A Thousand and One Hats

Give me five seconds to scream into the void.

And now I'm back. Thank you for waiting.
Writing books is fun. Going to college is fun. Taking care of a dozen boisterous middle schoolers is somewhat fun. But doing all three at once? I'm running up and down a flight of stairs every half hour to check on my science experiment, I have a book cover to retouch, I have to be at work in three hours, I have church this evening. I had church yesterday evening, too. At least I had Monday off. I was too busy eating ribs and swimming with friends to post a blog, so you have my heartiest apologies for that.
But, on a cheerier note, I got my first look at Where I Stand yesterday.
The proof came in the mail. I got to stroke the matte cover, smell the soy-based ink, thumb through the pages. And see all the little things wrong with it.
Most things I don't necessarily care about. Drawing something? I'll lose interest in half an hour, so whatever I do in that time is going to be the finished product. Writing a sign for something? The letters aren't the same size. Good enough. But when I'm writing a book? Everything had better be perfect or I won't be able to live with myself.

I stopped school early yesterday and nit-picked the cover design. I spent most of the morning with Microsoft Paint zoomed in at 800%, manipulating every single pixel until it was satisfactory. And then I showed a picture of my failed proof to a co-worker, and she smiled.
"You're upset because there's a little bit of orange on the spine? It's not that big a deal."
Maybe you're right. But that was just the cover. Now, I have to go through every page and take note of every missed comma, confusing phrase, and instance of incorrect formatting.
When you're a writer, you're not just a writer. You're a graphic designer, editor, salesman, and expert in thermonuclear astrophysics. And a historian. Sometimes also a costume designer, stunt choreographer, and accent coach. Writing itself turns you into a perfectionistic, overthinking, and occasionally sadistic human being. 
I might wear a thousand and one hats. Not all of them fit right. But by golly, I'm going to balance them all and enjoy it.
Now, dear readers, I have a special opportunity for you. If you have enjoyed reading Where the Clouds Catch Fire, or amused yourself by stopping by my blog twice a week, you might be interested in a free copy of Where I Stand. And I'll give you one. The only thing you have to do is drop by Amazon on September 14 and leave a review. It doesn't have to be a thesis on symbolism and hidden meaning. Even a sentence or two, along with four or five stars, would be awesome. And I can't thank you enough. Comment below to get your free copy! God bless you, dear readers!