No more watching the road… so what will you do instead?

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Hey everyone! Andrew here.

This week has mostly been about recovering from eye surgery, which has meant no writing (again — but much thinking about writing which while not as good is at least something writing related or so I tell myself). Screens are not especially cooperative at the moment, and neither is the rest of me when I spend too long trying to look at one. Best to stay away for a while, which is what I’ve been doing. Hence the lack of forward motion on the writing front.

I want to thank everyone who wrote in with good wishes about my vision situation. I really appreciate it. Which sounds too easy and trite. What I want to say is that it means a lot to me and I am extremely grateful. So thank you.

Back to writing. Or not writing. Not writing is irritating. The projects are still in my head, but my eyes are currently vetoing any attempt to get them onto a screen, which leaves me with the rather unglamorous job of waiting until recovery catches up. I am not enjoying that part. At all.

I am trying not to turn this into a dramatic lesson about patience. Sometimes recovery is just recovery, and the useful thing is to let it happen instead of trying to win an argument with an eyeball. Still, I am curious: when something important has to go on hold for reasons outside your control, what helps you come back to it? Especially if it is a project and you’ve lost your momentum.

Keeping it short because the screen makes me dizzy. Keep reading! You’re reading for me this week and I appreciate you!

All the best,
Andrew (ZZ)

Zero-Point Awakening – The Complete Series Books 1-8

Epic battles, fantastic monsters, flawed heroes it’s so much fun and AS ADAMS has created a wonderful universe.

– Amazon 5 Star Review

A plague has stolen the magic from Dasen, leaving the village defenseless against deadly forces breaking free.

Now an ordinary boy must prove himself, face his cruel peers, and reach the Cave of Time before it’s too late.

A struggle for the fate of humanity

An ambassador from an ancient family must unite a group of battle-tested survivors to face humanity’s enemies and prevent a galactic catastrophe.

A deadly poison is killing Arydians, and mechanic Arya Weld is running out of time. She risks everything to find the Starfall, the ship that vanished with her mother.

But her one-way mission awakens a centuries-old threat.

After the Harmony War leaves him broken, ex-trooper Mark Victor wants nothing more than to escape the nightmare he awakens in. But when an unknown enemy attacks, he remembers what it means to be a trooper: protect your own, no matter the cost.

Your car can finally drive itself. What’s the first thing you’d do? Read a book Relax and enjoy the ride Still keep my eyes on the road! Other (let us know your view by replying)

Survey Result

And now, let’s take a look at last week’s poll results. We asked, “What seemed absolutely amazing when you were a kid… but turned out to be pretty overrated as an adult?“
Here are the results:

• Being an adult–> 46%
• Staying up all night–> 26%
• Unlimited candy or chocolate –>12%
• Having my own money–> 4%
• Total freedom –> 4%
• Other –> 4%

Andrew: Being an adult came out well ahead, at 46% which is just so true, isn’t it? Childhood makes adulthood look like total freedom, but leaves out the bills, the admin, and the fact that someone still has to decide what’s for dinner. Staying up all night taking second place at 26% is also fair; it sounds much better before you discover what the next morning feels like (and for me, the next two days after that). I was slightly surprised that unlimited candy or chocolate only got 12%, although perhaps by adulthood most of us have learned to read the small print. Nah… The Fermi Paradox is probably answerable by replacing “the great filter” event with the over-consumption of sugar. (those of you with incredibly high IQs — which is many of you — will by this know that I have no idea how to make a good Fermi Paradox/chocolate segue and just tried to finesse it and failed… but we shall rely on your good graces and let it pass. 

Your Thoughts

Thank you to everyone who wrote in. As always I cannot mention everyone or this will get too long, but I have read all of your emails and greatly appreciate every one of them. Thank you!

– Lily offered a funny example from amusement-park queues: as a child, the wait was short; by the time she could go with friends, the queues had become part of the experience. There was also had sharp takes on money, candy, and the responsibility of being an adult that resonated with me. Thanks Lily! Really appreciate you reading!

– Joan said the early Disney parks felt reasonably accessible, while the modern versions seem much more aimed at the wealthy. True in my experience as well.

– Joli’s pointed out that being an adult was the most over-rated thing about growing up. See? You are not alone, Joli.

– Vic wrote about a poll of high IQ. The part that I am still thinking about is that ability matters less than what we choose to do with it. I think there’s a story idea in that. Thanks Vic!

– David wrote his view on each one. Thank you, David.

There is a pleasing thread running through many of the replies. The things that looked like freedom to us as children often turned out to be trade-offs, many of which come with heavy responsibility. Being an adult is harder, but it also gives us more agency. Thanks all. Lots of good food for thought in there.

See you in a fortnight!

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