Business Musings: Best Laid Plans
Blame the Chicago Cubs. Or maybe the serious cold I had earlier this week. Or both.
The blog you’re getting this week is short, and not really about writing. (Much.)
I know, I know. You non-American readers probably don’t even know who the Chicago Cubs are. As I started to write this, they were playing the final game of the World Series. That’s Major League Baseball, a sport most countries don’t play. But here, we call it America’s Pastime.
My father used to call the World Series “the World Serious.” Every year, I try to ignore it. I’m a big baseball fan. But the post-season—hell, any season—in baseball is a huge time commitment. Baseball takes hours. Dean, a professional golfer, thinks baseball is too slow and dull.
Me, I prefer seeing baseball in the stadium. It’s hard to watch on television.
The Cubbies are my team. Whenever I’m in Chicago during baseball season, I head to Wrigley Field. I have some great memories from there—in the rain, in the cold, in the much-too-hot, sitting with my older brother, who is probably having fits right now.
You see, the Cubbies just won the World Serious. Tonight. In a spectacular game. The kind of game they make movies about. In a best-of-seven series, they were down three games. They came from behind to force a game seven.
I tuned in thinking they were going to lose, and holy crap! they were ahead. Then Cleveland tied the score.
The other thing you non-Americans probably don’t know… Cleveland and the Cubs had the longest World Series droughts in Major League baseball. Cleveland hadn’t won a World Series since 1948. The Cubs hadn’t won since 1908. Yes, 1-9-0-8.
We take baseball pretty seriously in my family. My father left his own wedding reception to listen to a baseball game. Brewers, I think, although I’d have to check with the family historian to be certain. I got to see Hank Aaron play in my first professional baseball game, which was pretty profound for me.
And I sat through the last several innings of this historic game muttering, I have to write my blog. I have to write my blog.
Normally, I have the blog done by now. But I took the entire weekend off. I had a serious cold that could have slipped into a severe cold if I wasn’t careful. So I rested, thinking I had time.
Whoops.
I was planning to write something amazing tonight. More than that, I was going to start up a Patreon account so you could support this blog. But all of that is going to wait until next week. Because I’m not focusing right now, and I don’t even want to try.
I will say two things.
First, in case you missed the announcement from Tuesday, the contracts book, now called Closing The Deal…On Your Terms is out in ebook. Paper will come out by the end of the month. The book is streamlined, and in a different order than it was on the blog. However, you can read it for free here. And you can get the book at a discount as part of a Storybundle, along with 11 other titles.
Second, if you donated to this blog while I was writing the contracts book, please sign up for the newsletter. I need to send you something, and that will make it easier. You have a few days to sign up. After a month, you can drop off the list if you want. I kept the emails of everyone who donated, so I can cross-compare, but frankly, I’d prefer not to enter you into a mailing list without your permission, so sign up for November.
Words of writing wisdom? On this historic night?
Only this: sometimes you need to take a break. Sometimes you need to watch history being made. Or sports history. Or read a book because you have the sniffles.
Sometimes you need to think about something other than writing.
Like baseball.
And the brother who is frantically texting you.
I need to text him back.
So, see you next week when I won’t be quite as distracted.
I hope.
Click paypal.me/kristinekathrynrusch to go to PayPal.
“Business Musings: Best Laid Plans,” copyright © 2016 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Image at the top of the blog copyright © 2016 by © Can Stock Photo /kayann.
12 responses to “Business Musings: Best Laid Plans”
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Here in Chicago, people are indeed going nuts right now; but thus far, it’s all in a good way. I’m so firmly lodged in my own little world o’ oblivion, though, that it’s only affected my routine in a fairly subtle manner. (Biking into work this morning, for instance, there was much less traffic than usual due, I assume, to the parade.)
I’m not a native, and I grew up a Phillies fan. So all I did was periodically check the game-seven score online, and my wife and I went to bed when it was six-six.
When I woke up in the dark, I first thought the wind through the open window was smacking the blind against the frame.
It was fireworks.
I couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful way to find out what had happened.
I was out of the country when the Red Sox won. Didn’t even know it had happened. Mom has been a Sox fan since the ’30s and still watches every game. So I went to a bar and watched Game 7 and felt the joy firsthand for the Cubs. Excellent excuse to punt the blog.
I’m so glad you are going to start a Patreon account!
I love how you manage to include everyone in your blog posts. As a non-American, I know next to nothing to baseball, but I was still fascinated to read you describing your passion for it, in a very accessible manner.
