Wright or Wrong?

So this very good boy finished his chemo this week, and I’m so very proud of him that I had to share. :)

Charlie was diagnosed with lymphoma in September and was an absolute trooper through 19 weeks of treatment. Lymphoma is one of the worst cancers a dog can get, so remission doesn’t usually last long, but we’re going to do to an immunotherapy treatment next to hopefully keep it going as long as we can. 

So it’s once again time for once yearly Halloween post featuring pictures of my adorable puppies in costumes. 

It’s been a rough year for us (Over the summer, Brandy had to have major surgery to remove a tumor from her liver and one of her adrenal glands, though thankfully, she is fully recovered. Last month, Charlie was diagnosed with lymphoma, which is one of the worst cancers a dog can get. He is undergoing chemo right now and doing well, so we’re crossing all our fingers, toes, etc. that he remains that way), but I couldn’t not make them wear silly costumes to make me laugh and smile for a little bit at least. 

The world is a fucked up place, so I thought maybe other people could use a laugh too -- and no worries, of course, they were rewarded with plenty of treats and cuddles for being such good sports.

Again, I must apologize if you sent this message a while ago, but I only saw it in my inbox today. Thank you for your very kind words! You made me so happy and gave me a good chuckle. <3

I'm recovering from a migraine today, so admittedly, I'm feeling a little weepy and vulnerable, but your kind message really made my day. It's been a rough few years for me, so kindness like this means even more to me. I am doing pretty well lately, thankfully, and I very much appreciate your thinking of me. <3

I hope you're doing well, too. The world is such a crazy place these days, but I hope you're finding some peace and happiness where you can get it.

Thank you so much for this note. I actually just realized that I had a couple of other messages in my inbox that I hadn't seen before and am not sure when they're from that also kindly asked about WWDK, so I want to say a big thank you to anyone who has ever checked to in to say that they enjoyed the story. It's a lovely thing to hear.

I truly do love the story and have every intenion of finishing it, despite my four-year (Shit, has it really been that long?!) hiatus. A bit of writer's block and procrastination tendencides are somewhat to blame for the delay, but there's more to it than just that. Beyond what the world at large has been going through, it's been a tough two and a half years for me personally (I've lost both my parents, been diagnosed with a fairly serious chronic illness, and have experienced some changes with my work that's made it difficult to find the right work/life balance) and I'm still working to deal with all of it. I miss writing fic more than I can explain, so getting back to it is a priority. Notes like yours and the others only help.

So I haven’t been around much lately -- it’s been a rough year for me personally (and, let’s be honest, a rough few years for the world at large,) so I’ve had trouble mustering up enthusiasm for much. 

The one thing that reliably makes me happy? Pictures of cute dogs (really, animals in general), so I thought I’d share photos of poor Charlie and Brandy being forced to wear Halloween costumes (as they are every year) to put some out into the universe for whoever might need them. 

Man, you don’t know how lovely it was to get this message. Thank you! <3 

I know (and completely understand why) most people assume that this fic has been abandoned, but I have every intention of finishing it. I just can’t make any promises as to when that might happen. Kind notes like yours can only help me get me going again. 

As to why there’s been a two-year layoff since the last update, well, I don’t want to make excuses, but it’s been a strange couple of years for me. My work schedule got busier and harder to negotiate around, there was definitely some bouts of writer’s block in there, and then, more recently, I lost my father rather unexpectedly, and, to be perfectly honest, I haven’t really enjoyed doing much of anything in the aftermath of that -- even writing, which has always been my escape from whatever crap is going on around me. 

I’ve started to feel a bit more like myself again, though, and I actually even read over the very rough, rough draft of the next chapter of WWDK again the other night. I think I’m getting to the point where going back and working on that story is something I’m genuinely looking forward to. Again, no timeline on when you might expect an update, but it doesn’t seem like quite as much of an impossibility as it might have a few months ago. 

So that’s my really long-winded attempt at explaining why the story hasn’t been updated and that I still have every intention of finishing it. I also really wish I could convey how much it means to me that people still remember the story and are interested in seeing it completed. It is such an unexpected gift, and I appreciate it so much.