A lot has happened in the last couple of months. I was awarded runner up in Lit Youngstown’s 2019 Short Short Fiction Contest. I had a poem published in The Jenny, a Youngstown State University student run publication. I received final confirmation for my writer’s residency with Orchard Keepers Writer’s Residency in Tennessee. I am starting a writing club with my local YMCA. And lastly, I put writing on the back burner to make time to teach myself how to code.
The Short Short Fiction Contest “win” was unexpected and appreciated beyond words. I love that the story I wrote and is one of my favorites was picked as runner up by an organization so dear to my heart. Reading it in front of my family and friends was also nerve-wracking, but it went well.
When I was notified by The Jenny that Gypsy Lane was going to be published in their Fall 2019 issue, I was in shock. I had barely worked on that poem and it is one of the oddest things I have ever written. I submitted 2 additional poems to them that were not selected. They were more conventional and way less…weird, but the staff of The Jenny liked Gyspy Lane more. Poetry is subjective and Gypsy Lane was the subject of the day. ❤️
My absolute favorite confirmation of the last 2 months is the Orchard Keepers Writer’s Residency!!!! A week away from distractions…and I get to take #PrincessLily?!?! Yes please!! I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to land this. I’m going to work on my novel and finish the last part of a short story for my niece.
Some of you may already know this, but I try to write a story for my nieces and nephews every Christmas. I’ve been writing my oldest niece the same story for about 4 years and I’m going to finish it before her 18th birthday (which is in August of 2020). I can’t wait for the full week of writing!!
I still have a few items out on submittable and have a few more in mind to submit. I am, however, not writing as often because I am teaching myself to code. I hate driving. I drive 50 minutes to work and 50 minutes back home. I am stressed during both drives and it triggers my PTSD a lot. I am learning how to become a Full Stack Developer so I can work from home and drive less, but it is taking away a lot of my writing time.
I used to write at least every Sunday, but now I code on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is of course on top of my normal 40+ hour job. I write in the small moments of quiet when no one else is around. I write in the chaotic booms of laughter and chatter and conversation when everyone thinks I’m just checking my phone again. I write any chance I get, which is not often. That will soon change as well.
Every second Tuesday of the month, starting January 14th, I will be facilitating a writing club at my local YMCA. It has a simple purpose. To provide writers of all ages with a distraction-free space for 2 hours of writing. We will even share what we’ve written if anyone wants to. I am excited to know I will have at least 2 hours a month of writing time.
Now that the holidays are almost over, I hope things calm down and I can get my house back in order and start prepping for these new, exciting challenges.
What do you have coming up that’s new or even old but you’re trying to put a new spin on it? Has anyone else had to put their writing on the back burner for any reason? What did you do to release your creative energy?
Get my house in order. Ah yes, I feel this, for sure! And I am always switching stuff around my “burners.” This year it was all about the agent querying, which left little time for real writing. Now that I’ve got the hang of that horrible process, I plan to get a little more writing time in in 2020. You sound like you’re progressing on all fronts–even if it doesn’t always involve actual writing. In the midst of going to work and commuting and living a family life, you are living a writer’s life, for sure. Enjoy your residency–sounds wonderful! Hope you take pics!