Where does the time go?

I started Waiting on a Word four years ago. How did it get to be 2017?  I’m sorry I haven’t been around much because WOAW is still my favorite corner of my cyberworld.

So where have I been? 2016 was a whirlwind. After starting a new day job, I was fortunate to have three books published. I’ve been immersing myself in author life– learning social media, drafting stories, brainstorming ideas, revising, revising, revising, making new friends while trying to keep the old, marketing for a small publisher, securing an agent, reading, reading, reading.

Learning. Always learning.

Writing has become my night job and I love it. So much more than any day job I’ve ever held. It’s difficult, but it’s fun. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s making me stronger. Every time I sit at the computer I’m facing a challenge, whether I’m writing new words, editing old words, figuring out how to start a YouTube channel, helping out a writing friend, or looking up a conference to attend.

If I had a penny for every person who asked me, “How do you do it?” I’d be able to quit the day job. The truth is, I don’t know how I do it. I want to do it, so I do it. I make the time for it and stick with it, even through the hard parts. Even when I’m tired. Even when everyone tells me to binge watch Gilmore Girls instead. Writing is all I want to do, so how I do it isn’t an issue for me. I have to do it.

But man, am I getting old! Late nights, early mornings, giving proper attention to the spouse and children, the day job. I’ll admit that it’s not easy and the blog has taken a hit because of it. Twitter’s 140-characters seems more conducive to my attention span lately.

But know this: I miss my blogging space. Sometimes things happen and it’s too much for a tweet. I think, “Oh, I’ll post that on Facebook.” But then I remember that I hate Facebook and stay off of it as much as possible. “I should write a blog post about that,” I think. Sometimes I do, too. I have TWENTY-EIGHT draft blog posts hiding in the bowels of WOAW. I actually have a draft blog post about all my draft blog posts! I’m just shy to hit “Publish” here lately. I hope I hit it on this post, even though as I’m typing this I know it’s not the most riveting post I’ve ever written.

What is my point? I’m not sure. I’ll offer this in closing: To anyone who happens to read this (should I hit “Publish”), my wish for you is that you try something new in 2017, even if it’s difficult and even if you fail. Life is about taking action. Go do something to spice up your 2017!

Speaking of taking action, I should probably hit “Publish” on this awfully boring post, light the fire under WOAW, and get this blog simmering again.

See you soon!