Friday, February 27, 2015

Blogging Break Due to Work

I haven't been around to visit blogs for several days, and when I stopped into my feed this morning I had close to 400 posts to look at. I'm afraid I just didn't have the strength and marked them all as read. Sorry for that. I know many of you spent quality time developing those posts and I generally like to give them their due. This week it was just impossible.

I've often described my job as feast or famine. I might go through a week without a lot of paperwork, then get three weeks' worth of it the following week. That happened to me over the past five days, with papers coming in from my writing class, two tests to develop for next week, and half a dozen research proposals to evaluate. Add to that some health related issues, and a sudden surge in emails asking for my input on writing related issues. I'm hoping to get back to blogging this weekend, but Monday through Thursday of next week may be a problem as well once I give those tests and start grading them.

I did zero writing of my own this week, but on occasion a writing related thought has been able to get through the haze of work. I was thinking this morning about fiction and this little phrase popped into my head. It's just below. What do you think?

Fiction = character, clothed in language, embedded in story.

Later.
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23 comments:

Lisa said...

I think you are a good blog friend, a good writer, a good teacher, a good husband

Unknown said...

Be well . . . 'nuff said.

sage said...

Glad you are alive and well, even if busy. I suppose it just won't do to give a multi-choice test in a writing class :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

My job is feast or famine as well - I understand!

Cloudia said...

Write it as a formula!
E = Mc Charles works too hard.



Good to have stuff to do. Keep it on a leash (the leash is mortality)


ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=

BernardL said...

I like your fiction = line. Taxes are another distraction this time of year. It's very hard to resist mixing fiction and fact in that distracting entity. :)

Oscar Case said...

Take a well-deserved break Charles. Life is too short to work yourself into an illness or worse.

SzélsőFa said...

Sure there is a time for a break. You are a generous blogging buddy. ... Your last post led me to the SFPA page and I read the winners. An interesting read, indeed.
(I did not understand every word or get the meaning of the poems, but the feeling was worth it ;)

Charles Gramlich said...

Lisa, thankee kindly.

RTD, thanks.

Sage, unfortunately no.

Alex, I like the famine better.

Cloudia, lol, indeed

Bernard, yeah, we're getting all our stuff together for them now.

Oscar, yes it is.

Szelsofa, the flow of poetry is sometimes enough.

David Cranmer said...

I admire you even marking 400 as read, Charles. 400!

Alt? Fiction = character, dressed in language, rooted in story.

(Nah. Your take is better.)

Charles Gramlich said...

David, it's a work in progress.

Riot Kitty said...

I like it.

And I took a break because a cat bonked me on the nose, so work is a really good reason!

Unknown said...

Charles, I hope you (and your many dozens of followers) will take time to visit the newly reconfigured Beyond Eastrod:

http://beyondeastrod.blogspot.com/

Formerly a "literary" blog, B/E is now 100% crime-detective-mystery fiction, and I hope you and your legions of blogging friends will navigate to B/E every now and then. Hey, crime is more fun with accessories and accomplices!

jodi said...

Charles-No worries-do what ya gotta do!

Vesper said...

Charles, don't worry about it and be well.
I like your definition of fiction.

Charles Gramlich said...

Riot Kitty, I never thought of the cat approach. I will now.

RTD, I will. Glad you didn't move the address again.

Jodi, aye, tis true

vesper, thankee

ivan@creativewriting.ca said...

...Can identify.
In a similar workoholic situation many years ago, I went to my department head and said I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
"Just you?' he had said.
"Look up February blues."

Charles Gramlich said...

Ivan, I've been getting closer and closer to that.

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

Charles, perfectly understandable. I hope you are keeping well. I have been off blogging myself. Too much going around.

Charles Gramlich said...

Prashant, I've got more tests coming up this week so it never quite seems to end.

Lux G. said...

I hope you're well. Hope to see you back and read more from you soon.

Erik Donald France said...

Excellent little phrase. Pithy.

Good luck with all and sundry~>

Charles Gramlich said...

Superlux, thanks.

Erik, appreciate it, man.