I try to plan my months, weeks, and days. Every morning, I pick out stuff to get done, and mostly I make progress, chipping away at my novels, humor, and essays. Then a tick walks across my face at three o’clock in the morning and my world quickly shifts.
The tick woke me up about two weeks ago. Since that first incident, I’ve logged six more incidents. One was another three o’clock in the morning, this time on my neck. The others have been with my wife and the dog.
My priorities shifted, and I’ve been scrambling to stop this tick infestation. I gathered the piles of sticks and got them away from the dogs; I trimmed the wild areas back, and sprayed a non-toxic repellent (Wondercide); I check the dogs and myself constantly. I haven’t figured it out yet.
Chaos vs. Order
One of my approaches to storytelling is the struggle between chaos and order. We see it all the time with natural disasters—tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires—and personal disasters, such as car accidents, infidelity, and cancer.
That’s why I’m a fan of crime stories. You see crime on the news, or on true crime shows such as Dateline. There’s a never-ending supply of crime chaos. A person decides to crime, and then the victim’s world is turned around. Often, there is a pursuit, and longing for revenge, and possibly even justice.
Every morning, I try to start fresh and reign in the chaos of the day before—or a tick crawling across my face—and figure out how to bring order. That’s my morning routine.
It almost always gets trashed, but I cling to that plan and try to advance my creative projects somehow, if only a little bit forward.
Domestic Chaos
A month ago, my cat started waking me up early in the morning. I think it had something to do with daylight savings, or maybe it was the total eclipse of the sun, or some such bullshit. Whatever the reason, she wants to get going each day before I do.
One day, in my frustration, I muttered, “It’s a good thing we’re not married because I’d divorce you.” That spurred an idea for a humor piece.
Greener Pastures published this quiz I wrote: Aging House Cat or Spouse of 20+ Years.
Maybe You’d Like
This month I’m working with some authors to share this goldmine of Cozies, Mysteries, and Thrillers. Again, the covers can be a real hoot, and may speak to you, so check ‘em out.
https://storyoriginapp.com/to/BKSkYTW
Recommended Reading
A couple of weeks ago I read The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner and it was mesmerizing and compelling. It’s a story of a family thrust into chaos when they connect with old friends, and we just don’t know if, or even how, this family can survive. The ending is as good as my favorite book’s ending (The Baron in the Trees) and The Children’s Bach has now forced its way into my top five.
Next Picayune
Thanks for reading the Mickey Picayune! All the best,
Mickey