I’m looking forward to the start of your Patreon to be able to support you in a more organised fashion, and I wish you a lot of success with it.
Speaking of Patreon, I just read a post by Amanda Palmer, a singer who is very successful on this platform (with several thousand patrons). It made me think of your contract posts, especially when you compared the music industry to the publishing industry. She explains how much Patreon could free her art as opposed to a music label. But at the same time I was impressed by the fact that even though her Patreon allowed her to create many “Things” that would have not even been imaginable in the old world, and therefore she wouldn’t come back, she still confesses to being sometimes tempted by the promises of big corporation. It is hard to go out of the paved traditional way, and to find your own way (I guess we’re somehow back to the curse of the early adopters from last week’s blog post!)
Here is the link if you’re interested: https://www.patreon.com/posts/read-this-from-7156042
I find her marketing strategy very interesting. She takes the opposite approach to blocking her music with DRM to try to avoid pirates (while annoying paying customers…): she offers almost all her music for free, and encourages everyone to share it. And people who do want to support her financially can do so easily, and get some bonus content.
The free content approach reminds me a bit of a certain writer who offers a free short story every week on her site, as well as blog posts on writing and publishing 🙂
Now, that’s quirky. I can’t see her much with a classical major (Daily Mail video, for starters). But her approach? http://www.baen.com/prime-palaver.html
Take care.
Of course, she has a backup most of us don’t — she’s married to a rich and famous guy, name of Gaiman. Yes, they keep their professional lives separate, but she won’t ever be homeless or have to become a waitress if her Patreon doesn’t work.
I checked the Japan Times front page and down in the Sports section, they had a couple Cubbies articles. Also the Japan Series was apparently kinda like the World Series this year — underdog comes from behind. Although I think I’d rather be a Chicago Cubs fan than a follower of the Nippon Ham Fighters. No cute mascot!
Amanda was a freelance artist and musician long before she met Neil. She wrote a fascinating book about being an artist and making money called “The Art of Asking.” She’s pretty amazing, and it has nothing to do with Neil. http://amzn.to/2fmInGL
Kris,
I, too, am a die hard baseball fan, but I’m stuck with the Phillies. As a remedy, I’ve also become a hardcore fantasy baseball player for more than 20 years now (even wrote a Complete Idiots Guide about it back in the day). Some people roll their eyes when they hear “fantasy sports,” but as a baseball fan specifically, it has an amazing effect on your appreciation of the game. Example: I became a regular owner of Greg Maddux and John Smoltz during the Braves’ incredible run, and as they were televised on TBS, I watched most of their games. I appreciated players and teams outside of my Philly prejudices (and bitterness, though I was not in the group throwing batteries at JD Drew).
Now, these Cubs. In our fantasy league, we also draft minor leaguers. I snagged Bryant right when he signed. And Javier Baez. I also picked up Carl Edwards Jr when he came over from the Rangers. I traded for Addison Russell. I drafted Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, and Miguel Montero. I’ve owned and traded Jorge Soler twice. I even snagged David Ross during his hot streak in the beginning of this year.
And it’s an amazing thing: My desire to win my fantasy league has led me to this amazing real-life team. I’ve followed this crew since it came together. And I knew in my bones that they would somehow pull this off.
But I will say this, and stand by it til my death rattle, and throw bar nuts at anyone who disputes me: If Joe Madden leaves Hendricks in to go a full six or six-plus, this game would’ve been over a LOT sooner.
Ya killin’ me, Joe. G-d-mn killin’ me.
Enjoy the offseason!
Mike Zimmerman
That game! This whole Series! So much excitement. Couldn’t have written that story in a book–everyone would say it was too unrealistic. Great fun.
Also tough for those of us used to rooting for the underdog! I was completely torn over which team I wanted to win. I’m a Mets supporter (season ticket holder) and even went to a couple of their home World Series games last year so I am very good at supporting an underdog grin
Chicago must be going nuts right now.
It was an amazing game. Even before the Red Sox were eliminated, I was rooting for the Cubs. Every team needs a historic win after 100 years. 🙂
So… Is that the one with the curse? If so, it would be a curse that’s lasted exactly 108 years, right?
Quirky number. The wiki is a start.
Take care.
PS: See? I might have just turned your Tv time into investigation time
Lol! Congratulations to Cubs fans everywhere! If someone had written that as a movie, everyone would have scoffed. 🙂