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IWSG

#IWSG Nov. 2023- A Novel Month?

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.

Optional Monthly Question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I’ve never participated in NANO simply because it’s a constant struggle for me to find time to write. I’m the type of writer who finds myself with an afternoon of nothing to do and will crank out 2-10k words, but not write again for a month. If I had a regular 9-5 day job, I think I could schedule regular times to write, in the morning, evening, or on weekends, but my schedule changes so often that, sometimes, when I have time, I sleep it away or focus on adulting tasks such as laundry and cleaning. Maybe, one day, when I retire, I’ll give NANO a try.

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Now, on to the personal updates.

I didn’t post last month because I’d lost a relative just a few days prior and two weeks later I lost another relative. I’m slowly getting back into writing creatively, but most of this year has been dedicated to coping with life’s stressors: racial drama, work stress, illness, death, and more. Hoping to end the year on a high note.

My web host keeps decreasing the quality of service they provide and they keep trying to get me to pay for more stuff. So if,  all of a sudden, this blog disappears, it’ll be on them and not me. I want to keep this blog, but not enough to pay more for it than I currently do.

Every year I post an unboxing video of my new glasses and, somehow, managed to do one again this year. If you’d like to check it out, click on the video below.

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Do you have any plans for National Novel Writing Month?

Hope your year is going well. If not, I’m sending out prayers and good vibes for you.

It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually 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:
PJ Colando,
Jean Davis,
Lisa Buie Collard, and
Diedre Knight!

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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 #27).

Did you know you can join my community for FREE over at Patreon to receive a monthly update on the creative projects I’m working on? I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!

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.

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IWSG

#IWSG November 2017: No #NaNoWriMo for me ‘cause I’m stuck in a rut.

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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.

Monthly Question: Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?

I’ve never attempted NaNo simply because I know it’s not a format that suits me, though I’ve heard it’s done wonders for other writers. The idea of trying to force 50k words in 30 days stresses me out. That’s not to say I haven’t done it before, but when it just happens, naturally, over a weekend with little sleep and lots of caffeine, it’s great. Outside of that, I’ll stick with my meager word counts and finish when I finish.

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Now on to the personal updates.

I think I’m stuck in a rut. Not sure how I got here or how to get out. I feel so… blah. I’m behind on writing book reviews and updating my vlog, though I’ve had time to do both. I think a lot of it has to do with the dissatisfaction of my day job and my growing desire to stop sharing my writing. I absolutely do not want to stop writing, I just don’t know if I want to keep sharing what I write. I don’t think anyone would really miss my words if they were no longer there, and I’d be content to just write them for myself. IDK. Perhaps if I had a few close friends who enjoyed reading and or writing it would be different, but since I don’t, all my writing feels like a solitary act. So, why not just keep it to myself?

Then there’s blogging. Not sure about this at the moment either, at least where to do it that is. I still enjoy blogging even if it does take up a lot of my time. Right now, I’m challenged with how often I should blog here, at The ToiBox of Words. Since I’ve started contributing to A Small Gang of Authors, and might start contributing to another blog (assuming I ever submit something they actually like), I been wondering if and how much of my presence is still desired here? Again, IDK. No matter what, I’ll always do this hop here and The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, as long as they are running.

In any case, if you’re up for it, check out this Halloween post that went up yesterday and this part 2 of my Angel Lore series that went up today.

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Are you doing NaNo? Why?
Are you stuck in a rut? Any ideas on how to get out?
Should I continue posting once a week or stick with my two hops only?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Tonja Drecker,
Diane Burton,
MJ Fifield, and
Rebecca Douglass!

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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 #58).

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