Catching Up – #amwriting #MondayBlogs

/ Marcia Meara

 

HELP! Where Did All My Writing Time Go?

Happy Moon’s Day, Folks! I hope this Monday morning finds you in good health and good spirits. Just wanted to take a moment to let you know that my blog posts may be spotty for a bit. I have finally come to the conclusion that I am never going to get caught up again in this lifetime, but I can’t keep floundering in a sea of To Do Items and ignoring my writing. Sad but true, the time comes in life when we no longer have quite the energy or stamina we once did, and we have to slow the pace a bit. 

As a result of the above-mentioned (and truly annoying) energy decrease, I haven’t written a word in months, and it’s making me very unhappy. Therefore, I’ve decided I’m  going to take some time to write each day (at least until I get my 4th Riverbend novel completed) even if it has an impact on my blog posts and my blog visits. I’ll do the very best I can to keep up with both, but if I miss some of my regular features or a stop or two at my favorite blogs, please forgive me. And don’t be alarmed. It just means I’m working on my book.

 I know most of you will understand how frustrating it is to want to write but not have time to do so. (And the pandemic isolation, oddly enough, was not at all conducive to the process for many of us, either.) The good news is, I started said book Friday and managed to get the short prologue and the first two scenes of Chapter 1 written. Words cannot express what a difference even that little bit has made in my overall mood. Stress levels are definitely lower, and I’m actually smiling again. 

I have #GuestDayTuesday posts scheduled for several more weeks, and will definitely be reblogging Bad Moon Rising posts through the month’s end, and Story Empire posts always, so it won’t be completely empty here. I plan to touch base at least weekly, and I’ll try to find time for other goodies here and there, too, though I’m not going to promise when or how often. Once I’ve made substantial progress on this story, I’m sure things will starting heading back to normal, but until then, I hope you’ll all understand if you see less of me online for a few weeks. 

Thanks so much, and now, the Painter Brothers are demanding my attention. They have some interesting things happening in their lives, and some new characters coming into play. Must. Go. Write. 


Yes I know these three guys are really actors, but in MY world,
they are Hunter, Forrest, and Jackson Painter, and I’ve 
truly missed them! 🙂 ❤

42 thoughts on “Catching Up – #amwriting #MondayBlogs”

    • I agree with you!
      It is a positive move to take stock of our creative needs and to begin to order the chaos we all get into because we are so creative and enthusiastic. I am doing this as well. I have a revised version of my first book that I plan to have completed by the end of December. And, in my fiber studio, my work has been waiting for me to sit down and begin the new _Four Season_ series that has been in my head for months. I am now ready to begin my work there, which means that other things have to slow down and some of them just lie dormant for some time – we do have to prioritize and you are wise to do this, Marcia. Good luck and happy writing on your book draft.

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      • Thank you so much, Lynda! I’m excited to be back in Riverbend again, and enjoying my friends there! 😀 And much good luck to you, too, as you work on your new series! Good to see you here today! 🙂 ❤

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    • The trouble is, I’ve been a blogger twice as long as I’ve been a writer, and I really love it. So it’s hard for me to cut back on it, even though it’s gotten to be more time-consuming of late. But I figure I’ll likely be done writing books in another couple of years, so I have to get busy and tell my stories while I can. 😀 Thanks, Sue. Appreciate your stopping by. 🙂

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    • Those Painter boys are as much fun to look at as they are to write about, for sure! 😀 And thanks, Darlene. I think many of us are in this same boat, and there are only so many hours in the day. We have to take stock now and then and be sure we’re spending them where we need to. Thanks for stopping by today, too! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Harmony. I’m already at work on Scene 3 this morning, and MIGHT actually finish this chapter today. Woooohooooo. It. Feels. GOOD.

      Thanks so much for stopping by, and you take care of yourself. Nothing takes precedence over health, after all. 🙂 ❤

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    • Patience is good until it becomes an excuse to do other things. I don’t expect to be writing books too much longer, so I’m very conscious of time going by. I had thought I’d write for 5 years, or at least quit by 75, but I find I now want to reach at least 80 before stopping. If I play my cards right, I can get a couple more books and some novellas written in the 3-1/2 years I have until then. At which time, I imagine I’ll be happy to spend long hours working on my TBR pile!

      Thanks for stopping by today, Pam. Back to my chapter, now. 😀

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  5. I totally understand. I wish I had more time for writing. Unfortunately I can’t just pause working in order to write ☹️ I will find some time to write soon, though, I hope. It’s high on my to-do list. Enjoy your writing, and I will be here when you do blog.

