Lately, I’ve felt a little bit like the woman in the photo. I’ve been trying to juggle so many balls that I’ve lost control of the rhythm and they’ve fallen down around me.
That’s going to be my excuse for not sending out a “Tomes and Topics” last week, if you happened to notice.
What balls am I attempting to juggle? Mostly, they involve writing, so I’m really trying to keep them all in the air, and I’m thrilled that there are currently many balls in my juggling routine, but I don’t want to drop one simply because I can’t keep up.
I’ve shared on here some recent feature stories that I’ve written, and I’m going to share another one for my paying subscribers because I think you’ll find it interesting — especially if you were or are a fan of “The Simpsons.”
Another of my feature stories will be appearing soon in the Norfolk Daily News, so that ball is no longer in my juggling routine, nor is the one that I’m including today for paying subscribers.
However, I have two more feature stories that I will be interviewing people for next week as well as then writing the stories. Those stories will likely run early in October, so those balls are still in the air.
I have my regular column that I write twice a month and for which I’m also actively trying to find more newspapers to run it, so those balls are constantly circling. I also write this (“Tomes and Topics”) and “Cognate Cognizance” each week, and I attempt to add chapters to my YouTube channel, but, alas, that is a ball that I drop far too often.
I am working on two in-depth feature/historical pieces for “Living Here” magazine. I feel like two over-sized balls got tossed into my rhythm with those. The one that will run in the winter edition is about the history of the Norfolk Public Library and is due mid-October. The one that will run in the spring edition is about the history of Ashfall Fossil Beds, and while it isn’t due for a while, I want to get it done so that I can finish my 6th novel — as I’ve promised my readers I would have done before the end of the year.
I had set aside September to work on finishing it, but I haven’t done that because I’ve been writing so many feature stories for the Norfolk Daily News that I haven’t had the uninterrupted work time that I need to really focus on all the finalizing things that go into finishing a book for me. So, that ball just keeps going round and round and round.
Thus, I want and need to get all these stories done and drop those balls, so I can focus on the book.
After that, I need to prepare a one-hour stand-up comedy routine for an event in early January. I’ve done quite a bit of stand-up before but not a full hour of it, so even though I’m not actively writing the material just yet, it is swirling around in my head, so it’s another of those balls that I’m juggling.
I stopped setting up appearances until the new year so that I could focus on finishing my book, but I did sign up for the Norfolk Arts Center’s “Fork Fest” on October 7th. Hopefully, I will sell a few books and some watercolor paintings there, and hopefully the weather will be less windy than it was last year — yes, it’s an outside event.
Get ready for an unforgettable day of festivities as Norfolk comes alive with ‘Fork Fest finally coming home to the Norfolk Arts Center, proudly presented by Sparklight. This exciting local event promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience, bringing together the best of music, food, art, and entertainment right at the heart of Norfolk’s vibrant cultural scene. Join us on Saturday, October 7, from 10 am to 10 pm as we transform 5th Street into a lively hub of creativity and celebration.
As I well know, the concept of multi-tasking is a myth. A person can only truly focus on one thing at a time, especially if that person wants to do well on each thing. I definitely want to write well and give each of these stories the attention it needs.
My readers deserve that from me. I never wanted to be a juggler anyway.
In you’re a paying subscriber, read on. My feature story ran on the front page of the Norfolk Daily News, so I’m sharing a clip of that story. If you’re a free subscriber who would like to upgrade to paid, knowing that one of those balls I’m juggling is my sixth book and that I’ll be sharing portions of it soon, click on the button to upgrade. You have the option to subscribe monthly or yearly.
Until next week.
Tammy Marshall
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