I didn’t send out any polite warning, no be patient message. I didn’t know it was going to happen that weeks, or rather, months, would go by without a whisper from the ghosts of the Corn.
Six months ago life changed. Significantly. For the better, but change is change. Change is hard, y’all. I spent three months convincing myself and others it was the right change at the right time, before I even had any proof I was anywhere close to right about that.
I was, but hindsight is sun and blue sky
to the clouds and fog of prediction.
At first, I tried to keep up with the before ways of life while I adjusted to the now ways of life and prepared for the future ways of life. It was exhausting. December rolled in without snow or a chill and I figured it was as good a time as any to step back, get organized, maybe take a nap or two, and come back in the new year with a new resolve.
But as way leads on to way, I was having trouble finding my way back. (Ten points to the first person who gets that reference.) It lasted a few weeks. It was more work than pleasure.
I’m a good writer and I don’t want to lose the skills the years (and years) (and years) of practice have polished. I’m not writing, and that bothers me. Each week that passes without producing a story, I feel it. I know it. It haunts me. But only slightly. I still sleep at night.
I may not be writing much right now, and I may not know exactly when the regularity will return to my routine, but I am reading, and that’s important to writing. I’ve read 26 books this year. I finally got around to trying out Kindle Unlimited. It’s like going to an open bar at a wedding. For the price of a gift, there is no end to the spirits.
All this reading is good for my writing (that I’m not doing). It’s good for my soul. It’s taking the time that I used to spend writing.
I want to write, and I know that want will someday bring me back. I’ll dust off the keyboard, give it a few kisses, and bang out some stories resembling the scraped knees I had when I first returned to bike riding six months ago.
Just like riding a bike is a misnomer.
It takes some tumbles to get it right again.
I have projects and ideas. They are floating around in my head and on scraps of paper. I have that novel I wrote a few years ago. I’m pretty sure there’s been enough time and distance that I could effectively sand it from rough to draft. There’s The Florist. He’s kind of a pushy guy and keeps reminding me he’s chosen me to tell his story. I’m glad he’s fiction or I might be six feet under a bed of roses at this point. I have how many one-hundred word stories? How fun would it be to take those one-hundred and make them one-thousand and have a collection of short stories.
I’m not writing, only thinking about it, but I am reading. Studying writing. Like my life depends on it. Nick Spalding’s Bricking It made me laugh til tears ran down my cheeks. I cried like my best friend had died at the end of Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. I’ve discovered Margery Allingham and her clever Mr. Campion. So many good books. And a few not-so-good books.
It’s not the books that have taken me away, though. I’m putting an emphasis there, but it’s the background. Working from home is demanding. People seem to think I’m doing nothing, so I get piled with everything. More than once I’ve yelled at the walls around me, “I AM ONLY ONE PERSON!” I was able to express this frustration to the powers-that-be. Not that that has diminished the demand. But at least now I do feel I can say, I have this, this, and this, plus that, that, and that, oh and the other thing…so what goes first?
And then there’s the priority. Making breakfast, packing lunches, checking homework, getting to extracurricular on time, making dinner, and all the other ordinary, everyday parenting to-dos so many people seem to take in stride that has left me looking like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet. It’s no wonder I’ve let writing go. Some days I don’t even get dressed, and that never used to happen. I go grocery shopping in the clothes I worked out in because when faced with the choice of having enough food in the house for two bottomless eating machines or looking good shopping for said food, I mentally apologize to everyone in the grocery store and I hurriedly throw apples, milk, and mac & cheese into my cart so I’m home in time to throw the bags in the fridge and get to school in time for pick-up. Add in the legal mumbo-jumbo, negotiations, and long outstanding timesharing agreement to make the everyday parenting to-dos divorce-court-official, plus monthly, week-long business travel for shits and grins, and you see why as way leads on to way, I’m having trouble finding my way back.
So, please excuse my absence. It’s temporary. I’ve promised myself that. I’ll get this new life figured out eventually. And once that eventually happens, I’ll re-open the flood gates and let the stories roar.
*****
So tell me… Have you ever taken a break? Is change hard, or is it just me? How’s your life going?
