One of my pet peeves would be my techie peers’ reactions to end users. After the person would either leave the area or hang up the phone, depending on how they were being assisted, said peers would then ridicule the end user for their “stupid questions” and inadequate understanding of technology. As if everyone in the world were required to develop a full understanding of the myriad capabilities of Windows, etc. Wasn’t that precisely what gave these people a job–other’s lack of knowledge in these areas? Why were they ridiculing their bread and butter?

On the other hand, I do understand the stress involved in responding to on-demand, often desperate calls which usually result from an end user not taking the time to master the tools at hand. It does require a letting off of steam, a camaraderie of those positioned deep in the help desk trenches.

Still, crisis calls were nothing new to me. My years in social work taught me what crisis really is. When you’ve been woken up by pager in the middle of the night by someone who is coked-up, suicidal, and currently standing on the roof of a tall building, the idea of an end user needing something installed on a Monday morning is somehow not as daunting. The former is crisis, the latter is another day at work.

Yet, to the user, dependent on technology to meet objectives due yesterday, or to keep the company afloat, it is a crisis and must be treated as such, even if the crisis is on their end.

It made me think about a lot of things…a lot of questions I need to ask myself regarding where I am going with the current project, so that I end up where I want to end up with it.

I also found out about some local writers group, which I am planning to try out. When you have as many competing interests as I do, it is important to create an external source of encouragement toward your goal, as it is too easy to get distracted by other, equally compelling ones.

And it made me think, the problem in life is not a lack of opportunity. Opportunities abound in every direction. The challenge is in choosing which ones you really want, which ones make the most sense for your interests and abilities. Then you have to commit to one and reject all others, at least for the time being. So at one time in life I wished to be multi-talented. I worked on abilities in several different areas and achieved varying levels of mastery in each. Now, I am looking for focus…to decide what I want for the next five to ten years of my life and to go about achieving it.

Regarding writing, I am putting together goals. I know I want to write, but what exactly do I want to write? What do I want to be known for? If I were to design a “brand” for my style, what attributes would it emphasize? How much should I be writing a day and when? What is my genre? What is my definition of success in this area, or how will I know when I’ve met my goal? How will I develop my expertise in the writing of original fiction, as opposed to the cultural critique of others’ fiction, as is the norm for the English major? Who should I then be reading? Who will I look to for early direction in this matter? Who else has done it, and what were there experiences like? What can I learn from them?

Then regarding my current project, what is my premise? In one sentence, what is my book about? Is it interesting to anyone else but me? Would it have mass appeal? The thing that I like about mass appeal is that it taps into a zeitgeist; a shared experience. I like individual insight, but I like it in a way which others can relate to… Do I want to do research for a book? The answer to that is yes. I love books that contribute something more than just plot, and that are either technically or historically reliable, as well as entertaining and thought provoking.

Anway, these are some of the preliminary focus questions I am asking and answering. I am asking them because I got a great start to my novel then lost interest in my own plot–for two reasons. One, I realized a small part of it resembled a movie I’d seen and I got spooked. Two, my plot fell apart because I had no real over-riding premise, and was just creatively wandering to see where it would go. No problem, back to the drawing (writing) board to get more specific, is all…

One writer was talking about his process today, saying he gets discouraged when he watches the six o’clock news and hears a story which is his plot in a nutshell. I guess when you write about terrorism that sort of thing can happen these days. You just gotta keep typing away.