Have you ever thought about dying?

Now, I don't mean to be morbid, but death and taxes wait for no one. I was reading Kris Rusch's blog on estate planning for writers, which has some sobering anecdotes, and a link to Neil Gaiman's site, where he has this handy PDF you can download, is in the comments.

http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2006/10/important-and-pass-it-on.html

It's a very simple will that could act as a preliminary will for all of us writers worried about protecting our intellectual property. I don't have much published right now, but I have things plotted out, works in progress, loads of story ideas, notes and covers that I'd like my children (and grandchildren, etc.) to benefit from after I'm gone.

I figure I've got another good 40 - 45 years left, but copyright extends 70 years after death. It may be longer in the future. That's more than one hundred years! How many generations is that? A lot!

I don't want to leave what could be valuable intellectual property in the hands of someone other than my heirs. And, yes, I fully intend for my work to be valuable, now and in the future.

Go check out the links, and start thinking about what you want to happen to your work after you're gone. It's not tempting fate, really. Being prepared for things like this is the loving thing to do for your family.

I'll also put the link to Neil's site on my resources page, so you won't have to go hunting for it if you decide to wait awhile, or can't act on it right now.

Work on the next book goes on, getting the words down nicely and fiddling with a cover idea. More short stories to come also, as soon as I can get to them. I've got Mama's radiation treatment this afternoon, and the dreaded grocery shopping. Eeewww!

Ta for now, Gentle Readers. Keep calm and think of turkey.