Mommy Writes Fantasy: A Writing Blog

October Update

Hey guys! Aly here with your regularly-scheduled monthly update.

October has come and gone so fast, but to its credit, it's at least FELT like October here. Fall, well, FELL quite abruptly on us here in the Midwest this year. We've been enjoying the rusty foliage, pumpkins, and apple cider with the kids. Our yearly trip to the orchard was a success as well. The kids loved the petting zoo and the hay stacks for climbing. My youngest fell in love with the toddler swing and did NOT want to be taken out of it.

As far as updates on the medical situation with my mother-in-law, she's been on a steady downward trajectory since the initial diagnosis. The surgery to remove the tumor went well, and she had recovered quite a bit of motor function in the immediate aftermath.

Once we'd had her home for three days, though, she went in to the ICU for internal hemorrhage, which could have been MUCH more consequential than it was, considering it was an artery. One complication led to another, and now she is on antibiotics for a systemic infection until the beginning of November. Our hope is that we can have the logistical and legal preparations done by the time she's released from the hospital, so we can adequately care for her or make sure she is cared for once she's no longer in the hospital.

Hopefully things will calm down with her condition, though we do know from the last MRI that her tumor is recurring, meaning it's growing back just in the six weeks since the surgery. She has also been losing cognitive function and has been refusing radiation treatments while in the hospital, so it's unclear whether we will continue to pursue that treatment for her or simply move to palliative. It's a hard decision--the doctors have made it clear that radiation and chemo for this type of cancer is pretty much only palliative. It will not cure it, and if it's causing her more pain than help, it may very well help her quality of life to simply discontinue the treatment and let her live the remainder of her prognosis without it.

So many hard decisions to think about, but our family is handling it about as well as we could hope, I think.

As far as writing goes, I'm continuing to make excellent progress with both my ghostwriting stories and my own books. Kingdom of Destruction's draft is officially done with initial revisions, and I've started posting the chapters here on my website, as well as around the interwebs on Royal Road and Writing.com. My hope is that I can get some feedback for the chapters while it's in the semi-revised stage, and by the time it comes to releasing it on Amazon, I'll be able to incorporate that feedback and really give it a last, good once-over. If you're interested, the first chapter is here, and the first book is also here if you haven't caught up yet ;)

I do have some other good news to share! I've recently upgraded some things in my office, not least of which is a new mechanical keyboard to replace the basic Apple keyboard I've been using. Not knocking the Apple board AT ALL. I've had no fatigue or pain while using it, and I've written like six books using it, so…it's a dang good keyboard. Simple, minimal, etc. And with the touch ID, it's great!

I was just feeling something different to switch between, so I ended up getting a Keychron C1 with the Mac layout. All my function keys work as they should, meaning I don't have to take my hands off the keyboard to change the song while I'm writing (VERY KEY to my process lol). And the switches are Gateron Browns, which are sufficiently clicky and tactile without being obnoxiously loud like the other keyboard I have, which is a Blue switch.

I'm also delving into the world of fountain pens with the TWSBI Eco. I currently have a Cross Bailey that my dad bought me, and I've liked that one okay. Once again, just felt it was time to try something new. This one has a clear barrel with the piston ink system already built in (had to buy that accessory separately for my Bailey). I'm looking forward to jotting down notes and ideas with my new pen when it arrives.

Aside from the obvious medical issues, and the logistics that come with it, I feel that personally, I'm doing okay. I've been on a routine with the kids, and while it's been hard to be without my husband for several nights or days in a row, or only see him at bedtime before he rushes off to work the next day, I know I have it way easier than he does right now.

I sometimes have a guilt complex surrounding that, like perhaps I should be doing more, or feeing more sad. I have to remember, though--my kids need me to be strong, and they need to see me smiling throughout this storm. It's okay, and even necessary, for me to find joy and experience it fully.

And I think my husband benefits from it as well. If he came home to a miserable wife, I feel it would just make his situation even harder than it needs to be. So I'm trying hard to remind myself to take time to appreciate the little things, take things one day at a time, and fully be in the present, joyfully taking time with the people I love most in this world. If anything is going to get us through this storm, it's going to be that.

I think that's all the update I have for now, and I thank you for taking the time to walk through it with me. I'll be back in November with more updates (hopefully good ones). Remember to hold your loved ones close and take nothing for granted.

Until next time,

AlyCatAuthor