JOURNAL ENTRY #28
November 1, 2008
As I write this, the election is three days away. There are still a lot of undecided voters out there. Hard to imagine who these people are, but they've clearly spent most of their time these last 18 months reading the sport pages. Anyone who's undecided at this point should stay home.
I've grown weary of labels, of red-states and blue states. The reality is that any functioning society needs both conservatives and liberals, conservatives to hang onto what works, liberals to look for and try new ideas. And for everybody to keep an open mind.
We are more inclined to be conservative because we're wired against change. In the distant past, change was always bad news. It was Attila at the gates, baby, not the USO. Or the river was rising. If you've any managerial experience, you know what it is to try to change the way things are done in your office.
But we have to be careful about clinging mindlessly to the past. It was, after all, people who were trying to preserve the local system who murdered Socrates and Jesus. They ran the Crusades and the Inquisition. They hunted down witches. During the American Revolution, they sided with King George. During the Civil War. they defended slavery. They opposed the vote for women, thought discrimination was a good idea, and fought civil rights throughout the 60's.
At the moment, Kim il-Jong is reported to be seriously ill. Ask yourself how the world would change if he were replaced by a liberal. #
Time Travelers Never Die finally went off to the publisher this past week. I've been working on it non-stop since February. My work week , by the way, tends to be seven days, no holidays, usually eight to five. Sometimes I start earlier, and often work later. There are no days off, except when I attend conventions or do speaking engagements. Next week, for instance, I'll be at LaGrange College to talk with students about A Cross of Centuries and whatever else is on their minds. I enjoy these kinds of events, but they're not really time off.
The truth is that I'm a slow worker. I need almost an entire year to write a novel. And I might do two or three stories. And that's it. By November, when the book is due, I'm inevitably wiped out. So you've already guessed where this is headed. I'm taking a year off. Going to read and sleep, watch the world champion Phillies and the Eagles, and try to get out a little bit.
I've been fortunate, far more than I ever had reason to expect. Writing is an especially rewarding way to earn a living. Spending time with Hutch, or Alex Benedict, with Shel and Dave and Galileo and Calamity Jane and Dick Nixon in Time Travelers Never Die is just flat out good times. Hey, Maureen, come on in here and listen to this! But it does wear some rubber off the tires.
I'll take advantage of the moment to say thanks to the readers who make it possible. I expect, by next fall, I'll be back at it.
Jack
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