It’s fun to learn, no?  I like to think of myself as a lifetime learner, curious, willing to try new things. And yet, these days, I’m going to bed with a bit of a head-ache due to a some projects I’m working on with a fairly steep learning curve – and a brain that’s not as agile as once it was. This is besides the daily tasks of kids, family, friends, sports, college, social events, committees and obligations – a pretty full calendar.  And not to forget my own writing – creating, revising characters and scenes – those, too, are whole world inside of my head. Lately, there’s even more going on: self-publishing of my novel; working on a proposal for a grant; and lastly, the genealogy research. Sometimes, it hurts, all this thinking, especially when I’m stuck; but then again, there’s the thrill of the breakthrough, and success, limited as it may be.

 First off, self-publishing or, print on demand, as it’s more accurately called. Nancy Shohet West in her blog did quite a good analysis on the decision to self-publish, and I’ve been essentially following in her footsteps. Self-pub/p.o.d is a new field, opening up publishing to the masses, and inexpensive the more that you can DIY – do it yourself.  Aye, there’s the rub.  So much to learn!  Most likely, as I write, “how to” books are being written, but so far I’ve had Nancy West and information from a webinar hosted by National Writers Union. The rest is following directions from createspace.com through Amazon.com. A bit like cooking from a cook book, it seems – but then, I’m not known for my cooking. In short, there are steps to follow, and each one of them presents its own challenges: chiefly, setting up as a business; getting the manuscript copyedited and formatted, and, the biggest hurdle so far, some kind of cover art. These are mainly computer, word-processing and internet challenges – a reach for me, and my main computer guy has gone off to college!

 The proposal is mainly the work of my friend, fellow writer and blogger, Beverly. Without going into details, I can say that we’ve have done an enormous amount of legwork on behalf of presenting an idea for a writing/communications program for low income women in a neighboring city.  First, we needed to learn what is required for a proposal, similar to grant writing; secondly, getting to know the area agencies, who does what, and what their needs are; and third; how to design and deliver a program that will work.  Even as a support person, there was a lot to learn, along with the concrete challenges of creating a timeline and budget, pricing such things as booklets, cell phones, writing supplies, etc.  Right now, the proposal is submitted and under consideration. It’s really quite good, and the fellowship should be granted. If not, we’ll look at other means to make it happen. But, meanwhile, my brain is full of names and places and details about women and their need to write.

 Then, the genealogy research – yes, a kind of addiction. I’ve given up TV for this, spending an hour or so most evenings.  The Family Tree Maker software is not difficult to use, once you get the hang of it, and I’ve gotten better at making web-searches through their related partner, Ancestry.com.  But, it’s hard reading the original birth certificates, interpreting from French, and piecing together the parts of the puzzle - names, dates and places, to see if they fit.  It’s sleuth work, often requiring an actual magnifying glass to read the tiny print.  And, as I’m building up a data base on-line, I’m also building one in my brain – have I see this name before, or that one? In that way, I’ve been able to make connections to Louis Jolliet and Pierre Radisson, famous explorers; or the Heberts, first settlers of Quebec; and even found out the Huguenots amongst them, the Germans, the nobles, and the Indian ancestors. – It’s all there, if you know how to look for it. 

 Yet, I’m not complaining about all this mental buzz.  It is an adrenaline kick, and gives focus and purpose to life. My main concern is that I have energy enough to carry out these things, all of them important to me. I know it’s important to have a life of the mind. There’s still so much to this interesting world that I want to know about. I may be overwhelmed at times, but never, ever am I bored.