Changes have been happening in my life. The biggest one is I took on a part time job. The hours are perfect: 9-2 while my kids are at school. Unfortunately it means I can’t write as much.
I was going to shut down the website. I really haven’t had much to say about the writing process for awhile now, and I didn’t have time for Spark Tally over the summer. But it was a really hard post to write goodbye. I felt like I was giving up, even though I don’t plan to give up writing entirely. Plus, I really enjoy when people check in and let me know how they’re doing. There have been many successful writers on this site whether it’s getting a first draft done or getting a publication or just having time to string some words together.
So if you’re still out there, I’m going to start posting Spark Tally again. I’ll probably be glad if I get a few hundred words down a week. If you know some writers who’d like to share word counts and thoughts, please invite them!
Beyond Spark Tally, I don’t have a plan for the blog. I did update the rest of the site, so take a look at the links above. Many of the websites I was published at are gone, but I still have a few publication links left. Surprisingly, the very first story I had published is among them.
I hope you’re doing well. Please share your news, or wait for the Spark Tally post this weekend!
I hope you stick with the blog, Melinda, even if you don’t write much. I’m in the same boat. I work about 25-30 hours a week, depending on the time of year, who takes off at work etc between my two jobs and it’s difficult many days to find time to write and in your situation, where you still have kids at home, it’s harder to fit the writing in at odd times. I like it most when I’m on second shift because I can write during the day when nobody is here and it’s quiet. During the summer when I’m on first shift, I usually end up only writing on my off days. (or my partially off days) My experience is to grab 15 minutes or a half hour where you can. If I accomplish one or two things a week, I’m happy. I hope you enjoy your job.
Thanks for the encouragement! This is my second week in, and last week I thought I would never write while I was holding a job. But part of it is also having a house that is being cleaned out and refurbished in some rooms. I’m feeling more optimistic now about grabbing some time to write here and there like you do.
Here is another encouragement to keep up the blog, even if irregularly.
Due to upheaval in my life this month, I haven’t had a quiet moment to sit and write for two weeks. And I face the prospect of a potential new job as well in the near future, so I will be in the same boat of coming to grips with a new schedule. Good luck to us all in the coming days.
I hope everything is better and that you’re making progress with your story.
More encouragement here! I hope you keep the blog! It is hard to work and write (but I swear I am still trying). I’d miss your blog a lot if it went away!!! and another “!”
It takes a lot of creative time management and finding little ways to grab time when you can. (I am NOT writing while in the bathroom *right now*. Just sayin’.)
It takes time to get used to a new routine.
Congrats on finding a job with such nice hours!
And I would love more Spark Tally! (But I may modify it slightly for my current routine. I might post time spent writing versus a word count, if that’s okay. That’s just what’s working for me for now.)
Thanks! Time spent writing works just as well as word count. I stared at my screen a lot tonight with zero words getting down, but I still count that as writing time