But sadly it's true. The last proper post on this blog was 30th October 2017 (a piece about my memories of 1996). Since then - nada. It's...well, disappointing to say the least. It feels like time has been getting away from me - as if suddenly there is a lot less of it to go round. Did I wake up one day and someone has lopped 5 hours off the day without any notice?
So what went wrong? I'm sitting here on holiday for the first time in 12 months and I thought I'd try and work it out. After all, from looking back at published posts across the last four years, sitting by the pool with my trusty laptop is where I have seem to have done a lot of writing. Maybe the sound of crickets in the bushes and the breeze wafting through the trees will inspire me. So apologies if this turns into a bit of a self-therapy session...
You see, it's not just this blog that has suffered from a lack of progress - I'm also way behind on almost all of my interests. TV shows, films, comics, novels, audio dramas - everything is in a queue that seems to get longer and longer. The only thing I seem to be up to date on is podcasts - and that's only because of the 20 minute walk to and from work each day and listening to them while I mow the lawns or paint the fences. Then there's those ideas I have for a novel (inspired on by my good friend Iain Martin). I have lots of concepts written down and the start of a plot, but that's all sadly.
I could blame work. Or personal circumstances (and goodness knows my life has been full of a few seismic events lately - try having your house flooded for one). Or perhaps I've been more interested in other things (not that I know what those "things" might be). But I know those are old excuses and can't be used forever - and I think the problem goes deeper than that.
If I'm brutally honest, I do have previous form of not finishing things. There is a litter of uncompleted video games for a variety of different consoles and platforms sitting in drawers or cupboards. Some even date back to the 1990s. I have shelves full of novels or comic collections which I bought with every intention of reading them, but...well, you know. There are DVDs and Blu-rays still in their cellophane that I haven't got round to watching yet. I will, I promise myself. One day, when I have more time.... It sounds crazy but I may have even sold or given away stuff that I never watched or read!
But before you think I am the world's greatest procrastinator, I have finished *some* things. A few novels (though not as many as I'd like). A handful of TV series (albeit probably way behind everyone else). I actually worked my way through the whole of the first three "Uncharted" games on PS3 (told you I was lagging behind the zeitgeist !). I've even read some actual comics in there somewhere. Oh and remember I managed to watch 800 episodes of Doctor Who in a row. Then again, that did end back in 2016. Bugger.
I also know I have a big "collecting" bug - some might even call it a compulsion. Having to complete a set is a big thing for me - even if I then don't ever do anything with it except watch it slowly gather dust on the shelf . This bug also comes in waves. I can break the compulsion if I need to (or am forced to by lack of space or moving house or financial constraints), but it then just manifests in some other form. Right now it's hardcover collections of top rated independent comics (which I have digitally and take up no space, but, boy, those huge books look great...). A couple of years ago it was Doctor Who figurines (I stopped after 110 and too many Daleks). Before that it was something else. Back in the '80s it was buying every new DC comic title published (which was a huge amount). The thing is, I'm making the situation worse, not better, by adding even more things to the bottom of the pile.
Then there are the lists. Cataloguing things is also a particular pleasure for some reason. I love a good list - dating back to my youth when I started to write down the titles of comic book stories in a loose leaf A5 binder. Such were my innocent days before the internet, and it continues now in more electronic form. Some are useful, especially when some items are in storage in boxes, but others, well some might consider them a step too far, perhaps even (dare I say it) anal.
Another point is that perhaps that I have too *many* interests. So I like pretty much all forms of SF and Fantasy, including but not limited to: novels, comics (though almost no superheroes), video games, movies and television shows - plus associated websites, podcasts, magazines and a smattering of toys / figurines / collectables. But I also like a lot of more "ordinary" TV output too - things that my wife and I watch together like "Mindhunter" or "The Grand Tour" or "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver". If I am spreading myself too thin across too many options, no wonder there is a far greater chance that I will not be able to keep up with things, let alone write about any of them.
Let's not even start on the time spent playing games on my mobile phone, looking at websites (especially the horribly addictive eBay) or using social media. How many hours do I spend doing that now? Probably a lot more than I'd like to admit. I've doubtless squandered several hours a week. Bit by bit I'm using up free time.
It's also worth considering that in at least the TV and movie arenas, the rise of streaming services and the dominance of mega-budget superhero shared worlds has meant that SF&F genre fiction is now more mainstream than ever before. Every week there seems to be another new Netflix or Amazon show that piques my interest. Surely there isn't anyone that can keep up with it all - unless they are fully retired from work, live alone and never need need to go shopping, clean the house or cook for themselves !
Wow. It's a lot when you write it down like that.
No wonder I feel like I'm never getting anywhere - and clearly I need to pare thanks back a bit - given the limited number of hours in the day. Plus I actually want to enjoy the things I'm "consuming", rather it becoming akin to a swamp I just need to wade through.
So let's try something like this -
- watch an episode of something every day
- read a whole novel every week (or every two weeks if it's a very large book)
- listen to a podcast or part of an audio drama on the days I travel to work
- read part of a magazine / graphic novel before bed
- watch one film a week
- write *something* once a week - even if it's not published. No timetable. No deadlines.
- play video games only if there is down-time at weekends
It all sounds great in theory. So let's assume that after my holiday ends I still have the capacity to write something for this little blog that no one is even reading anymore. What would that even look like? Well like pretty much everything else I'm mentioned today, there is a list of uncompleted items -
- Golden Sunsets - I've done 30 out of 50. I'd love to finish this personal history and maybe even update the early ones slightly
- The Book Tower - at the very least I want to review the last three "Winterhill" books.
- Collector's Dream - There are two comics pieces that are more than 50% complete.
That's a good start. I'll be ecstatic if I can accomplish even half of those things compared to what has *not* happened over the last two years.
Right, enough waffling and self-reflection. Time for a swim, some relaxation and good food with good people...
Here's to the future !
Here's to the future !