You know your October is crazy when it takes you until mid-November to recover enough to even reflect back on it. But now, two weeks later, I think I can nearly breathe again.
October has always been a busy time for me. As a horror writer, it’s the height of the season for the genre. As a Halloween lover, I have a million traditions to which to adhere. My children are getting old enough to have their own activities. So my social life and author work in the autumn month are consistently madness. However, this particular October crossed my threshold.
The difference? The day job went haywire as well. Inopportune timing!
So I did #31DaysofHorror and #Hallowear online. I attended the Telluride Horror Show for the first time. In addition to doing non-horror things like hiking to the summit of Pikes Peak. Plus HALLOWEEN! It was all fantastic, to the point of being euphoric. However, the month left me an overstimulated shell of a person. Mentally, my brain was completely wasted. Physically, I was simply exhausted.
So, it took me half a month to recover from my October. This is not a bad thing. I am not complaining. I would not trade that October for anything. Yet, in all its fun and frenzy, it did teach me about myself and my limitations. I learned that I can be too busy, that I might need to draw the line and balance against the requirements of my day job. I also learned I do not want to take a picture of myself every day.
But I survived, and I think I have recovered. Just in time for the holiday madness! I only hope to find the time and inspiration to draft some new horror. There has been no time for writing, and my brain needs to get lost in new stories.
Fiery Pen 