Hi Ravenfire!
Wow for making your own costumes! Where did you get the materials? (So they looked authentic - did you make the fabrics etc too, or buy in a regular store or online..?) Did you cut and sew 'by eye' or from existing costumes or paper forms, by hand or by sewing machine? It probably makes sense to use cheaper materials first and then 'original-looking' later? I'd love to see some of your costumes!
Thank you for the info on the reenactment scene. It's not so developed here in Slovenia, we only had fairs for a few years now, there's a group that doesn't even use all-natural materials so I didn't want to ask them.. Maybe I need to go to other fairs or find stuff online.. If you know of any good websites or info, I'll be happy to see them! (English or German or other languages okay, there's Google translator after all!) I found some American websites with forms etc online, not sure how reliable they are..
Do you have 500+ pages?? Then just finish it off and write a new one! Perhaps copyright-protect it and get a beta reader or a few.. or join a writing group.. Then revise.. (if necessary) Just write a new one with new ideas!!
Even great authors think their book is stupid after the first half!! (At least 2 that I admire!)
(I thought I had to use all my ideas and knowledge in the one first book too, now I realize I can write about other things in other books!) As Barbara Sher writes in Refuse to Choose, you can write novels about characters with all your different interests.. If not sure whether to have kids, you could write about someone with some of your interests who has kids, or who is not sure whether to have kids.. You could also write down 'worst scenario' or 'best scenario' and explore them in novels/short stories/articles.. If you want to earn money soon, articles are best to start with! Maybe you could write articles about all the exciting things you've done?
As for the kids, my parents have big wishes and 'plans' too... We're of similar age.. Still haven't found a daddy so that is my excuse for now.
They do try to matchmake in their own weird ways and just hope for us to be settled, married, with jobs/careers and kids... It can be stressful sometimes...
Oh, maybe I misunderstood: you mean how it is with scanners having kids... I think scanners can be great and interesting parents too! The main thing is to find a partner/daddy that you're happy with, and that you're generally happy with your life, that living arrangements and financial aspects are sort of settled.. and that you sort of wish or at least welcome kids. Other than that, it's mostly logistics.
If you want to write novels, you may need to take into consideration when you would have 'private time' for writing - lots of full-time employed people with kids still find time for writing and other things.. You can do some activities together with kids, and for those that you can't, maybe you can find babysitters? (in family/street or for pay/kindergarten etc?) It depends what kind of Mom you would wish to be? I like creating with older kids sometimes, have a bit of a baby phobia though.. (Maybe because I'm mostly inexperienced with them. Though Moms who never liked (other) kids tell me it's different with your own kid.. and it's only one to start with...) I've worked with kids in the past too, and it sort of 'cured' me of the wish to have 4 kids for the moment, maybe it'll come back?!
Kids of different age are different, you can do some writing with babies, and toddlers eg 2-year old may be most difficult to get anything done, as you need to run after them all the time..
Bigger kids understand things better, can occupy themselves with own interests... (or go to kindergarten or school)
I think a good idea is to write down the projects you'd like to do/make, and see how other people doing this go about it. For example, there are singers/actors/writers who have kids, probably reenactors too.. I like drawing together with kids, for writing it may be good to have a babysitter... (until they are big enough to read or write or do their own projects at that time...) There are people who travel with kids too, and kids can get a unique perspective of the world..
Barkeepers have kids too (they may be misbehaved sometimes, and need care for the time when they work, or partner at a different shift.)
I wouldn't think about the scanner thing too much in regard to kids, kids will adore you anyway, at least when they are small.. more important are other things, I guess - your general health & wellbeing, a proper daddy/partner, financial things and place to live..
If you and/or your family are stressed by the lots of unfinished things, this may be a factor too.. (A friend's Mom had tons of plans, managed to do a whole lot, there was still a bunch left that she frenzied over all the time, this was a bit stressful for the kid. I think many entrepreneurs or people who have regular jobs can have this problem, especially workaholics or such.) If you are cool and relax about things, this is worth a lot too.
There is a lot about organizing and time management that you can learn...
It can be hard to juggle full-time job+kids+aging parents+gardening, if you have a thousand of interests in addition to that, it may be even harder.. Depending on time management and organizing oneself also, is there a bigger family to help take care of parents later on, would they be okay with going into a home or getting outside help, are there finances enough for that etc?
If you have several part-time jobs or income streams, time management may be even more important.. You don't need to do all of the interests full time anyway, so with rotating or doing them just a few times a year or a month, many things may be doable.. It's certainly better to have an exciting parent than someone who just sits on a couch and watches TV all the time, no?
) and a copywriter. Right now I´m working at a school as procter and chemistry lab assistant until I´m done with the Bachelors...
