Reader Questions: Doing it all

[mizkit]

Thirzah asks keeping kick-ass real? Why is it ok to have a hero/ine shoot people in fiction, when we’re opposed to guns & violence in real life?

Well, I write about a god-fighting shaman, so I’m not sure how *real* I keep kick-ass, but… :)

I think it’s all right for us to explore violence in fiction precisely because we don’t in real life. It’s a

Comments

[haikujaguar]

*offers hot chocolate*

Throttling back because of parenting has been one of the more frustrating experiences of my life.

[mizkit]

It's good to know I'm not the only one. *drinks that hot chocolate* ♥

[haikujaguar]

Ironically, I know that I'm not giving everything to my art... but my family knows I'm not giving everything to them either. Neither of them are satisfied with the pieces of me they have. :,

[merlinofchaos]

Roughly once a week I ask myself or my spouse: "Why do we have kids again?"

I mean, they give us good answers to that question unintentionally.

But they also keep me asking.

[burger_eater]

You have my utmost sympathy on the loss of productivity. That's incredibly hard to deal with, and even doing 1.5 books a year with a little one is a huge task. I was "lucky" not to be a professional when mine was tiny so the pressure was less (well, it was very different).

What are the odds that you can be more forgiving of yourself for doing what you can at a difficult period? Every parent has to sacrifice things and moms have it worst; I think you're doing great.

[mizkit]

This, horribly, is my version of being forgiving of myself. The best I can manage is grim near-acceptance, which is better than actual rage.

Thanks for the kudos, though. It helps to hear other parents weigh in.

[la_marquise_de_]

You are much too hard on yourself, you know. You are Amazing, in so many ways.

[mizkit]

I know, and I wouldn't expect as much of anyone I was watching who was in my position. This, however, has very little effect on my own expectations of myself. @.@ And thank you. :)

[ruford42]

I've never encountered anything as rewarding, aggrivating, frustrating, or as agonizingly hair-pulling as being a parent. :) The fact that you find time to do anything other than crash into a pillow the moment he can be distracted by friends is impressive to me.

That said...any hints of when Stone's Throe and Skymaster will come to market?

[kirbyk]

In the end, you've got to be true to yourself. Which for you means passionately dedicated to being a writer.

I like to think that kids don't take as much time, and particularly time of the random interrupt variety, when they get to be school aged. But what do I know? (I do know that when you're creating, a random deal-with-this-now thing is brutal, though. And young kids are /full/ of those.)

I don't want your life at all, but that's cool, because I don't have it. :)