A Quest for Work-Life Balance, A Place for Questions, and Final Events…

As I sit down to write this, it’s just after midnight, and I’ve done a thing that I don’t normally do during the fundraiser.

I’ve taken an evening off.

Well, let me be clear. I did have a little meeting around 4:30. And I did make a couple calls to people to see if they might be interested in helping to read the early chapter of Doors of Stone with me if we hit our stretch goal. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about with that, you’ll have to check out Yesterday’s blog.)

But it was only, like, 3 calls. And it was worth it, because I got Homestar Runner on the project. And it was only a 40 minute meeting, which was worth it because I got to tell someone designing a graphic, “Pick a font that looks like Goku said it, then add an extra exclamation point.

But other than that, I just spent time with my boys. We had dinner and ate some cake. We played a bit of a game, talked about our feelings, and then watched some youtube videos. We hugged and cuddled and made nonsense jokes. I tried to relax and was mostly successful.

It’s something I’m working on. This whole work-life balance thing. Where I take time away despite the fact that we’re *right* and the end of the fundraiser and there’s about a hundred things I *could* be doing to tweak or nudge things along. And I’m the only one who can do them. And if they don’t happen right now things will will go off the rails…

It’s made easier by the fact that when I refreshed things on my phone, I saw we’d broken a million dollars. And we’d done so without me actively having my shoulder to the wheel the whole time, which is a really helpful thing for me to realize.

I’d like to thank y’all for that. Partly because I know you folks who care enough to tune into the blog are a lion’s share of the people who have been donating, and also helping to spread the word about the fundraiser and the prizes and stretch goals.

So thanks. Thanks for being good, and wanting to make the world a better place. Thanks for helping me roll this rock. We’re killing it this year…

I’m also *very* pleased that folks seem to be liking the new stretch goals I up on my team page. Including the *very* good graphics we keep updating and improving. The fact that y’all have been steadily donating there means I’m going to be hopping back on the stream early tomorrow to to try and make some progress against the Ender Dragon before I have to cough up TWO favor rings.

But it will have to be early, because after that, it’s a big day. Because in case you missed it before….

Pat's Streaming Schedule for 12/14

These are three pretty big things. And y’all don’t even know what that second one is, because I’ve been keeping it secret. But I’m excited to share.

Oh, speaking of, if you have questions for the Q&A, you can submit them here.

There’s going to be a *lot* of people on the livestream tomorrow, so it will be harder than normal for me to pull them straight out of the chat. Plus, I know not all of you can tune-in live….

Also, here’s a specific graphic just in case you didn’t notice the third thing on the schedule tomorrow.

Disco Does D&D

Yeah. Really. That’s going to be happening on my twitch channel tomorrow to help raise awareness of the Worldbuilders fundraiser.

What a wild world we live in. I can’t imagine what my mom would think if she was still around. She watched Star Trek when it originally aired. When I was a teenager she introduced me to it, and we stayed up late to watch it together on the weekends. When Next Generation came out, we tuned in for the premiere and groused about how weird and wrong the new ship looked… then tuned in every week to watch the new episodes faithfully, getting over our bullshit and quickly growing to love it….

What would she even think of what my life looks like now?

So… yeah. That’s what I’ve got tonight. I’m going to stop refreshing he fundraiser page and go get some sleep.

I’ll see y’all tomorrow. It’s going to be fun.

pat

This entry was posted in Ask the Author, boding, Book Three, My Mom Would Like This Blog, side projects. By Pat32 Responses

31 Comments

  1. Toni
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 3:24 AM | Permalink

    Good morning from Spain Pat,

    I am 29 years old but I have followed you for many years. I grew up loving reading thanks to you and your books.

    I just wanted to come over here to tell you how happy it makes me see you happy.

    I also have two children and they are the engine of my life. I’m glad to see how you enjoy them and they help you find that important balance.

    Thank you for recommending Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I really enjoyed reading it.

    Just encourage you to continue with all the good you do and that even though there are dark days that prevent you from seeing what you have contributed to the world, never forget that the good things will weigh more than the bad things on your scale.

    I am proud to have contributed to the fundraiser and hope everything ends well.

    Sorry for taking so long but I wanted to tell you all this for many years.

    From across the pond with love. Toni.

  2. Sean Kilpatrick
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 5:41 AM | Permalink

    Pat – just wanted to say i’m glad for you, both for what you have accomplished as well as that you were able to take a night off. Go team world!

  3. Charles
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 8:19 AM | Permalink

    Hi Pat!
    I’m very Glad for you and your family.
    You really make me rethink my relationship with my 2y old boy. Thanks a lot!

