Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.
Optional Monthly Question: Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?
I used to have a job that made me cry every day, but it came with lots of vacation time and summer’s off. I used to get so much writing done on my paid vacations that I stayed in that horrible job for 10 years. I now work a job I love, but it comes with no time off. It’s really a pain for me to plan to take time off and then enjoy my time off because it’s always so brief. I have no time to write (I know that doesn’t make me special or unique in any way, but it’s harder for me to write now than it’s ever been). Still, I don’t cry 5-days a week on the way to an abusive job, so that’s nice. Not sure I’ll ever get to a point where I write like I used to. I’ll always be a writer, just not sure I’ll ever get to publish anything again.
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WEP October and December Challenges
It was an honor to come in as Runner-up in the October “Grave Mistake” challenge. Be sure to check out the emotional guest post from challenge 1st-place winner Rebecca Douglass.
Briefly, the December challenge “Unmasked” was canceled due to time constraints and stressors of the season, but the WEP admins have come up with a very casual and laid-back approach for this challenge to continue for anyone interested. Click the image to see what’s in store for 2021 and see any stories that may be shared for the December prompt. You can read my entry here if you’d like.
IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS
Our book club is changing things up!
We will have quarterly book selections now, giving us more time to read. We will also have one fiction book selection and one writing craft book selection. Members can read both or choose between them. Finally, we won’t be offering 5 optional discussion questions anymore. Instead, we will be utilizing the polls that our members enjoy, so there will be one poll question for the fiction book and one for the non-fiction book on Discussion Day.
Our December/January/February reads are…
Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor, a book written in second-person. Since many readers haven’t read a book in second-person, and many writers haven’t written in second-person, we figured this is a great chance to explore something new.
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Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters by J Lenni Dorner. This will be our writing craft book, with a focus on settings.
Discussion Day for both books will be February 24, 2021! JOIN US!
Now, on to the personal updates.
I’ve been reading a bit and writing a bit, but not as much as I’d like of each. Honestly, it’s not as bad as it would usually be because it’s 2020. I’ve simply decided that this is a trial year- everything will pretty much be a do-over in 2021. In 2021 I’ll work on actually reaching some writing goals, I’ll give my Goodreads challenge a legit effort and post reviews on time, and I’ll stop phoning in my blog efforts. For now, I’m just focusing on getting to 2021 without a complete breakdown, so that means I read less, write less, and blog less. At least I’m still moving forward- even if I’m moving very slow and don’t really have a destination.
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Is there an ideal time of year for you to write?
If you don’t write, have you considered it?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will stop by your blog.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Pat Garcia,
Sylvia Ney,
Liesbet @ Roaming About,
Cathrina Constantine, and
Natalie Aguirre!
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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #37).
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
24 replies on “#IWSG December 2020: The Best Time of Year to Write”
hi,
The most important thing is that you don’t cry five days a week when you go to work. You were destroying yourself. I am happy that you moved on. Your soul is at peace and that is what counts.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a safe passage over into 2021.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Thank you, Pat. You are so right. My soul is at peace now and I can stil write even if it is less than I’d like. Wishing you all the best in 2021.
Man, no one wants to go to a job that makes them miserable. Glad you got out of it.
Yes, let’s redo this year without all of the crap.
Thanks, Alex. It was a relief to leave that job. So much easyer to count my blessings now. Wish you all the best in 2021.
In the end, not having an abusive job is much better for your health. Even if you don’t have as much time to write.
That’s a great way to look at this year…a trial year.
Yes, Chrys, at the time it was a hard choice to make, but I needed peace of mind. I made the right choice.
Not having an abusive job is a good thing. I hope you can find out some time to write, maybe poetry, short stories, song-writing? You never know, maybe there’s something really cool you can do with a 10-minute window here or there.
And I like the idea of 2020 being a trial year. It’s been a trial. It’s been a year (or a decade of a year), and now we can move forward – slowly, but surely.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!
Yes, Tyrean, I’ve really begun to embrace short stories and poetry, but part of me still longs to go back to novel writing, just not sure if I can manage it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you.
Ugh! I was literally sick when I worked for UPS. Horrible job. That’s good you got out of it.
Yes, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
It’s evening for me. I’m glad you are in a better job now. I hope you are able to enjoy the holidays, and some writing time. Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Sylvia. I’m glad I’m in a better place too. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
It’s definitely better to have a job you love, even if that makes it more difficult to find time to write. Your overall mental health is more important, and hopefully that means you’re in a better mindset when you are able to sit down and write.
Yes, Sarah, you’re right. It maybe harder for me to find time to write, but when I do, I’m in a better mindset.
I spent four years in a job I hated because I needed the health insurance. It’s important that we don’t let what we do to survive define us. Like you, I moved on. So glad you’ve found more satisfying work. Writing will always be with you, Toi. You’ve got too much inside of you that you’ll share when the time is right.
Thank you, Lee. Your words mean a lot. I agree, it was time to stop letting my job define me and when the time is right, the writing will come.
I wonder from your description if you used to be a teacher. I’m glad you got out of a job you hated and have a better job now. I know how hard it is to juggle writing with a full-time job. Sometimes I have only so much brain space! Hang in there. Even small bits of writing do add up.
Yes, I used to work in a classroom. I don’t believe all teaching jobs are bad but my experience was. I’m glad to have a job that allows me to continue working with the special needs population that I fell in love with, without being made to feel like a third-class citizen, scapegoat, and punching bag for a system that seems to thrive on a small few at the top picking and choosing who gets to be treated like decent human beings… Sorry for the rant, I’m just so happy to be in a better place. I’ll write when I can.
So sorry about your last job Toi. I have a job too and balancing writing is hard but I do hope someday.
Thank you, Sonia. It’s been an ajustment. My job is demanding, and yet very fullfilling. I like my job and will somehow, at some point, figure out time to write.
I, too, had a job where I cried each night. Like, you, I left that job. Best thing I did. I’m glad you did, too. Life is too short to be so unhappy. Hugs.
Thank you, Diane. I’m glad you got out too. Hugs.
You may not have as much time to write now, but you’re in a better place. I used to have an abusive job too and it’s soul sapping.
Yes, Lynda, it is soul sapping. It’s good to be in a better place.