Making my will

[rattfan]

It's my birthday tomorrow which is never a cheerful time and possibly why I'm considering my will at the moment.  I got a do it yourself will kit some time ago but there was some stuff to think through.  I'm basically concerned with three things:  My writing, my books and my rats.

I've got a contact person for the rats now;  she runs a rat rescue and is quite a bit younger than me, which is important when you're considering what you want to happen years in the future.  So any animals I have at the time will be looked after.  I'm trying to work something out re the writing at the moment and have asked a publisher friend for input.  It's possible it won't matter by then, given how things are at the moment, but what have other writers done or thought about this concern?

Then there's the library.  I know any family of mine still alive then won't care.  I could pick a friend to dump it on or just say "box it up and send it to the Save the Children Booksale people."   If anyone wants to put their hand up, feel free, and I'll write your name down to receive the books.  I've culled it fairly vigorously but there's probably still around 5-600 books here.  I don't have any immediate plans for my demise, so you could be waiting awhile.

Comments

[siyamau]

I should probably think about this stuff too but I haven't yet because I'm awful at adulting. Also, I have no pets, and I sort of don't really give a shit what happens to my stuff after I die so long as the government don't get it. My writing can die with me. I'd say donating your book collection to a charity of your choice is a really cool thing to do.

Sorry that your birthday isn't a great time (I can kinda empathise - I generally just ignore mine now tbh, even though it doesn't exactly depress me either). I've not forgotten I'm gonna write you a thing ;) I've not written it yet either, but it'll be a belated gift!

[rattfan]

That wasn't a hint! And yours was very belated; no worries. I'm not too great at adulting either, which is why I've been bitching about having to do it lately.

[siyamau]

Anyway, for what it's worth - happy birthday, dude! I hope it's painless ;)

[siyamau]

Oh lol, no worries, I know! I'm just really trying to push myself into writing some more fun stuff - it's all been a bit stressful on the writing front lately and I want a break.

[rattfan]

I can over-think for Australia, I know that. So yeah, Save The Children are a good mob - I've actually got some decent stuff from their sales myself - so I figure that's where the books can go. I do know friends with kids who *might* like my books, but they'd probably regard that with the same enthusiasm as I did my mother's 30-40 year old National Geographics that she'd saved "for the grandkids."

[fred_mouse]

I'm happy to be the handler for your books -- assuming Swancon is still around, I'll get a stall, and share them with as much of the community as possible. And then take what is left to the StC mob. And I have enough space to store them for a period of time, too.

[rattfan]

Yep, you were who I had in mind. Thanks, Fred. There's a few that might even be valuable and some hard to gets, but book value is so subjective, who can tell what might be the case in 10, 20 or more years!

[fred_mouse]

:)

And I absolutely understand you on the subjective value. I look at the more esoteric books in my collection and wonder how on earth they are going to find new people to love them!