Return of the Writer

I don't handle stress well. And I had built up stress surrounding a number of areas in my life, including my writing.

I've been struggling to write for months. The muse isn't singing much at all, and it's been distressing. I didn't write for months, didn't critique for months. I just came to a standstill. In May, I started writing again, and in June began to push myself to critique. Both were stressful because it wasn't coming naturally like usual.

Trying to write, forcing myself to critique, and blogging became too much, so I had to cut back. The option that I scaled back was the blog. It relieved some of the stress, and I could focus more on what I needed to do in order to get back on my feet with editing and critiquing. Though writing is still like pulling teeth.

The critiquing is slow but steady which is good. I'm happy about it. I'm having the second book in my series critiqued right now, and it's been lovely, though I'm only three chapters in with my current partners. It helps me remember why I do this and what my goals are, which I hope will help my writing. So far, it hasn't. But I have hope.

So, I'm back after six weeks, hoping for a long while. I apologize for vanishing, but it was necessary for my creativity, and more importantly, for my mental health. I'm doing better, which means it worked. Hopefully, things will continue to improve, and I'll be able to pound out a manuscript soon!

It's good to be back!

Photo Credit: Eneida Nieves