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#scintilla13: turning points
Mar. 20th, 2013 07:40 pmWhat have been the event horizons of your life - the moments from which there is no turning back?
May 1987, in which I finally finish my first novel after many false starts...proving to myself that I can do it, and if I can do it once, even if the novel itself is horribly written, I can do it again. And have been doing it since.
September 1992, in which I realize that I'm a hell of a lot better at writing than I am at shooting film, so I tweak my college degree and fill out the remaining prerequisites with screenwriting classes.
September 1995, in which, after moving back in with the family after failing on my own, I get all the anger and depression out of my system and make it a point not to let it happen again. Takes me nine and a half years to move out, but in the meantime I turn my finances around and get my act together.
Spring 1996, in which I leave the radio station after nearly six months, when my hours are cut back. It's the last time I set foot in a radio station as an employee. I still wish I'd followed up on it elsewhere, but I've made my peace.
January 22, 1997--my birthday--in which I stop talking to an ex-girlfriend and an old school friend on the same day, due to various emotional issues concerning all parties. Driving to work and hearing "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp on the radio the next day, and finding myself relieved by the situation, instead of frustrated or angry.
March 3, 1997, in which I sit down in the mall food court before my shift starts at the record store, and begin writing The Phoenix Effect, which in turn begins a habit of daily writing, daily page/word count goals, and eventually the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
edencycle trilogy. I've taken my writing seriously ever since.
September 2000, in which I decide I'd rather quit the record store than deal with the prick of a boss (who had planned to fire me anyway)...another job that I enjoyed but had to leave due to circumstances. I get hired by Yankee Candle within the week.
November 2000, in which my YC schedule changes from second shift (3pm to 11pm) to first (7am to 3pm). By the end of that month, I'm heading down to the basement on a nightly basis, transcribing my longhand writing to my PC. My nightly schedule, with very little change, stays until early 2005.
New Year's Eve 2004, in which I'm hanging out with the gang at Chris' house at one of his overnight gaming parties. I'm (re-)introduced to A. We hit it off and the next morning I offer to drive her down to Rhode Island for a work-related meeting. We chat online via IM and LiveJournal for quite some time. By August I get an email from Chris that "y'know, just sayin', I think there's something there." By October 31 we're officially going out.
March 6, 2005, in which I move out of my parents' house and down to New Jersey to live with A. A few months later she emails me while at work and says "hey...I think I've been offered a position out in San Francisco. What do you think?"
December 2005, in which we make the move out to the other side of the country, to a city only three years previous I'd seen on a news magazine show and thought "I'd like to visit that city one day..."
Autumn 2012, in which I make the decision to pick up the Eden Cycle again after much critiquing fromdancinghorse and some serious thought about my writing. As of tonight, I'm about six chapters from being done with this go-round and a few months away from submitting it to agents.
May 1987, in which I finally finish my first novel after many false starts...proving to myself that I can do it, and if I can do it once, even if the novel itself is horribly written, I can do it again. And have been doing it since.
September 1992, in which I realize that I'm a hell of a lot better at writing than I am at shooting film, so I tweak my college degree and fill out the remaining prerequisites with screenwriting classes.
September 1995, in which, after moving back in with the family after failing on my own, I get all the anger and depression out of my system and make it a point not to let it happen again. Takes me nine and a half years to move out, but in the meantime I turn my finances around and get my act together.
Spring 1996, in which I leave the radio station after nearly six months, when my hours are cut back. It's the last time I set foot in a radio station as an employee. I still wish I'd followed up on it elsewhere, but I've made my peace.
January 22, 1997--my birthday--in which I stop talking to an ex-girlfriend and an old school friend on the same day, due to various emotional issues concerning all parties. Driving to work and hearing "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp on the radio the next day, and finding myself relieved by the situation, instead of frustrated or angry.
March 3, 1997, in which I sit down in the mall food court before my shift starts at the record store, and begin writing The Phoenix Effect, which in turn begins a habit of daily writing, daily page/word count goals, and eventually the
edencycle trilogy. I've taken my writing seriously ever since.September 2000, in which I decide I'd rather quit the record store than deal with the prick of a boss (who had planned to fire me anyway)...another job that I enjoyed but had to leave due to circumstances. I get hired by Yankee Candle within the week.
November 2000, in which my YC schedule changes from second shift (3pm to 11pm) to first (7am to 3pm). By the end of that month, I'm heading down to the basement on a nightly basis, transcribing my longhand writing to my PC. My nightly schedule, with very little change, stays until early 2005.
New Year's Eve 2004, in which I'm hanging out with the gang at Chris' house at one of his overnight gaming parties. I'm (re-)introduced to A. We hit it off and the next morning I offer to drive her down to Rhode Island for a work-related meeting. We chat online via IM and LiveJournal for quite some time. By August I get an email from Chris that "y'know, just sayin', I think there's something there." By October 31 we're officially going out.
March 6, 2005, in which I move out of my parents' house and down to New Jersey to live with A. A few months later she emails me while at work and says "hey...I think I've been offered a position out in San Francisco. What do you think?"
December 2005, in which we make the move out to the other side of the country, to a city only three years previous I'd seen on a news magazine show and thought "I'd like to visit that city one day..."
Autumn 2012, in which I make the decision to pick up the Eden Cycle again after much critiquing from
dancinghorse and some serious thought about my writing. As of tonight, I'm about six chapters from being done with this go-round and a few months away from submitting it to agents.
