I Am Taking A Vacation From Writing
I wrote this with about 15 minutes to spare before I HAD to leave for work and it took me 20 minutes to write :)
Hey everyone.
While talking to my therapist last week, I came to a revelation that I might benefit from taking an intentional break from writing. At her mere suggestion that I allow myself a vacation from this, I felt both terrified of losing it and excitement over allowing myself a proper reset.
By the end of September, I will have been writing weekly essays here for three years. Continuing even through the time my now ex-wife walked out the door. Hell, I barely missed a beat when my aneurism almost killed me. This summer has been filled with outdoor activities with friends, nights out, a stint in dating, my youngest living back home after a first year at college, and a merger at my day job. LOTS has been going on.
What I am doing here is important and fulfilling to me but I also need to allow myself some time away. Without that, my labor of love just becomes labor and I already have a 9-5 day job I don’t love.
I’ll be back in September before my three year anniversary and continue writing about my life and fandom through the lens of They Might Be Giants songs. In the meantime, I’ll be camping at Ren Faire, organizing my apartment, seeing some live music, spending more time with friends, playing some video games, and catching up on some reading.
Has my current writing schedule allowed for several banked, pre-written essays so that my time away will go unnoticed? Not at all!
Everything in the archive is unlocked now so this might be a great time to check out past things I’ve published here if there’s something you’ve missed. Here’s a breakdown by album:
I also have some personal favorites that I’ve written. If you missed these, check them out, leave your thoughts and I’ll respond when I return.
My Picks
Kiss Me, Son of God: Religion and Music Collide in TMBG’s Masterpiece
Hi! My name’s Chase Roper and I’m writing about every song by They Might Be Giants. This is less of a musical analysis and more of a way to share bits of my life through memories associated with songs from one of my favorite bands. If you like TMBG or if you like connecting with people’s lives through writing, you’ll like this newsletter. Either way, th…
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love: a Journey Into the Uncanny Valley
**This is meant to be read in reverse (right to left), starting from the bottom.
Hello Radio and My 55-Paragraph Crisis
Welcome to the only newsletter bold enough to tackle every song by They Might Be Giants. Check out the archive and subscribe to get weekly posts delivered right to your inbox for free.
For Science: I wrote a Short Screenplay for This One
This is the only newsletter bold enough to write about every song by They Might Be Giants. Check out the archives and subscribe to follow along!
Spy: A Final Transmission
This file is reconstructed from partial intel and unreliable narrator accounts.
I promise you, I’ll be back, refreshed, and ready to kick out the rest of the No! album and carry on into the great They Might Be Giants universe and beyond.
See you soon,
Chase
Enjoy your time away! I’m Looking forward to seeing you back in my inbox!
I think you should feel proud of your writing here, which has been really good, and also that pausing for a while is a good idea. Writing takes a lot of thought and attention and given how much has been changing in your life taking a break is an opportunity to see what else attracts your attention and benefits from that time.