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    • I sympathize with you, Jeanne. I could NOT hold down a “real” job and write, too. I can barely find time to do it now, and I’m home every day. You have my utmost respect for managing both, as do so many of my writing friends. I’m hoping as I get back into a writing schedule, I’ll find I can keep up with more of the blogging than I’m imagining. But we’ll see. At least you’ll know what I’m doing when I’m not hanging out here. 😀 Thanks so much for stopping by! And YOU hang in there, my friend! 🙂

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    • I know we are all overloaded and running behind is pretty common. I’m hoping that by cutting back on my personal blog a bit, I can do fairly well with the rest, but we’ll see. I’m determined to take a couple of hours each morning for writing, before I finally forget what words are. I almost never take weekends off, so I think losing some morning time should still keep me somewhat on top of things. Fingers crossed. But I did want to let people know if I’m more scarce than usual, nothing’s wrong.

      Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂

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  8. I feel the exact same way when I’m not writing, Marcia. In fact, yesterday, I said to my husband, “If I don’t write something today, my soul will wilt and then die.” Book launches and research don’t fulfill the same inherent NEED. Have fun, Marcia!

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    • Exactly, Sue! I have been getting more and more depressed, and I finally realized it was because I was not making time to write in my daily schedule. Our souls NEED that, don’t they? And as soon as I actually started putting words on the page, I felt better immediately! 😀

      Thanks so much for stopping by, and I’m glad you totally “get it.” 😀 You have fun, as well!

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  9. I can so relate to what you’re feeling. With the exception of Story Empire, I plan to go dark for the entire month of November for NaNaWrIMo. I’m hoping I’ll be able to really be able to plug away at my writing. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. Wishing you happy writing. I’m looking forward to the next Riverbend novel when it’s completed!

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    • Thanks, Mae! I knew you were planning to take November off and told Mark I’d like to do that, too, and I’m not even doing NaNo! 😀 I finally decided I’d miss blogging too much if I didn’t do any for that long, so I’ve compromised with writing in the morning (which is always my most creative time) and blogging a bit in the afternoon, but not worrying about sticking to a set schedule for a while. I’m already in a MUCH better place than I’ve been in for months!

      Hope you enjoy the heck out of your November, my friend. And thanks for taking a moment to comment, too. Write on, Mae!! 😀 ❤

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  10. I totally get it, Marcia! You may have noticed I haven’t been around a lot lately. Been trying to do exactly as you’re doing. Stay focused on the writing.

    I’ve definitely found it keeps my stress level down to feel productive and to be able to escape into some other place for a while. Have fun!!

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    • Yes, I’ve noticed your absence, Kass, and it’s good to see you here tonight. I’m so glad to know you’re focusing on what’s important to you, and even more glad to know it helps keep your stress level down. Productive days are the very best kind, and I realized I wasn’t having as many of them as I wanted. At least where writing was concerned. I had a good one today, though, and feel MUCH happier about things. I’ll find a balance no matter how tricky it might be.

      Thanks for your understanding and your input! And good luck on the writing, too! 🙂 ❤

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  11. I hear you, Ms M. You’re talking my language. You’re cooking the BBQ and it smells good. Wait. This is getting weird now. Let’s just say, I get it. I sat down today to do some quick blogging, then write. That was at 9:30am. It’s now 2:15pm and guess which thing hasn’t been done? Sigh. We really need to look into cloning.
    In short, do what you gotta. We all get it. We all understand 🙂
    PS: Whoo boy those Painter boys of yours are something! Why are none of my characters ever good looking?

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    • I love when you stop by, Jessica! You always make me laugh out loud, and I’m even getting better about not snorting my Earl Grey all over the keyboard! 😀 I think all writers can smell this BBQ to one extent or another. 😉 There’s never enough time for any of us to do all we want/need to do and still keep up with our writing. But when you begin to realize how many weeks have gone by without putting a single word on paper, you have to make some choices. I’ve decided writing has to come FIRST, and all else be slipped in later in the day, as I can. I’m allowing myself 30 minutes to sip some tea, wake up my brain, and handle the most important emails. After that, no peeking at the Inbox until I’ve accomplished enough on my WIP to feel good about it. And I agree with you on those Painter boys. But each one has a certain look about him that fits the character’s personality, so I keep their photos handy. You know–for work-related inspiration. (That’s what I tell my husband about my bulletin board pics, anyway. 😀 )

      I’ll let you know how my new plan works, but Friday and yesterday were encouraging, and my spirits SURE climbed back out of the abyss they’d disappeared into weeks ago! Time management! It’s even harder than marketing! (Okay, that one’s really a toss-up, I guess, but it’s definitely my focus right now, anyway.) Thanks for stopping by, Jessica! Again, you always make me laugh, and that can only be a GOOD thing! 😀 ❤

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      • Time management she says after replying with a chunk of text that probably took half an hour to write 😁

        I love your plan. I need to do the same sort of thing. And now, I’ve just added the day job back into my rota too (had been home for the past six weeks recovering). So now, the time is being eaten by more demands. I have to prioritise writing up higher than where it is currently. Sigh. I was never very good at discipline. (And doesn’t THAT sound adult).

