This one's going to wander around a bit before I get to the point.

I'm learning my limits.

Right now in my DBT classes, we're going over radical acceptance. That is, accepting the facts of reality as they are rather than how we fear or wish they would be. I've done DBT before, but like any skill, it's good to go back to the basics again. This time around, I'm learning layers and nuance to the concepts of radical acceptance.

At its core, a lot of basic radical acceptance focuses on the hard stuff of life. At the beginning of DBT, this is where most people struggle–with the hard stuff. We'd rather hard stuff not happen, so we rail against it or hide from it.

Here are a couple of examples of things I'm working to radically accept in my writing career: I'm a hustling creative in a late-stage pre-market capitalism hellscape. I accept that sometimes that means I am going to put forth a whole lot of effort and not much reward. The struggle is real. I must also accept that the literary world largely equates awards and sales numbers with skill and knowledge. If I want to break through the glass ceiling to get more teaching and speaking engagements, I have to drastically change up my business model. That's all basic radical acceptance stuff. No, “Poor me.” No, “I deserve better.” It's just seeing the world as it is and accepting it. I can either make new choices to change things or live with them. I could change careers for a greater (maybe) and more stable (likely) income or live with the pandemonium of a fluctuating personal economy. (Hint: I have no Plan B.) On the other hand, I can make choices based on careful planning, research, and observations to change up how and where I focus my career. (This one's getting done.)

One thing that doesn't get talked about much in radical acceptance, at least in my experience, is also radically accepting the good. My career has opened the door to friendships I never, ever dreamed possible. I have brought joy to hundreds, if not thousands, of lives around the world. It still weirds me out whenever someone fanboys or fangirls over me. It's taken me a long time to radically accept that I have fans who love my creative energy. Some of those feelings are due to natural imposter syndrome that affects pretty much every working creative, but some of it is due to continuous traumas throughout my life. I'm eternally grateful for the Gallowglas Army and how they stand by me through my awesome moments and the doldrums of my creative spirit. I'm radically accepting that I wouldn't have this career without you guys. And I love you for it.

Now, to the point of all of this as it applies to this week's round-up...

Earlier this morning, I discovered a new level of radical acceptance. I've been finishing work on The Sharpened Edge of Fate, Tears of Rage 5. It's supposed to launch on Saturday, 3/7. It's a gimmick number thing having to do with Julianna's origin story in Tears of Rage. I'm further behind on a lot of my work this year because of my stomach illness and some harsh, emotional stuff that went down in January. However, if I buckle down, I could have everything ready to go by Saturday.

This is a balance of radically accepting the chaos of physical and emotional health in January and understanding what I can and cannot do workload-wise. I thought about it, and accepted that I'd put in extra hours for a couple of days and have the project done and ready.

But then...

I was going over a bit of the story last night, and a scene hit me hard in the feels. True story–I got choked up and misty-eyed. That doesn't happen very often with my own work. Last night, it hit hard. That moment made me realize I could rework other moments to have the same emotional weight... but not if I want the book to come out on Saturday.

So... I must radically accept either:

1) The book comes out on Saturday.
2) I pushed the book launch till later so I have time to bring the depth I want to the story. Rather, I give the story the depth it deserves.

I'm pretty sure you all know which way I'm going. I know you Tears of Rage fans have been waiting for so long for these books, but I promise, my vow to Grandfather Shadow, it will be more than worth the wait. I hope that you can all radically accept that.

In the meantime, you can look forward to...

The Re-Imagined Dragon

The Good, the Bard, and the Ugly (including a new Jaludin story).

Cameos II

The Nemo Point

—all in the next 60 days!

(Support my Patreon and get all of them in your mail at a hugely discounted rate.)