Preparations

It’s almost the end of October and things are getting busy.
All those end-of-year events seem to start in October. I had to be careful when scheduling the book launch for Once Confronted, as a few people had kids who were preparing for formals around that time, so were busy helping them get ready. Then there are the early Christmas parties and other end-of-year preparations, as there isn’t a lot of the year left.
I work for Australian eBook Publisher, a self-publishing company, and we have also suddenly become very busy. I think some people are hoping to have their books ready by Christmas but I think also some people had planned to do their books this year and have been putting them off. Now they’ve realised that the year is nearly over and if they want to do it this year, they need to make a start. Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to put things off without realising how quickly time is passing?
I’m also attending the Omega Writers’ Conference in Sydney next weekend, where I am running a structural editing workshop and doing a few other things. This has taken quite a bit of prep time as I’m trying to ensure I present something that will be of benefit to the attendees, and workshops can be tricky things to plan, especially if you don’t know exactly what the participants will need.
In the midst of all this, I’m also trying to promote Once Confronted. It’s hard to find time, and I’m trying to, but I’m also trying to remind myself that there will be time for it next year too, and there might be more important things that need my attention first.
I think most of us forget just how quickly time passes. It’s such an easy thing to do when we’re caught up in all the things going on in life. It’s hard to remember that we need to pay attention to life itself. The phrase ‘stop to smell the flowers’ is one that can be passed over with a laugh, but it’s important to remember to take time to appreciate our family and friends and all that’s going on around us, and not to be so busy that we lose track of the things that are really important. Even publishing a book or attending a conference is not as important as special times with those we love.