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        • Nope. Took about 2 minutes. I was an executive secretary in a former life, and I still type ridiculously fast. And when it’s just chat, the words just spill out. (Ask anyone who knows me. 😀 😀 😀 )

          I don’t think I knew you were sick! How did I miss that? I’m truly glad you’re well enough to return to the “day job,” but sorry it’s going to consume so much of your time. I don’t know how people who are gainfully employed outside the home ever get ONE word written. I can barely find time to write, and I’m here ALL DAY LONG, and mostly at the computer. (Note to self: Must take care of huge laundry pile today. No more excuses, lest we end up running around NEKKID as jaybirds!)

          And I’m with you on the lack of discipline! GAH!! (There. Time elapsed from start of reply to finish: 1 minute, 45 seconds. Honest.) 😀

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  12. I understand where you’re coming from. I haven’t written anything in months. The writing is the part I like most. Promotion, not so much, but it has been fun talking with everyone. Might start back up in November or December.

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    • I know you’ve been promoting like a house on fire. (Hey, it’s early. That’s the best analogy I can manage right now.) 😀 You’ve done a fantastic job of making the rounds and getting the word out, and that’s of major importance. I want to do better at that, too. But I don’t want it and 1,000 other things to mean I’ve stopped writing. Realistically, I have to face the fact that I don’t have decades ahead of me in which to tell my stories. I’ll be happy if I make it another 3 or 4 years or so. And that means writing comes first, marketing second, and everything else in a routine day, third. At least for now.

      I’m definitely not planning to abandon my blogging and sharing. I enjoy it too much for that. But I’ll enjoy it more if I’ve already put in some writing time first each day. (At least that’s my plan. Tempus fugit. And it makes me nervous, because lately it’s fugiting at much faster rate than I like. 😀 😀 😀 )

      Hope you get back to writing soon, my friend! 🙂 And thanks for stopping by! 🙂

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        • I think it makes sense for me, at least for now. Of course, John Howell aims for 1,000 words, and my goals aren’t quite that lofty. I just want to spend the morning working on my WIP, and if that’s 1,000, great. But I’ll settle for less, if that’s what I’m able to produce. I just want to make some progress each day, before I get distracted by everything else. Will let you know how it’s working. 😀

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  13. Totally understand – it’s plain daft when the platform building and maintenance prevents time for the actual real job of writing!
    I thought about taking a blog break a few years ago, but then decided to reduce instead, posting just one day a week, and that’s working okay for me, although even then I would really like that chunk of time back. I do, however, enjoy blogging, which is a very good reason for doing it.
    Make your own choices Marcia, this is YOUR life!

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  14. Wow, Marcia, do I relate to this blog post! I am so far behind and I have decided not to keep going backward to try and visit all the blogs I missed. I’m just going to go forward or else I’ll never get back to square one. Do what works for you. As someone else said, “This is YOUR life!”

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    • I believe that decision falls under the heading of “cutting your losses.” Every now and then, I have to do a mass delete on emails I’ve fallen behind on, too, and it kills me. BUT there are only so many hours in a day, no matter how much we long for more! I suspect all of us can identify with this post to one extent or another, and it’s just a matter of deciding whether or not it’s time to make a change. I’m going to limit my morning email/blog checks to about 30 minutes. Then devote the rest of the morning to writing, and get back to emails and blog visits, etc, in the afternoon. Some things will probably fall by the wayside, but for now, my priority has to be writing this next book. In all honesty, I’ll be surprised to still be trying to write when I hit 80 (in 3-1/2 years), so it’s now or never, I’m thinking. If I turn out to still be going strong by then, then yippeee! 😀 So I’m about ready to stop commenting now, and get to my day’s work. Will be back later, though. 😀 And good luck with gathering up the reins of this runaway horse we call life. Make it work the way YOU want it to, my friend! (Then share your secret! 😀 )

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      • I think your method is a good one, Marcia. I may try the same approach. I have such a compulsion to keep my email inbox down to at least 30, but I think I just have to get over that. 🙂 Good luck to you and me both!

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