Antithetical Anticipation

Wistful wisps of weeks

Hey! What are you waiting for?

Most of my future facing thoughts are focused on the release of Significatorius.

I’ve been here before. The whole process of writing and editing builds into this monumental moment when the book finally releases.

But there is a particular nagging sensation around how long the whole thing has taken this time around.

Significatorius will be the first book I’ve released in 2025.

A stark contrast to the frenzied schedule of the past few years. The loss of imaginary deadlines seems to have slowed me down.

Although deep down inside, I know that’s more a convenient excuse to hide the disappointment gnawing at my numbers.

At least in some small part.

And to be fair, I actually haven’t looked at the backend in a while. I refused to check after writing that post. I decided it was better not to dwell on a situation that wasn’t improving.

At best, it’d only further demotivate me and then impact the rest of my work.

Why let the lack of success get me more than it already does?

I’m sure there was a decent spike with the free Kindle campaign last week, but I won’t look just yet.

Did you get a copy of one of my books?

Once Significatorius is actually out, then I’ll take a peek.

Who knows?

Maybe there will be some fun surprises hiding in the lines on the graph.

Historical Perspective

However, I will admit this data-avoidance mirrors my steeper critique of over-relying on analytical explanations. Looking beyond the jargon, the best business reports often come down to ill-defined methodology making dramatic appeals to dogma.

Redefining a point-of-view into a statement read aloud as holier-than-thou.

More than a slew of complaints, this is relevant to me and my stories in how traditions also often come down to a calm combination of stubborn minds and lazy feet.

After five generations, it’s unlikely anyone will remember the genesis of a specific crime or custom.

But that never stops people from citing them in a grand performance!

I like to think about how our cultures persist despite time itself crushing our greatest cities and longest walls into prehistoric dust.

In the ruins and the rubble, the hue and shade change but our stories remain.

In the foreword to Book I of Maneus, I wrote out some of my thoughts on how I believe we can bridge that gap:

With a little imagination and a lot of information, I believe it’s possible to look beyond the bias and understand the struggles of ancient peoples and foreign populations. Everyday life plays out in a sympathetic drama across humanity. Emotions as similar as deciding what to eat on any given day of the week.

Understanding that shared context while respecting the divergent origins is how I think a new sustainable epic must begin. Our human history is hiding in plain sight, waiting to be rediscovered lest we doom ourselves to a forgotten millennium.

More than telling a story or writing a book, my goal is always to invite people into new conversations.

Speaking directly about complicated ideas and tightly wound topics is difficult if not impossible without first creating a shared context.

Through my worlds and my characters, I strive to build just that.

And like with my other books, that drive fueled much of Significatorius.

Limited Time

I’ll be out and about this week, and that leaves a little more than a week to spare when I get back home before the official release of Significatorius.

I’ve set the date for August 4th.

And I’ll be sending an email reminder like I do every Monday of every week.

There’s no real rhyme or reason for why that day specifically. But that’s the fun of it all, isn’t it?

By marking the calendar with my thoughts, I’ve seemingly created a new tradition.

Or perhaps just the faintest hint of a wistful wisp.

Until next time,

—JMB