Congrats on finishing the book.

- Greg

the walking man said...

You need to bone up on your Bukowski history lessons, especially the chapter about bill paying.

He told a story of some of the Beat Poets coming down to Southern CA to meet him. They spent time on the pier drinking and purchasing sexual favors and returning to the pier for more drinking. This apparently went on for 3-4 days. Then when his more famous poetical brethren were out of money he sent them back home to SF.

Ron Scheer said...

You'll probably never read this, but my thoughts go with you, having had those mixed end-of-summer feelings that come to those in that academic-year cycle--students and teachers. No mistake, teaching is hard work, and dedicated teachers need every day of vacation they can get from it.

When I taught the occasional summer, I found myself burning out long before the regular year was over. Then you're younger and stronger. Forget I said that.

BernardL said...

New faces, new challenges, and I'm sure you'll pick up on some characters in your classes. With all the exposure to the 'New Adult' genre, maybe now's the time to start writing a new novel in class. :)

Charles Gramlich said...

Greg, thanks, man.

Mark, hum, maybe I'll come to stay with a Detroit poet for a while. :)

Ron, I taught summer school the first twenty years at Xavier and really really burned out. I certainly wouldn't like to do it again but it looks like I'll have little choice.

Bernard, hum, there's an idea.

ivan said...

Trimester blues.

I tried teaching for twelve months straight one year, and predictably, went mad.

Hell loves the over-stimulated. :)

laughingwolf said...

life has a way of worming into arts and crafts... need to do something about that ;)

Charles Gramlich said...

Ivan, after we came back from Hurricane Katrina we did about twelve months straight and it was exhausting.

Laughingwolf, yes indeed.

Travis Cody said...

Today is my last free day until the end of Nov. In between I have an intense end of third fiscal quarter combined with a series of meetings and training for a new system implementation coming next Feb.

Good luck with the start of term.

Charles Gramlich said...

Travis, free days are precious, and far too short.

Oscar Case said...

Have a good year in the classroom, Charles!

Charles Gramlich said...

Oscar, thankee.