Field Season

This month is going to be busy. I'm out of town three of the four weeks this month, beginning today. This evening, my co-workers and I will drive for five hours to Fort McMurray. We are an environmental consulting company and will be conducting research on Oil Sands sites there. It is more efficient to drive so that our vehicle and equipment are with us. However, it means a lot of time when I can't read (I get car sick) and can only occasionally write (same reason). I spend a lot of time pre-writing. This trip I will be exploring the sequel to Cargon, which I have begun, but haven't gotten far with.

Next week, I should be in town all week before rushing back up to McMurray for a week and then to Peace River (five hours northwest instead of northeast... same boreal forest). I expect some time this month, with my luck, while I'm out of town, to get word that my book is ready for release. I have sent back my final copy of the galley pages with the few errors I found (it's looking great!) as well as an interview-style form with information for a press release. It's all in Martin Sisters' hands right now, and I'm anxious to hear what will come next. I hope I can start booking signings and such for July and August, fitting them around other work trips and my sister's wedding.

I always get anxious during field season. Things go wrong. Equipment gets forgotten, site access gets revoked, schedules change. A trip where things go smoothly is almost unheard of, so I get nervous. I rarely sleep the night before a field trip. That wasn't a problem last night, thankfully. I zonked early! Tonight, however... well, I'll just have more time in my hotel room to work on other things.

I apologize for the personally indulgent blog post that probably doesn't give you much to think about or resonate with, but well, with the month I have ahead of me, it was this or nothing. I didn't want to post nothing. I like getting two posts up each week. I just don't have a lot of writing advice when my head is full of native plants, seeds, site restrictions, safety manuals, permits... You get the idea. My day job is filling my mind right now. As the work progresses, I will find more time to write and think about writing, but this is the start of the season, the most stressful point in my year.

Do you find yourself cycling? Do you have a season or month that is more stressful for you than others?