  4. McSqueakins
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 8:59 AM | Permalink

    I’m so excited for everything being done this year for Heifer, and also for everything you’re personally doing for us. You give of yourself tremendously, which doesn’t only do direct good for Heifer, and families who need food, and girls who want to go to school, and men who also want to spend more time with their families instead of hiking and poaching to feed them…. All of that is amazing. But the cherry on top of that heaping, delicious sundae is that by being so vocal and open and so willing to interact with all of us who admire you and your works, you change or re-enforce our views and perceptions and priorities and make us (or at least me) want to do more and help more and give more of ourselves too.

    And taking a break to spend time with your family is something else that a lot of us need to see and need to be influenced with, too. So thank you :D

    Also I am really excited for whatever is going on with Homestar Runner. Peasant Quest is actually what got me interested in puzzle games when I was younger. Can’t wait :D

  5. Sean Lowery
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 10:58 AM | Permalink

    Happy you’re able to do this. You’re helping me see I can do the same, and while the books are great, this might be a more special gift. Thanks and keep working on that balance!

  6. Ian Frayne
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 12:02 PM | Permalink

    True rest is not something we value here in North America, but I am also learning how essential it it. The whole natural world slows down in the winter, so why shouldn’t we?
    Congrats on the fundraiser! This is the result of your beautiful work.

  7. Joey or Locust094 on Twitch :)
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 4:25 PM | Permalink

    Wow it looks like today’s stream drove almost $100,000 in new donations to get to that chapter reading. I’ll probably not listen to the reading because I want to read the book in the order you intend but I’m so happy that all this angst people have towards your book was able to contribute to a good cause!

    Cheers!

  8. Jacob De Carli
    Posted December 14, 2021 at 10:48 PM | Permalink

    Hey Pat, for a dad to separate from work and spend some valuable time with our little ones is personally my favorite part of the day. I have two boys that are five and six and they are so much fun to be around. Thank you for all the blessed charity work you do.

  9. ManBearPig
    Posted December 15, 2021 at 12:04 AM | Permalink

    My comment while donating to the charity was shared by my favorite author!!!

    I donated anonymously due to my own CRIPPLING social anxiety and depression. Being called out by name brought on an unnecessary amount of worry. The small donation I made during the World Builders charity to one of the the other team pages was acknowledged several hours after my donation. The amount of care put into the charity and the fans was incredible in my opinion.

    I was lucky enough to be listening to the stream a few hours later when the post came up, and being recognized for such a minor donation by a charity that has raised this much was really cool to hear. (Apologies for the run-on sentence there). Being called out, although anonymously, by your favorite author is a unique experience. It brought me quite a bit of happiness that I hope will last a while.

    The toxic fans will be toxic regardless of what happens, which is why I’m so fearful of sharing more candidly. Even with a small blog reply, I worry what might come my way. I can’t imagine the vitriol you deal with on a daily basis from people who will literally never speak to you face to face.

    I don’t mean to be negative; I hope to be optimistic. If you’ve dealt with this for so long, I’m sure you can carry through for the last part. I’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety, and ADHD for years and can’t manage more than a few paragraphs without having trouble. You’ve written several genre defining b0oks…. You’re a badass.

    The last few days have been a lot of fun for the fandom in my opinion. I hope the positive vibes continue and might in some small way help in finding the right words to finish a brilliant trilogy. Keep up the good work.

    Best regards,

    Still Anonymous
    (FYI it took me over an hour to type this small blurb)….(yay anxiety)

    • ManBearPig
      Posted December 15, 2021 at 12:24 AM | Permalink

      Post just got called out again. This is really cool. Donated to the Tristan family on the ‘Tell a friend Telethon” page. Cool family. There is no way I have enough clout to be a bot. This has been really neat to follow tonight :)

    • Boing
      Posted December 30, 2021 at 3:52 PM | Permalink

      Boing

  10. Mark Thomas
    Posted December 15, 2021 at 2:37 PM | Permalink

    Hi Pat

    I left my job in March – I needed to take a complete break and time out as it was affecting me as a human being outside work. It was all consuming and breaking me down. Anyone who are the 1% in your stream etc aren’t worth remembering.

    Now I’m ready to do something else in the New Year and full of energy again. And I am back to the person I was a few years ago.

    There’s nothing wrong with a reset I have learned this year, your own life and your family is all that matters ultimately.

    Your charity efforts are inspiring and your streams and blogs this last week have been great thank you so much for all the effort.

    Watch that Slushie.

    Best wishes.

  11. Jean-Christophe Desrosiers
    Posted December 16, 2021 at 8:32 AM | Permalink

    Omg I have only just seen this…
    Is there a way to catch up somewhere and see this prologue reading if we missed it?
    Please tell me there’s a place for people like me who don’t keep up with twitch stuff.

    • McSqueakins
      Posted December 16, 2021 at 9:13 AM | Permalink
      • Jean-Christophe Desrosiers
        Posted December 17, 2021 at 7:46 AM | Permalink

        Oh, is this his official channel?
        Thank you btw!

