Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.
Optional Monthly Question: [not my words] Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? Why?
I’m trying really hard not to sink into a deep depression right now. The last few years have been rough, in general, but the last quarter of 2022 was just too much. All I wanted for the holiday was to spend time with my family. Instead, I got to be sick and quarantined. I’m so tired of everything being so hard.
I’m not delusional.
I recognize that there are people in this world far worse off than I am, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m overwhelmed with constantly trying to cope with all the struggles. I was almost hit by cars twice and sustained mild physical injuries from each incident. I had the flu in the Fall and did nothing for my birthday. I got COVID on Christmas Day and spent the week in bed. I mean like really, too weak to even binge-watch TV. I’ve had work and life traumas including ongoing health issues resulting in increased anxiety and PTSD. My writing continues to be a struggle and now I can barely even read for pleasure. Plus, I lost my wedding ring- removed while laid up so my hand wouldn’t swell and now it’s nowhere to be found. On top of all that, my dog is constantly sick- I’m currently nursing her back to health as I write this blog post.
I know there are so many ways in which I’m blessed. When my PC crashed on Dec 21st, my new Mac had just arrived in the mail. I’m grateful for that, but the weeks leading up to the crash were a real struggle. Plus, Macs are a lot more expensive than PCs- it took a lot of hard work to save up for it. I need time to recover- time I didn’t get over the holiday, and time that I can’t get now that I have to be back at work.
I guess my word for 2023 is recovery. It’s all I really want.
****
IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS
#iwsgbookclub
Member Spotlight
Fractions of Existence | Amazon
Craft Book
The Emotional Craft of Fiction | Amazon | Bookshop.org
No other updates this month.
****
What’s your word for 2023?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog. My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.
****
After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jemima Pett,
Debs Carey,
Kim Lajevardi,
Sarah Foster,
Natalie Aguirre, and
T. Powell Coltrin!
****
Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.
