From the frying pan and into the fire. From bad to worse. From craziness to insanity. From NaNoWriMo and into Christmas. All of these sentences mean the exact same thing when you work retail. Have you been wondering where I have been recently? I have been working myself really hard to prepare for christmas, and for puppies (Which arrive this saturday. Which… OMG I’M SO EXCITED, FACE MELTING CUTENESS! YAY!). I’ve never had a pet, so I don’t even know how these little buggers are going to take to our house. We are very much hoping they’ll take to each other and become the best of friends. But… I have worked retail for the past (Oh Man…) decade.
Christmas in retail is like being stuck in a building crammed with people and someone pulling the fire alarm. There are so many people and so few staff that trying to get to everyone is near impossible. Not only that, but I’m not sure when or how people came to the conclusion they’re entitled to everything, but they definitely do. My product was defective, and now I want a new one AND a fifty percent discount. Oh ha ha… oh wait, that guy was serious. Christmas brings out the crazy in people. Also, people make it very clear that “This is a christmas gift, so I need it before then.” I’ll be honest for all of you out there, no matter if you need it next week, or next year… the exact same process is in effect for both situations and you will get it ASAP in both scenarios. I promise!
So I know some people who did really well this year at NaNoWriMo (Congrats from me to Becka, BTW Check out that NaNo Cake!) Also Lorie and a few others!) I also know many who didn’t do so well… one notable one especially: Me! I had set the target of the end of November to be completely done my edit. I can give you a million reasons why I didn’t accomplish my goals, but not one as to how I tried to. I failed because I didn’t try to. I admit my defeat and move past it. No sense dwelling on it. But I am now aiming to have it done by the end of the month.
Of course as I mentioned earlier, I work retail. The hardest part about that at Christmas is I always want to do really well for budgets and the team morale. This involves me and some (Read: Many) extra hours at work. Arrive early, leave late, rock it for the entire day and revel in my own incredible productivity. Then I come home and glance at the couch before passing out on, near or around it. Horizontal is the new vertical, and I love it. So comfy. Anyway it seems I need to start waking up before work to get back into the habit I made to write.
Anyway congrats to all those who managed to hit fifty thousand words, and congrats to those who made those fifty thousand words matter! I will be back ASAP with more progress! Talk to you all soon!
Do you think your experience in retail helped/helping your writing?
Btw are u still down reading ie suffering through my nanowrimo?
Hmm. That is a tricky one. I do believe every experience good and bad has affected my writing in one way or another. Even if it gives me more inspiration or more characters to draw from, it definitely doesn’t hurt! I suppose the only downfall to working retail is because I’m salaried management sometimes work cuts into other life events which then bleed into writing time (As seen this week).
I am definitely down with reading your NaNoWriMo if you’re willing to share! Just so long as you don’t expect me to read it within a week! My month is crammed with social commitments, sleep and work… I’m strongly considering writing any time I am in the washroom as that may be my only free time this month! But yes, I am still up for it!
Sweet. And no, I would not expect it to be read immediately. I’m not finished with it and it’s completely in an unedited form. I’m hoping to wrap it up so that I can focus on a series that I can actually get one of my friends to read 😛
Sweet, then send it over whenever you’re ready! My email is at the top right-ish of the page.
YOU’RE GETTING PUPPIES????
I AM SO JEALOUS RIGHT NOW.
🙂 good luck on the work front, sir. You’re doing what I could not. I can’t imagine working more than full time retail right now…Therefore, don’t feel bad about not making 50,000. Writing over the course of the year is what makes a difference, and it’s why you have a manuscript to your name.
This doesn’t have anything to do with writing, but props to being a retail manager that actually cares about team morale. I worked at a Target for 2 years, and fondly remember “the good ones” who actually gave a damn about the well being of their employees. It was my first job and stuck with me down the road. Good luck out there.
Puppies! I’m getting a Miniature Dachshund (Sausage Dog) and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel! Both are puppies born at the same time and both are face numbingly cute. I’ve never had a pet before, so this is a huge deal for me and an even bigger challenge!
I do need luck on the work front. I work between 43 and 50 hours a week. Show up early, leave late… sometimes later. I love helping customers and 99.9% of them love my assistance.
I’ve always cared about team morale. I’ve probably learned more from the crappy managers I’ve had than the good ones. They say you always remember the bad times, and now I will always remember what not to do. It is hard to maintain that excitement when you work with someone who is negative, but it strengthens you further along (I hope).