Have you ever had a moment when you know you need to do a thing, but the rest of life is full enough to serve as a great rationale for not getting to it?
Yeah. That.
I haven’t been working at my fiction writing (other than snippets on this new space and in other social media spaces) in longer than I’d care to mention. I’ve done some academic writing and all that, but my works in progress are dusty, to say the least.
Several days ago, something happened to spark the Muse again and earlier today, I got a newsletter from a writer I follow; he always shares such great info about his books coming out. Even though it’s a newsletter, the connection is different. He’ll often ask that people respond to questions and things, which is different from the usual MailChimp auto-mailing.
Here’s what happened: I replied that I needed to update my email address and asked him about his support network. We ended up exchanging additional messages, but in between them, I went on an old resource and re-activated my membership. As I looked through the updates, I was nearly in tears (joyful ones!) with excitement to see all the new things and was further encouraged to get back to it.
My plan is to get writing this weekend. If you don’t hear from me in a week, send up a flair, wouldya? I might need rescuing from beneath a landslide of words.
After my joyful jaunt through that site, I went back to my email and saw another message from the writer, who gave me some very sage advice. In brief and to protect the innocent, he said that I need to evaluate my needs. I need to make sure I’m taking care of myself and my words. He gave me some examples from his own journey as a published and represented author who has been so for the past oh, 25 years or so.
I’d love to share more, but again to protect the innocent, I’ll not add more detail. Suffice it to say that it was good to laugh about the process!
What are you working on these days?
What inspires you?
Do you need a push to get at it?