November 5, 2025

Look 122: Back in the writing groove

Fellow angler,

We’re back after a month. I admit that I had to reread my last post to remember where we left off. I assume you’re in the same situation, and I forgive you.

If it helps jog your memory, after reading my last post, my wife told me that it sounded like the ramblings of a madman: “You sound a little insane.” Or something to that effect. I suspect some of you also wondered if the assuredly thin thread that fights to keep me from falling into insanity had finally snapped. Well, it hasn’t. For better or worse, I remain as sane as I’ve ever been.

Crazy or not, I quite enjoyed writing that post. I followed a thread of an idea and didn’t stop to overthink it. If I had, I surely would have edited it to be less nonsensical. In the end, it was something a bit different. It was something outside of my norm. Perhaps it wasn’t too different in content or style, but my writing process was a bit different.

Changing of process has been a theme for me in the past two months. I was laid off from my job in early September, and I’m not particularly torn up about it — such is life — but it has required me to figure out how to structure my days.

Did you know each day has 24 hours? That’s a lot of hours. I know that’s the sort of thing they teach you in school, but I guess I’d forgotten since my Monday to Friday for the past 5+ years had become:

• 1-3 hours to enjoy the morning

• A gaping hole of hours during which I do whatever my employer tells me to do in exchange for a salary

• 4-6 hours to exercise, interact with people, have fun, write blog posts, read, relax, and do every other task that needs doing in life

Once I left my job, I was shocked to remember what a full 24 hours of life feels like, and I struggled to fill the time in a way that felt enjoyable and productive.¹

It turns out that when your life is structured around a full-time job, losing that job can throw your schedule into disarray. And make you feel bad about no longer doing the thing that became the core of your being, even though it’s reductive and, perhaps unbeknownst to you, the biggest drain of your time, energy, spirit, and who knows what else.

Anyway, my goal here is not to criticize the work system our society has chosen for us. That can get its own post one day. What I am here to say is that in the two months since I lost my job, I’ve had to re-evaluate how I spend my time and what I choose to prioritize.

Especially as I re-add work to my days, I’ve tried to maintain my focus on centering life around the things I find most important. I’ve agreed to play more soccer on my friends’ weeknight teams because I no longer feel that if I get home late after a game, I’ve wasted 2-3 hours that I could otherwise spend doing necessary tasks. I’ve started reading more and more regularly because I have the mental energy to dedicate to getting lost in a book. I’ve started eating breakfast at a diner at least once every couple of weeks because it’s nice to enjoy a meal without rushing to get back to work. (My god, I have spent so many meals seated at a desk or looking at a screen.) I’ve also been able to re-engage with news and politics because, again, I have the mental and emotional space for it. (Speaking of which, as I write this, the NYC mayor’s race is being called for Mamdani. Maybe we can have nice things.)

I haven’t been walking as much, but that’s because I’m avoiding the cold and wind. November and winter are historically times when I feel like I need to use every minute wisely. In November in NYC, sunrise approaches 7am and sunset recedes to 4:30pm. Even if you’re not feeling SAD, that simply doesn’t leave much daylight to enjoy life.

Perhaps most importantly, I’ve started writing again after a couple of months away. I haven’t been able to redirect all of my energy into writing and editing my novel as I hoped might be the case when I first lost my job, but I have been able to work writing back into my schedule. It isn’t perfect — I still want to be writing more — but I think it’s sustainable and that’s a win.

In the vein of writing, I’ve started something new. Maybe a couple of somethings. I have an idea for a second novel that has been bothering me, so I needed to start mapping it out. I also have an idea for a horror story/movie, which I started mapping out while eating a diner breakfast earlier this week.

I’ve also decided to (vaguely) follow the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge to write a significant number of words. I think the goal is 50,000 words and I don’t think I’m aiming that high, but I’ll make steady progress for at least one of my ideas in November.²

I still hope to finish a second draft of my first novel by the end of the year, but we’ll see. I’m making my way. At the moment, that way requires that I devote attention to other ideas.

Title song

Today’s post is brought to you by New York Groove, a song by Ace Frehley.

Frehley, who was born in The Bronx, was the former lead guitarist of Kiss. This song featured on his first (and eponymous) solo album. I don’t know any other songs on that album — I haven’t listened to it and don’t intend to — but this one song is enough to make the whole album a success. It’s not only a staple of rock music stations,³ but I say it’s one of the best New York songs ever.

If you like rock music then you’ve surely heard it, but you may not know it wasn’t originally his song. It was first released by a British band, Hello (video of the Hello version). The original isn’t bad. It’s quite similar to Ace’s later version. But it’s softer. It simply doesn’t hit as hard. Frankly, when I listen to Ace’s version, it never hits quite as hard as its memory does in my mind, but it’s still harder. And New York City requires that. You can’t sing softly about being in the biggest, greatest city (Suzanne Vega and her great vignettes notwithstanding).

Anyway, this song was on my mind because Frehley died a couple of weeks ago. I have nothing more to say about Ace or this song, except that, if I may, I would suggest playing it in the car at a moderate to high volume while the sun is shining and your windows are rolled down. For fellow City dwellers, perhaps listening during a walk down a sunny street will do the job. I myself think I’ll go for a walk down the Brooklyn Heights promenade later today, think about the opportunity brought by a new mayor who cares about the needs of everyday New Yorkers, and lightly bob my head while looking across the water at the lower Manhattan skyline.

Until next time,

Happy fishing