*****
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Mel! Welcome back. I was gone myself until just recently – for 3 1/2 months – not by choice. So, I have some idea how you feel – withdrawal symptoms. I hope all goes well for you and you find your way back to writing here regularly.
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Oh Paul! I’m so glad to see your voice again. How are you? I did notice your absence and I did miss you. Do let me know when you put up a guest post. I’m not writing, but I am reading.
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Hey Mel! The first two posts were over at Cordelia’s Mom and dealt with my absence. http://cordeliasmomstill.com/2016/02/22/dont-pay-the-ransom-i-escaped-guest-post-by-paul-curran/ The second part was the next day on the same site. I currently have three more guest posts out there with one being posted in two parts on Blog Woman!!! March 7 and 14 http://blog-woman.com/ I’llletyou know when they come up and when the other two are posted – no firm dates yet.
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Thanks so much for the links. And I follow Blog Woman, so I should see those. It’s good to see you again.
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I’ve found that no matter my stage in life, something always takes a back seat. At least if I want to maintain my sanity it does. But I’ve also found that things cycle around, and one day life shifts, and we return to what we’ve been missing out. Hopefully that will be the case with your writing.
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Not everything can be front and center at all times. I think it will be the case that this will cycle back around. Once everything settles into something resembling normal and no longer feels like adjusting to change. Thanks Carrie!
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I had this phase of complete absence when I wasn’t even reading other blogs… and for all those weeks I was strangely anxious, as if I was dying to write but at the same time blogging felt like a complete waste of time. But soon my heart changed and I came back. Now, coming back also feels strange and uncomfortable, as if life has moved on.
https://alkagirdhar.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/for-those-who-do-not-come-back/
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I hope you find it becomes comfortable again. I know I’ll return. I’m not completely away, either. Still reading others, just not writing my own. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your post, too. 🙂
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Yay, Melanie… I understand every one of your (very well-written) paragraphs. I ‘have’ noticed your absence and along with missing you, wondered where you were. I was hopeful it wasn’t about something dire. I am also taking a break from ‘publishing’ while I recover from a health setback, but I’ve got some pals who have written some pretty amazing tales that they’ve agreed to share on my blog while I breathe and read.
And thanks for those book recommendations… they sound great!
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It’s nothing dire, just adjustment. I read your post about your health. I hope you are feeling better and that the break and rest do you well.
Another book I really enjoyed, but didn’t mention is Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim. It was hard to read at some times, but it was a good book.
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Hang on to priorities and come back when it is not stressful to do so.
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That’s the plan. Thank you for your support!
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I think I’ve taken 2 or 3 extended breaks since I started this blog, because life happens. I write all the time, whether I write on my blog or not, because it’s a necessity. Good to hear from you, and it sounds like you’re getting tons of time with the kids!! 🙂
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This is the first time in five years that I have not written on some blog regularly. I’m surprised, but it’s not a bad thing. Writing is important, so I won’t abandon it forever.
I moved to FL in September. Donkey was being a donkey and it was time. Now we’re together every other week. It’s fabulous! And hard work.
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I’m considering relocating to WA state to be closer to my son. He’s got 3 more years of high school after this, and I’d like to be closer.
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I’ve heard WA is beautiful. Any reason not to move? Other than finding a job, is there anything keeping you where you are?
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WA is beautiful, but not if you have SAD. I struggle with it here in Kansas, and we don’t have nearly as many gloomy days as they do there. We’ll see what happens. I’d like to be closer, but I also have to be able to pay my bills, and it’s very expensive to live there.
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I get that. A few days of gray skies will knock me for a loop. I have a couple of sun lamps in my house, and they help. I hope it all works out for you. Distance is tough, to put it lightly.
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It’s very tough.
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“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” — Ernest Hemingway
And from the Corn comes silk. You are missed
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What a great quote! Thanks for sharing it. And thanks for your support. 🙂
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Welcome back! We’ll be here, looking forward to your writing when you have time to share it. Family first. 🙂
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Thank you! I appreciate the support and encouragement. 🙂
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As an aside Mel, I am now posting every Sunday over at Mark Bialczak’s http://markbialczak.com/2016/03/06/back-in-the-saddle/?c=77140#comment-77140 I would be honored if you had a chance to drop by for a quick read. Thank You
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