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.
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Optional Monthly Question: What’s the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?
I had the perfect job for building a writing career while still working until I could write full-time or retire, but then I quit. I quit because I was miserable. Not just whiny miserable but still need therapy to this day miserable. I worked in a classroom and got lots of vacation time and summers off. Now I find time to write between long work hours and bouts of anxiety commuting to and from my clients due to the number of times others have hit my car. I never get time off, I can take time off and not get paid, but I don’t get time off. Since I quit the job, I legitimately hated, my writing has suffered. I just don’t have the time to write like I used to. It’s just one of the major triggers to my ongoing battle with depression, and yet, I have no regrets. I’m blessed. I thank God every day for family and friends who help me cope with life, even when it’s hard. No matter how hard life gets, at least I don’t have to go back to that job. Never again. Not sure I’ll be able to overcome this, but maybe this is just how it’s meant to be. I’ll do what I can when I can and keep moving forward.
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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS
Member Spotlights
#iwsgbookclub
The books we’ve chosen to spotlight in the month of January are The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas and Satellite Blues by Team Netherworld. Please check these out and consider giving one or both of these a read this month. If you’re not up for reading them, no worries, you can still help spread some love for these publications and or participate in the book club activities.
My co-mods and I have done a lot of research into the books written by IWSG members to help facilitate the current direction the book club is taking. In the process, I’ve learned about how readers find and don’t find books by our members. So, I’ve put together some, hopefully, helpful tips I like to call…
Ways to Make Your Book(s) “Findable”
…and increase their chances to be featured and discovered.
5) This may sound a bit touchy, but after all the searching I did, I found it incredibly helpful when an author not only posted their book cover but also listed the title of the book in text on the page. Sometimes, a beautiful cover comes with the slight drawback of not being very readable. Just something to keep in mind.
Here’s our monthly spotlight schedule.
IWSG blog list 1-50 = Feb, Jun, Oct
IWSG blog list 51-100 = Mar, Jul, Nov
IWSG blog list 101+ = Jan, May, Sep (IWSG Anthologies)
IWSG Registry = Apr, Aug, Dec
In February we’ll feature books from authors in the 1-50 position of the IWSG blogging list. Remember, if you are not currently on the IWSG blog hop list and don’t plan to join, the registry is the only way for your books to have a chance to be spotlighted by the book club. If you are on the blog hop list, please don’t join the registry. We want to be fair and give everyone an opportunity to be featured, which means some of us will have to wait for our turns, including me (the book club admin) and the co-mods.
Please click the hyperlink to fill out the form to be added to the IWSG Book Club Spotlight Registry, and please help us spread the word.
Now, on to the personal updates.
I had a lot I wanted to put into this post, but it just didn’t happen. I hope to catch up throughout the month and recap in February.
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So, any regrets in your writing career?
Read, or written, any good books lately?
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.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Erika Beebe,
Olga Godim,
Sandra Cox,
Sarah Foster, and
Chemist Ken!
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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 #31).
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
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24 replies on “#IWSG January 2022- I have no regrets (sort of)!”
That’s a catch-22 with the job, isn’t it? But life is too short to be miserable.
Great choices for the book club!
Thanks, Alex. I’m looking forward to reading more from the IWSG community this year.
I am so sorry that your job made you miserable (but happy that you quit it), that you’re experiencing anxiety and depression because of your current work situation. I hope things get better this year and that you can find more time to write and avoid your triggers. <3
P.S. sorry it has taken me so long to return a visit.
Always good to see you Chrsy. I like my new job but driving has become a stressor for me after being hit 3x. Unfornately, I have to drive for my job. When I’m not driving, though, I’m finding time to write when I can.
It’s never worth keeping a job that makes you that miserable. Not finding writing time is frustrating, but devoting even a short time to it every day can be satisfying. Check out ninjawriters.org. They’ve been a big part of my solution to the writing time/work time conundrum.
Hoping 2022 is a great writing year for you.
Thank you Julia, Yes, I live for those moments, even the short one, when I can get in a few words. I have hopes and plans for 2022. We’ll see how they work out.
Woah, just putting all that out there is a leap of faith. I’m with Julia !, a job that makes you miserable is not worth it, but realize you are brave to take that leap. Best for the new year!
Thank you. I appreciate your words. I’m hope 2022 will be a better year than 2021 for everyone.
I’m sure your decision to quit took some time to make and had quite a bit of angst involved. However, it seems you made the right choice and can enjoy what you want. That is worth every bit of effort it took. Here’s to continuing to make difficult, but good choices in 2022.
Thank, C. Lee. I know it was the right choice.
It’s a rare job that made me miserable that I regret quitting. (And UPS was the worst.)
That’s a good point to print out the title with the cover.
I don’t regret quitting the job but I do regret the benefits I had to give up. Glad you liked the findable tip.
Staying in a destructive relationship, with a job just as with a person, is not a good choice. I’m sorry your new job keeps you so busy, and hope you will be able to find a better balance eventually.
Thank you. This job is much better, but I just don’t have the time I once had.
I’m sorry to hear your current job keeps you so busy, but I’m glad you got away from the job that made you miserable. Family and friends who can be counted on are the best. Glad you have supportive people in your life!
Calling your site “ToiBox of Words” is super cute btw! I love it!
For some reason, I missed this comment. Thanks for stopping by. Glad you like the name of the blog.
I’m sorry things were (and are) so rough, but glad you quit the job. Good luck to you as you move forward and heal.
The Warrior Muse
Thank you. Through it all, I do count myself blessed.
Happy New Year, Toi!
I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve had a rough time.
The word regret is not the word I’d use when referring to my journey because each writer’s journey is highly personalized and really unique. however, I do wish that I could write a bit faster.
You must take care of yourself, Toi.
Thank you, Michelle. Happy New Year!
I had a job like that. came home crying every night. Thank goodness for a supportive husband who said quit. Best advice, despite the fact that I was the only one bringing in an income. I got another job quickly that I liked a lot and–hurray, hurray–offered benefits, like health coverage. It also meant little time to write. But it was worth it to get away from that job. Making life changing decision is very hard. Life hands us some awful lemons then expects us to do something good with them. Sending hugs and hoping you’ll get through this.
I’m glad to hear you got away from your bad job as well. Thanks for the hugs.
Hopefully you can find the perfect job for you. I was working as a substitute teacher and that gave me a lot of writing time, but Covid ended that. I went back into social work, which I enjoy more, but the pay is lower and there is less time for writing. I’m still trying to find the balance.
And I just realized I forgot to add the book club info to my blog post. Ugh. I need post it notes on my forehead.
Yes, finding that balance is hard, but we keep trying. I would try post-its on my head, but I’d probably lose the post-its.