We’re sitting in Children’s Hospital this morning while our son Benji has a heart procedure. As medical procedures go, especially ones concerning your child, an invasive cardiac electrophysiology and ablation is relatively straightforward and routine.
And yet, it’s a medical procedure involving the heart. Of your child.
It’s a hard thing to watch him wheeled away, even when you have absolute faith in the medical staff. It feels impossible to let him go. And yet, you do.
Then you sit. Then you wait.
And wait and wait.
I thought I might play games on my Steam Deck to pass the time, either some brainless distraction or immersive experience, but my wife wisely suggested I try writing instead. So, I brought the laptop and left the Deck behind. An easy decision, I had hesitation, nonetheless. You see, writing has been hard for the last, hmmm, 18 months or so as stresses piled upon each other. I was out of practice and easily distracted.
As we sat in the waiting area, I set my phone aside and opened the laptop. I’d recently started an alternate prologue for Tildy Silverleaf and the Starfall Omen that brought the reader into the action sooner. The approach was more Show and less Tell, and based on feedback Trusted Readers had provided, I thought it would be better received. As I read through rough paragraphs, the visuals resurfaced in my mind. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I submerged into the world I’d created.
And I wrote.
I reached a point where I’d written the key information I’d hoped to flesh out. Even if the session was short and a bit rocky, it was successful. IMO, one word added to your manuscript is a success, if you have the right attitude (between you and me, I usually strive for more than one).
Instead of closing the laptop and returning to distractions on my phone, I opened my website and wrote this post. That’s a good sign, if you’re wondering. While I might be out of practice, getting back into the groove is easier than one might think. But you have to try. You have to sit down and type one word after the other, to paraphrase Neil Gaiman.
So here we are. If you’re reading this, you’ve caught up to where I am as I finish this post. It’s been three hours since we saw Benji, and we’ve had two updates, both positive. The hospital has fed us breakfast, and perhaps the food trucks outside will provide a tasty lunch. These, too, provide distractions we need and appreciate.
And there’s the phone. Ben’s procedure is finishing up and all is well. It’s time to go to another room, and wait a bit more. If you’ve been in a similar situation, you might agree that the waiting that comes after is easier than that which comes before.
Reading back, this post is probably longer than it is interesting, but it’s served its purpose as a distraction for a father. And perhaps it gives the reader a little insight into how a writer’s mind works, as well as when and where it works.
Perhaps it also provides perspective. Waiting for news about your child’s health will always be hard. What you do to cope with that will remind you that everything else is easier.
Mike
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© Michael Wallevand, August 2023
The Lost Royals 