Another Strumbellas song today because I have not been able to stop listening to them. This one has been particularly persistent about sticking in my head and is entitled, Young and Wild.
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Current chain of writing days: 11
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On Wednesday I walked out of the hospital where I have worked for the past three and a half years and, barring some kind of medical situation, don’t plan to return. It’s always interesting when something ends. Nostalgia hit even before I’d left, and in this case, was somewhat unearned. I say that not because it was torturous to work there but just because the things I’m leaving aren’t really the things I’ll miss. I did a lot of ‘this is the last time I’ll do this’ during my last few days but most of the tasks I was doing for the last time were basic parts of my job, monotonous and unremarkable, so it was hard to drum up any kind of feeling of sentiment for them.
I think the nostalgia was more coming from a point of ‘this part of my life is over.’ It’s the time period I’ll look back fondly on more than the job. This is because in those three and a half years my life has changed quite a bit. To begin with, I started writing. I originally got the job part time to fund me while I did my Masters in screenwriting. Then, once that was complete, took a full time position, because starving artist isn’t as romantic as it seems. In that time my writing’s progressed along at a point I’m really happy with and has become the passion project I always wanted it to be. In addition to that it’s also Ied me to make new friends with some amazing people. People that I can both hang out and collaborate with and who have enriched my life even more than it already was. The Lady Holly moved to London, then Stawell, then finally back home, and is now proudly my Future Wife™. Brother Jonathan moved overseas and fell in love. I’ve also become an uncle to three amazing kids, started this blog, continued to educate myself on writing and storytelling, and discovered I like Japanese food! And I’ve written, and I’ve written, and I’ve written. It’s been quite the time.
The job I’ve now left did help with that. The position allowed me periods of free time during my day where I could write, and it was in those periods that I learnt and progressed. Now though, I’m ready for more. My new job will not only be closer to home but give me back one day a week that I can dedicate solely to writing. It’s going to be amazing. Just having a fifth of my work week back is amazing, the fact that I can use it to work on something I’m passionate about, to work at getting my writing out there, is icing on the cake. I think that’s why I’m not too sentimental about finishing the job itself. Or even the time period, really. Because, ultimately, I’m taking all the best parts with me, and, as with most ends, it actually feels more like a beginning.
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So, what have I done in the two days since finishing my job? Cleaned, mostly, to be honest. It turns out I need some kind of physical work in my day to feel fulfilled and so now my house and car are both looking pretty good. I’ve also watched a lot of tv and read some books. And slept in. I didn’t get up until 7:30am this morning, can you imagine? Here’s the really good part though, I still have a week off before I begin my new position. I have a plan. Writing Fucking Boot Camp.
Today I wrote a list of all the projects I’m currently working on, it looks like this:
The percentages are the current level each project is at in terms of completeness (for first draft). As you can see they’re all quite low. My goal is to try and get as many of those to 100% by the end the week as I can. It might be none, it might be all of them (although considering one’s a novel that’s really not likely), but either way I’m going to give it my best shot.
My plan is to start each day with some exercise, probably running or some other kind of cardio, head over to our favourite local cafe where they sell ridiculously large sized coffees for five dollars, buy one of those suckers, then settle myself in and write for four hours. After that if I want to write more, great, if not, also great. Either way it’ll be the most time I’ve afforded myself to write in a single week since I started this whole thing, and since I usually write in half hour bouts whenever I can I’m hoping I can get a large bulk done. Either way, we’ll find out. I’m also hoping to get a couple of books read in that time and do an audio recording of one of my short stories that I’ve been planning to do for longer than my nephew has been alive. Basically, it’s the home holiday I’ve been dreaming of for the past three and a half years.
I can’t wait.
Writing Fucking Boot Camp.
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Remember; worrying about if you’re happy, definitely won’t make you happy.
Talk soon
Damian
Damian Robb 
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