Where am I?

by Joan

Out of all of us, I’m probably the least essay-ish. Elizabeth tells me she can rattle off one of her hilarious blog posts in twenty minutes and Susan has written fascinating posts when her eyes are about to close for the night. Me, I sit at my computer for about three hours trying to come up with a nugget of wisdom I’ve learned or a reflection on a recent experience someone else might relate to. But lately it feels as though everything I write is not quite hitting the mark.

I always considered myself a disciplined writer, one who eagerly sat at my computer trying to weave a story at least one reader other than myself would find fascinating. I consider myself fortunate to have had a few years where I could focus on writing, but now I’m work/working full-time. During the first few weeks after I went back, I found myself sitting at the computer at night and on the weekends, digging into my WIP with gusto.

Maybe it’s the holiday season, and maybe it’s because I had fifty people at my house yesterday for a Christmas open house, but today, when I had the whole day in front of me, I didn’t open my file and start typing. I intended to. I even sat at my computer, but mostly caught up on paperwork and then slinked away. In between lazily watching movies (none particularly noteworthy), I peeked out the window at a plumber fixing a surprise broken pipe in our front yard, admired the cellular shades my husband hung in our family room, and nibbled on leftover calorie-filled treats.

My creativity, discipline and gumption have gone missing. I have gone missing. Where is that person who couldn’t wait to write? Who woke early to hit the gym? Who appreciated time for what it is—a gift.

I’ve had these days before and I’ve always found my way back to writing. I’m just not sure how right now. Anyone have any great advice for kicking back into writing mode after the holidays?


P.S. On an unrelated topic: On January 17, if you find yourself in Dallas, stop by the Richardson Library at 7 p.m. You can hear each of us talk about an aspect of the blog, including a bit about how we got started and where we’d like to go from here.