The Coming Storm

So the last post I wrote about asthma past, present, future never did get around to what I really wanted to say which was this:

It is clear that, while things have improved, I still struggle. I need to plan for a future where I'm not as capable as I am today. I am not reliable.

The asthma is going to continue to be a problem and my lung capacity will continue to erode. Right now, my oxygen level only flirts with the cutoff for intubation, It has become more and more apparent to me that this asthma gig is a progressive one. I really don't see the asthma going backwards, only forward. I hope I'm wrong, but if you think aging is a bitch on your skin, you should see what it does to fussy lungs. Not a good scene.

So the writing is a good way  for me to produce income, but it requires high output and a fully functioning brain on a consistent basis. One bad asthma episode and my income will be wiped out. Should I find another job with an outside employer, I would not be able to meet performance expectations. Between the fatigue and cognitive issues from steroids and subsequent low cortisol levels, it would be easy for me to be unemployable for a year or more.

For the record, I think half the reason I'm such a slow writer still is because I still have word recall issues. The phrase or word will be on the tip of my tongue, but I can't get it out. I spend a lot of time editing to get my prose up to snuff. The effects of the last few years are far reaching.

So what am I going to do about all this? I have some ideas. The trick is to leverage what I know about being a successful writer into a business model that doesn't require me to create content on a weekly basis. In 2013 (assuming the world doesn't end today) I will be launching a few micro business initiatives around the indie publishing phenomenon. I will continue to write in the hopes of building a fan base that will wait for my work, which will help me weather any long lulls between stories.

Today the sun is shining and life is good, but I'm preparing for the storm.