And Thus Are All My Revels Ended
Posted on October 15, 2012 Posted by John Scalzi 33 Comments
I am being slightly precipitate about this, considering that I am writing this in the B terminal of the Detroit airport rather than at home. Nevertheless: With Capclave — at which I had a wonderful time — behind me, I have now concluded all my official travel for 2012. I have no more conventions or events, and nothing official on my 2013 calendar (other than the Nebula Awards Weekend next May) for reasons I have already discussed here on the site. I have some things I am considering for 2014, but haven’t made any decisions about them yet, so for the moment, with the exception of the Nebs, and for the first time literally in years, I don’t have anywhere I’ll have to be going to at any point in the future.
It feels a little weird.
And it also feels good, at the moment at least. As I’ve noted before I’ve been traveling an average of a week out of every month for the last two and a half years, and the knock-on effects of travel, in terms of writing and personal equilibrium, have been been increasingly noticeable to me. I look at the vast expanse of my calendar, with nothing in it, and see the potential to write more, and to write different stuff. That appeals to me right now. It’s like getting an extra week each month to do things. And don’t we all want a little more time?
(Mind you, there’s also that part of my brain which goes if you don’t go places they will forget about yooooooooooooou; it’s the same part of my brain, several years ago, that worried that if I turned down the work I simply had no time in my schedule for, that no one would ever give me work again. The brain is a paranoid thing, and I say to it: Brain, I love you, but calm the hell down.)
To everyone who I’ve seen in the last couple of years: Thank you for coming out to see me, wherever it is that you and I were together. I will definitely try to see you again. Just probably not in 2013. I hope you’re okay with that.
John, believe me (as someone who has never seen you in person and probably never will): as long as you keep posting things like “Being Poor”, we’ll take notice.
Enjoy the writing and the family. You have a limited window in which to spend extended time with Athena; grab it. I was just thinking the other day how glad I was that we got in one good road trip (Georgia to Colorado/Utah/New Mexico) the summer after our oldest graduated from high school. Great memories.
What I want to know about the Detroit terminal is what’s the deal with the psychedelic light show on the moving sidewalks connecting the terminals!
Thank you again John for your participation in our event and I hope you had no hassles with the hotel on your way out the door.
Speaking for the Capclave convention committee we’ll always remember you; at least until George R.R. Martin blots out said memory.
Thanks for waving to me as I passed by at 4th Street Fantasy. Given how you were feeling, at the time I am certain, John, you couldn’t pick me out of a lineup. But that’s okay :)
Regarding your brain being all panicky….
As the Kinks once eloquently put it:
“Silly boy, you self-destroyer
Silly boy, you got so much to live for
So much to aim for, so much to try for
You blowing it all with paranoia”
Let that mind worm click around for a bit.
You were only an hour and a half away from my house all weekend, and I couldn’t make it there to meet you. I wish I could have, but my own scheduling conflicts got in the way. We will meet eventually John Scalzi. You got away this time, and the two times you were in range before in the last year or so, but eventually I will find you.
Detroit seems oddly out of the way for a trip from D.C.
You could also try something like a VACATION. That’s where people travel to see various natural or historical or otherwise interesting sights and relax and have fun. Your wife and daughter might like that.
I am so glad you came to CapClave. OMW was my gateway back into Sci Fi and is one of my favorite stories.
Scalzi? Hmm, sounds vaguely familiar. Isn’t he a weatherman in Florida or something?
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” – Frodo, quoting Bilbo
Glad you had a good time!
No worries, we’ll just come visit you! Croquet soiree at the Scalzi compound, w00t.
Don’t forget your laptop!!
All of the above, plus more writing time means more Scalzi for us to read. I think that’s worth “Performing Monkey Scazli” (TM) getting a break for a bit. But only for a bit.
Hope you can make it to Boston, MA sometime. Enjoy your time off and your family.
da Beans, he was in Boston in January as the GOH at Boskone.
Congratulations to you, John. Rest easy with family and friends and let the mind wander. It’s not as if you need to go anywhere to stay in touch. Not during this era. Anything and everything is just an iPad screen away. All that needs doing is to mix it up a bit. Information is best when well stirred. Looking forward to what you produce in the coming year. Hasta luego.
I’m really glad you came to Capclave– it was lovely meeting you– and I hope you enjoy the break from travel. This was my first Capclave, and I arrived not knowing a soul and left having had a fantastic time, and resolved to go to more small cons.
If you end up writing more sci-fi stuff, all teh better! Looking forward to the results in a couple of years!
I guess you need to stay ashore to make sure the geek population can be replenished if a JoCo Cruise ever disappears in the Bermuda Triangle…
Far away, across the field, the tolling of the iron bell…
Heh.
If you be pleased, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I’ll walk,
To still my beating mind.
Enjoy your well-deserved home time next year. We need you well rested and slightly bored so that you produce things like this, or this, or this, or sometimes this.
A few more books and stories won’t hurt, either.
da Beans, he was also at the Harvard COOP in June signing Redshirts.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/06/14/dear-boston-hey-youre-in-the-book/
Wait, you’re stil coming over for Taco Night, right? Otherwise we’ll have to get someone else to bring the refried beans….but seriously…go write some stuff for crying out loud.
Keep writing and we’ll keep reading (and buying)
Besides, if we want to see you we can always find the Oprah clip on Youtube.
Hey, now. “Weird but also good” is your pal @wilw’s thing.
Loved seeing you at Capclave, but I’m really excited about you being able to get more writing done!
It’s all part of your grand marketing scheme, I imagine. After a few years of hermitage you’ll be like the Woodstock of book signings. All the cool kids will claim they saw you in person back in the day. Then you’ll announce your amazing “comeback” tour and sell out all the big stadiums.
It was nice to see you/hear you read/get book signed. enjoy the well deserved home time.
Psst, everyone, he doesn’t know about the weekend when we’re all going to camp out on the Scalzi estate. Don’t tell him, OK?
Seriously, you deserve a break. Thanks for being out among us fans and being all funny and friendly and stuff!
“Brain, I love you! What are we going to do tonight?”
“The same thing I dream of doing most nights, Inky – sleep in my own bed!”
With luck, I’ll be better able to make it when next you come this way. In the meantime, take time to relearn your zip code and the names of your pets
^Wjunior citizens. After that, feel free to write like the wind, or any darned thing you like.P.S. If your brain gets to fretting, remind it about why we can never forget you, Mr. John “Frosting Boy” Scalzi, whether or not we might wish to do so, sir. (Great poster, BTW.
8~)I may have missed it, but I don’t believe you have blogged about whether you think you all this travel/publicity has been worth it. Do you think this helped your career? I understand meeting fans can be fun, but fro a business stand point was the trade off of less writing related work for additional publicity and meeting fans worth the trade off? I think it would be interesting to people outside the business to get an idea of what you think about this.
I would also think that unless you are extremely focused and well organized you lose time writing after you get home and before you leave for a trip. I would have trouble focusing around all this.
Is it wrong that I totally recognized the Detroit airport from the picture before you named it? Yes, I have spent countless hours, including some sleeping on the floor, in that airport.