Hey. It’s been a while, I know. I’d like to say that I’ve been sunning on a tropical beach somewhere in the Caribbean, but instead I’ve been up to my earlobes in, well, life for the last month and a half. I managed to squeeze in a couple of blog posts during that time but finally had to let blogging go for a while, too. I didn’t want to admit it but it just became too much. Not that blogging is hard, but I haven’t had a lot of computer time lately. I decided that if I’m not writing, then I shouldn’t feel guilty about not blogging, right?
I did, though...just a little. Truth is I’ve missed you.
In between jury duty, college applications, school conferences, a *sick computer, planning and cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner, etc., I’ve been thinking about those of you who visit and take the time to comment. I apologize for skipping out for so long. Unfortunately, my commitments ate up most of my free time and the early mornings, full days, and late nights caught up with me and completely wore me out. Like my post title says, I’m finding my way back, albeit slowly. And like all of you, I'm still busy, but I plan to return to regular blogging soon (as long as my computer doesn't start acting up again). Because you know what? I miss it.
And I’ll tell you what else I miss. Writing. I haven’t worked on my ms since September and I’m longing to get back to it. Even though the holiday season is upon us, I’m committed to carving out a portion of my week to writing. Though I haven't decided whether I'll continue with Nitpicky or work on my YA idea (more on this later).
Oh, and a big thank you to all of you who haven't abandoned me. I can't wait to visit you and read what you've been up to over the last few weeks. I even gained a few new followers during my absence. Such a nice surprise. Hello and welcome to Elizabeth, Cara, and Margo. Thanks for stopping by.
So again, I'm finding my way back. Leave the light on for me, okay?
*(A stupid virus nearly ruined my computer. Thanks to my brother for his time, knowledge and skill, and calm presence while his sister [that would be me] freaked out.)
Nice to see you again, Suzie! Sorry about the computer thing. I had that happen to me, too. Thank heavens I invested in an external hard drive as a backup. What a mess that was. It's wonderful having tekkies in the family, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAs for your writing, you might consider using the pomodoro technique. I found out about from a computer programmer who uses it to help when he's on a tight deadline. You set yourself 25 minutes (this, of course, is assuming you have 25 minutes) and turn on the timer (free download in the link below). Having that timer on the screen and disciplining yourself not to get distracted (like by the Internet or nonemergency phone calls) during that 25 minutes really focuses you. Even if that's all the time you can spend a day, I was getting between 450 and 750 words in that 25 minute period. If you have a larger block of time, the timer has a 5 minute break included. So you type feverishly for 25 minutes and then stop--you absolutely have to stop--for five minutes and get up, go get a drink, go to the bathroom, whatever. But you leave the computer. Come back in five minutes and start again (or be done for the day). This made all the difference in the world for me. I sometimes think I'm ADD that way I'd be right in the middle of sentence and then get up and go do something else. Not anymore.
http://www.focusboosterapp.com/
Hope you had a great holiday and your dinner came out well.
light is left on :) hope things become less hectic for you!
ReplyDeleteSometimes a break is the best thing I can do for my writing. Glad to see you back.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzie, I hope you've enjoyed the bloggy break. I've left an award for you on my blog, please stop by to check it out.
ReplyDelete@Donna - My brother not only saved my computer but sanity as well. We were just about to start financial aid forms for our son when this all hit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the writing suggestion. This may just be the method I need to jump start my writing again. I do like the discipline of timed writing until I find my rhythm again. I'll give it a try.
@Jessica - Thanks! Life with 4 school age kids is rarely less hectic, but I think I can manage to squeeze in some writing time.
ReplyDelete@Ryshia - It's good to be back!
@Annalisa - What helped is that I refused to feel guilty. The break was unavoidable and I accepted that. Sometimes we have to take care of the people in our lives (and ourselves) first. Thanks for the award! I'll go check it out :)
Oh no! Viruses are nasty. I'm glad you've got it all worked out. Good luck with your new writing goal. Sometimes it's just hard to squeeze everything in, but 5 minutes of writing a day is better than none, right? :D
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to "meet" you!
Hello Nisa and welcome! I'm excited about my new goal because I have a plan. More on that in my next post.
ReplyDelete