Hi all, sorry to get behind in blogging. It turns out that life can be quite busy even when you're working from home. Go figure. It's been absolute chaos. Things are slowly reopening and even though I haven't been called back to work yet, I can see it coming. I've been trying to tie up the loose ends and take care of what I can before I'm phased back in. Some things are working out better than others in that regard. This is life.
The good news is that I've done a lot of work on Domino, and in fact finished yet another rewrite on it yesterday. I think it's time to take Stephen King's advice and lay this aside for six to eight weeks, though. The beta reads and reviews were extremely helpful and gave me great ideas to "amp it up" and tighten it up, but I can feel the fatigue setting in. I'm thrilled to have this part of the writing process done for it, but I need some space now for further revisions and edits to the manuscript. Perhaps I'll send it for another beta read in the fall to tighten it up but for now, I need a break.
In fact, I'm taking a mini-break from all writing. I've done well with short stories too and have many queries outstanding. Of course, I'll continue submitting if I find suitable markets, but my muse is a bit tired, and I need to refill the well of creativity. If anything, lockdown has given me a bit more of an idea of what it would be like to be a full time writer. Not exactly, of course, since I am still doing my day job from home, but I can see a bit more of what it would be like. It is nice but, like all things, you do need occasional breaks. It turns out that your muse can get burnout just like you can.
Truthfully, this whole lockdown thing has been getting to me the past couple of weeks. It's hard to admit because I'm not typically the type to get down, but I suppose it's natural. On the one hand, it's so nice to have more time and to be home more, and I don't want to give that up - ever. But I'm tired of wearing masks and gloves all the time, tired of having to make accommodations, tired of not being able to go places like the library or the sandwich shop or the secondhand bookstore for a break. Tired of pondering whether it's more effective to order it online, or brave a store. Tired of the constant screaming over COVID-19. We passed 100,000 deaths this week - that's not the kind of news I want to hear. I complain about overpopulation, but the truth is that I want everybody to be healthy and happy and having a wonderful life (without awful traffic).
I had a hard time getting going this morning, so I watched a Joyce Meyer on Spiritual Maturity. One thing that struck me (and got me off my butt) was her saying that you can't let circumstances rule you. This is true. I think COVID-19 had given everybody on Earth a lesson in that. We're all having to learn to stand up to the strange circumstances of life these days. We've heard "new normal" until we're ready to scream, but the truth is that our adaptability to reality is surly being tested. Life is going on in these strange times, and we're all coping. I said in my last blog that we need to take this as a mental detox, and it's true. Hopefully, we all have an appreciation for what matters, and a better idea of what we'd like out of life now.
And walking in faith. That's the big thing. Taking one day at a time seems to be something we've lost sight of with all of our big plans and ambitions. I'm learning a better balance, and I'm sure you are too.
Hang in there. We'll make it. Another thing I heard in a sermon is that we'll get through this, but remember: getting through means moving. It's a journey. You learn and grow while you move through it.
Isn't all of life like that, though?
That's all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
The good news is that I've done a lot of work on Domino, and in fact finished yet another rewrite on it yesterday. I think it's time to take Stephen King's advice and lay this aside for six to eight weeks, though. The beta reads and reviews were extremely helpful and gave me great ideas to "amp it up" and tighten it up, but I can feel the fatigue setting in. I'm thrilled to have this part of the writing process done for it, but I need some space now for further revisions and edits to the manuscript. Perhaps I'll send it for another beta read in the fall to tighten it up but for now, I need a break.
In fact, I'm taking a mini-break from all writing. I've done well with short stories too and have many queries outstanding. Of course, I'll continue submitting if I find suitable markets, but my muse is a bit tired, and I need to refill the well of creativity. If anything, lockdown has given me a bit more of an idea of what it would be like to be a full time writer. Not exactly, of course, since I am still doing my day job from home, but I can see a bit more of what it would be like. It is nice but, like all things, you do need occasional breaks. It turns out that your muse can get burnout just like you can.
Truthfully, this whole lockdown thing has been getting to me the past couple of weeks. It's hard to admit because I'm not typically the type to get down, but I suppose it's natural. On the one hand, it's so nice to have more time and to be home more, and I don't want to give that up - ever. But I'm tired of wearing masks and gloves all the time, tired of having to make accommodations, tired of not being able to go places like the library or the sandwich shop or the secondhand bookstore for a break. Tired of pondering whether it's more effective to order it online, or brave a store. Tired of the constant screaming over COVID-19. We passed 100,000 deaths this week - that's not the kind of news I want to hear. I complain about overpopulation, but the truth is that I want everybody to be healthy and happy and having a wonderful life (without awful traffic).
I had a hard time getting going this morning, so I watched a Joyce Meyer on Spiritual Maturity. One thing that struck me (and got me off my butt) was her saying that you can't let circumstances rule you. This is true. I think COVID-19 had given everybody on Earth a lesson in that. We're all having to learn to stand up to the strange circumstances of life these days. We've heard "new normal" until we're ready to scream, but the truth is that our adaptability to reality is surly being tested. Life is going on in these strange times, and we're all coping. I said in my last blog that we need to take this as a mental detox, and it's true. Hopefully, we all have an appreciation for what matters, and a better idea of what we'd like out of life now.
And walking in faith. That's the big thing. Taking one day at a time seems to be something we've lost sight of with all of our big plans and ambitions. I'm learning a better balance, and I'm sure you are too.
Hang in there. We'll make it. Another thing I heard in a sermon is that we'll get through this, but remember: getting through means moving. It's a journey. You learn and grow while you move through it.
Isn't all of life like that, though?
That's all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
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