Work’s been on my mind a lot. By the time this is posted, I’ll already have begun my regular work shifts again. But as I’m writing this, the dread is still kicking in. The thought of having my time and activity restricted and forces me to revolve my day around something that I don’t feel enriches me is annoying. It’s the grind that people talk about a lot, I guess. But it won’t be all terrible. I know that I’ve said this before. My schedule isn’t completely terrible anymore and the workload is a lot lighter than it was before. The workers are a little more mild and quiet, so that will hopefully leave a lot of time for me to work on things that I do care about.

	And I’m sure that I’d have complaints if my job were something writing related. Different complaints, of course, but complaints nonetheless. Work is work, after all. But I think that I’d feel a lot more fulfilled if my work were primarily writing related. 

	I’m sure you all have heard enough about my complaining on this topic.

	So, in an abrupt fashion that I’ve become quite familiar with, I’d like to switch gears and talk about something else. 

	I’ve recently decided to actually go through with voice recording. I used to run a nonsensical podcast, loved being an announcer with a video game group I’m a part of, love giving speeches, and have had the idea of audio stories in the same vein of old timey radio entertainment, and, as I’ve mentioned before, I do like talking. I have the equipment and software to record, so it only makes sense to me to do something with it.

	But that’s another thing to organize and plan out. It’s sort of exciting to think about - the logistics and planning of productions and such have always interested me. But at the same time, it’s somewhat exhausting, especially with all of the other stuff that I’ve got piled onto my plate. The first thing that I think about is what I should even record. And the obvious answer is my own work. It might help me with my writing overall, especially after realizing that I don’t put nearly enough description into my settings. The only thing that’s holding me back from doing that is, I think, that embarrassment felt when revisiting old work. Maybe a light touch of that perfectionist mentality too. Though, not too much, I think. Although, thinking about it now, maybe the perfectionist mentality is the cause of feeling embarrassed. Of course, I’d love it if people wanted me to read their works. I actually got a nice message from someone on twitter who really enjoyed my reading of their work. That was a good little boost of confidence for me. 

	I’d also love to go through with making audio stories - writing scripts and thinking of what sound effects and music to add to immerse listeners into the story. It’d be a lot of work, though. Maybe that would be a project for later when my creative endeavors can actually be something that sustains me. 

	All of this is, of course, second to the ezine that I’m still planning out. Something else to use my downtime at work for. I think one of the biggest issues that I’m having with it is that I’m looking farther into the future than I should be. I’m focusing on things that are pretty much moot at this point, like selection processes, legalese, things like that. How can I come up with that stuff when I don’t even have a solid name or writing parameters down? 

It may be the result of wanting to control something. I think that a lot of negative behavior in people comes down to wanting control over something. And maybe that’s why I’m so prone to thinking farther into the future than I should, because I don’t feel like I have a good grasp on stuff in the here and now. It’s a circle that I’m trying to work on.

        But anyway let me cut off that line of thought before it spirals. That’s where I am this week. Just trying to cope with returning back to reality and trying not to mourn the time that’s passed with bad habits. This week’s posts may be stilted as I try to adjust to work again, but I’m aiming to post at least two flash fiction pieces set in The Gemlands and the Cupules Valley. If you’d like more content from me, follow me on twitter @powernuggets. 

        And if you’re looking to do some writing of your own, might I recommend the #FromOneLine tag on twitter? It’s a wonderful challenge that really makes you think of the words you use, different ways to say what you want to say, and how people may interpret your words. They're great writing prompts to help you practice being clear and concise.