        • McSqueakins
          Posted December 17, 2021 at 2:00 PM | Permalink

          You’re welcome :D and yes, it is! There are a couple of others that are unofficial too if you’re looking for clips from his streams. I think The Eolian is a pretty popular channel.

  12. Ward
    Posted December 26, 2021 at 4:19 AM | Permalink

    Seems I’ve missed a lot
    From what I’m aware the Ender Dragon still hasn’t been beaten, so is the prize draw still open? Or did it end with the fundraiser on the 14th?

  13. Donz
    Posted December 27, 2021 at 8:55 PM | Permalink

    Great that you got a chance to take a break. Fundraising is exhausting, and must be a significant diversion from writing.

  14. Albert
    Posted January 7, 2022 at 6:19 AM | Permalink

    Please, Pat is playing a BEAUTIFUL game ;-)

  15. b
    Posted January 9, 2022 at 7:31 PM | Permalink

    I hope you can spend some time outside with your family soon, if at all possible.

  16. Bart
    Posted January 17, 2022 at 11:00 PM | Permalink

    Did I miss the reading of the chapter? I can’t find it online anywhere.

    No need to wait for some big production with lots of special guest readers, just read it yourself.

  17. Froggo
    Posted January 29, 2022 at 8:05 AM | Permalink

    Miss your whimsical post buddy. Hope all is well with you and yours!

  18. Chuck Zanapolis
    Posted January 30, 2022 at 1:00 AM | Permalink

    Glad you took time off. Try to fight against your workaholic tendencies and take time for yourself. We appreciate your incredibly inspiring work ethic, but if you aren’t careful working the kind of long hours you work can be detrimental for your health.

  19. Kristina Mansoor
    Posted January 31, 2022 at 9:22 PM | Permalink

    I appreciate that your books are not cheap, or fast. They’re like a treasure that’s made all the more precious by its rarity. Thank you for making something worth waiting for, and something that will last far beyond lifetimes.

  20. Nah
    Posted February 20, 2022 at 4:59 PM | Permalink

    Homestar Runner and KKC are two of my great loves, only at this very moment did I ever dream they may overlap…
    Is Bubs the voice of Elodin?

  21. Nah
    Posted February 20, 2022 at 5:24 PM | Permalink

    OK now I have to do more of them

    Manet would be played by Coach Z, Free Country USA’s very own overgrown student.
    “You have three spords in yer hand, and you get two more spords. How many spords have you gorts?”

    Puppet would be played by Strong Sad, who sits in the library basement whining and doing crafts.

    Strong Mad would of course be Master Kilvin. “Sygaldry. SYGALDRY”

    I don’t reeeeally want Strong Bad to be Ambrose, but I do enjoy the image of him rubbing his boxing gloved hands together over a mommet of Kvothe and going “let’s get down to bweesness”, before getting The Cheat to organise Kvothe’s assasination.

    Herma the former Chancellor would be played by the King of Town, a slightly pompous older fellow losing his marbles. I guess that would make Jamison the Poopsmith, being Herma’s manservant ish person and all.

    Kvothe would be played by the Homestar Runner. He is a terrific athlete/musician/sympathist but a dunce when it comes to the ladies.
    Marzipan could be a Denna disguise, but it’s a bit of a stretch. Maybe when she’s older and retired from travelling as she does. Kvothe has still never worked her out.

    I’ll keep Bubs as Elodin but just because it makes me laugh. The Sbemail where Strong Bad got him to say “Sbu” was actually Ambrose using the name of madness to limit Elodin’s powers, but of course it backfired.

    And Homsar would be… a tinker?
    “DaaAaAAaAA, I’m a Vintish tote bag”

    Special mention to Senor Cardgage as Sleat!
    “Hey there Valeries, call now for a free canceltation for a percent sign of an archery bow”

    This was a lot of fun. I never really post online, so if anyone reads and gets this, I’ll be pleasantly surprised and glad X

  22. Robin Y
    Posted April 1, 2022 at 2:15 PM | Permalink

    I was wondering if The Doors of Stone will come out soon? I can hardly stand to wait, and though I know the editing process can take a long time, I would like to know if you have an exact month that it will be coming out. I have seen some things that say July, but I do not know if they are right and would just like to verify.

  23. Posted May 7, 2022 at 10:01 PM | Permalink

    Hi Pat,

    That is an excellent post Pat. I enjoyed your post and I am happy for you guys. I have my 2 years kid as well and I am so busy in the work and other stuff that I am not able to give him time. Kids are kids and they just wants your love and time.
    Thank you.

  24. Posted March 29, 2023 at 4:29 AM | Permalink

    That article is excellent. Although I am aware that the editing process can take a while, I find it quite difficult to wait.

  25. Frank B
    Posted July 23, 2023 at 10:46 PM | Permalink

    Just heard the news. Can’t wait!

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