(adorable little Badger picture found via Pinterest xo)
Hello and Welcome! I’m happy to see you here on this lovely Tuesday or Wednesday if you’re here for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. For all you IWSGers, feel free to curl up and read along OR scroll on down until you see the familiar logo :)
How are you? How was your week? Did January feel like it lasted forever or was it more of a soft sigh? I ADORE January. It’s that lovely splash of quiet at the end of the holidays, a blessed silence after the happy hooplah of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I know a lot of people who aren’t as enamored with the first month of the year as I am. They complain that it’s too long, too cold, too dreary. But those reasons, my friend, are EXACTLY why I love it so!
That last bite of creeping cold. Days that glimmer with frost or dappled clouds over a white sky. Zero expectations for anything other than the ordinary. Aaaahhh. I love it.
But February? Ah…I’ve had to bring myself to love it over the years. February just seems like January Chapter Two if I’m honest. Except for all the pink and red for Valentine’s Day OR the - wait for it! - EASTER DECOR!!!! I mean, come ON, ya’ll!!!! It’s FEBRUARY!!! I don’t want to see Peter Cottontail until AFTER chocolate hearts and leprechauns.
I have come to, if not love, tolerate February. Somethings you learn real quick when you move to a swamp are : 1) It is HOTTER than you’d like it to be during all seasons, 2) The humidity will grow mold on your walls and books no matter the temperature outside and 3) Winter is just kind of a ‘meh’ shrug of shoulder until you get inundated by the pollen blast of Spring. And to be fair, those are the exact reasons why I’m learning to love February. I know that as soon as we hit St. Pat’s Day, it’s nothing but an uphill climb to HOT days and HUMID nights.
But February is a lingering reprieve. It’s still cold (mostly). It’s still dreary (kinda). And I do love chocolate so nothing to complain about there! I try and ease into each month with a reminder that there is something to enjoy in all twelve, not just the five that I hold dearest. February is, however, my most challenging month but so far this year, it’s been lovely. We had our first REAL thunder shower the other evening and it might actually feel like Winter should for the next several days. I’m looking forward to the first snowdrops which should bloom in the next week or so and the green of the small patch of daffodils has just been unearthed from a crowd of oak leaves.
I’m also really excited about an excuse to buy/consume/enjoy more chocolate!
TALKING POINTS : What about YOU? How are YOU doing? Was January good to you? How about these firs few days of February? Do you enjoy the lingering Winter after the glitter of the holidays or are you more “Get on with SPRING!”?
Just curious :)
Over on my weekly book newsletter, Books & Balderdash, I talked about reading my first Jane Austen novel. I was never required to read her novels in high school or college. And yes, I actually DO have an English degree! I wrote about how I felt a little odd making that confession. I mean, Jane Austen is English Lit 101, right? An Instagram friends mentioned something to me just the other day, however, that made me rethink my woe. She said that she loves that I was able to introduce myself to Austen’s work on my own time without it having to be required reading. She said that it’s lovely that I was able to just enjoy her way with words on my own time, for my own pleasure.
And you know what? She is RIGHT!
So many people complain about the Classics. WHY do we have to read stuff by a bunch of dead folks? My complaint was always, WHY do we have to read stuff that is so down and depressing? And let’s face it, there are a LOT of depressing Classics out there. There are a LOT of depressing MODERN novels out there. I don’t care how realistic a story is (or even if it’s based on a true story), if your description goes something like, “Oh it’s SO GOOD, but it’s SO SAD!” I’m probably not going to read it.
Oh and if I hate the characters within the first ten pages, I’m not reading it. Period. Except for that one book that WAS required. Yeah…THAT book. Oh don’t worry. I’ll talk about that one soon, over on the newsletter. Big Grin.
All that to say, I don’t want to take reading for granted. I don’t want to just grab a book and read it without remembering what it was like to HAVE to read something, whether I liked it or not (for the second and third time….). I want to enjoy the freedom of, “Oh hey, this book looks interesting” and pick it up and give it a go. And I am a firm believer that if you just aren’t enjoying a book, you shouldn’t feel obligated to finish it. Unless you’re reading a draft for an author or to give a review, put it down and find you something else. Life is too darn short to read books you don’t like.
Give ‘em at least half a dozen chapters before you close it lamenting. I mean, don’t just read the first page and go, nope, don’t like it! Have I done that? Of COURSE NOT. NEVER have I EVER….
…that’s another story for another time as well.
TALKING POINTS : How do you feel about the Classics? Are you a fan or do you prefer modern works, preferably those on the NY Times Best Seller list? There’s no right or wrong answer. If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, or venture over to Books & Balderdash, you’ll learn real quick the books I prefer. Quirky ones that fly under the radar that, when mentioned, most people look at me sideways and go, “Huh?” Or the books that came out a while ago that someone says, “Oh. Hn. Yeah. I think I remember that one.” Or the Classics. Yeah.
I’m a Shakespeare lover too!
Now then. Insecure Writers. How are you? How’s the New Year treating you and your work? I’ve been busy on some essays, a couple of short stories AND finishing up the draft of a novel I started for NaNoWriMo. January was pretty much me figuring out a writing schedule that will WORK for me and, by JOVE, I think I’ve found it!
I’ve discovered that I have to go someplace ELSE to work. While I love being at home and working from my wobbly desk, I am also very much aware that the temptations are great. I mean, I have the Internet and access is automatic. I can scroll Pinterest at my leisure and tell myself it’s for “research”. I can get up and go make a snack ANYTIME I WANT TO! Oh, and the coffee and the tea are already bought and paid for. I just gotta make them.
And while coffee shops and book stores do have free WiFi, I’m very happily ignorant of how to get onto those offered where frequent. Three days a week I venture forth to write in the wild with narry a WiFi password in sight! And you know what? I’m getting stuff DONE! I wrote an entire short story/novella last week in two days. Yep. I’ve been working on a collection for over a year and have written drafts for almost half of them but last week. One story. TWO DAYS. I mean, if that’s not a sign of productivity, I don’t know what is. It’s also a sign that says in bold all CAPS : YOU NEED TO GET OUT MORE AND FOCUS ON YOUR WORK!
I’ve cut back on my Instagram posting for that very reason as well. I deleted my Tumblr account and I removed Pinterest from my Bookmark Tab on my laptop. I even took the app off my phone. Gasp!
Instead of spending my days creating content, I’m doing actual work. And that, my Friends, is a good thing.
Oh, and if you’re one of those who can do all the social media, all the marketing, all the posting and all the experimenting with new technology, apps and platforms and STILL manage to crank out published work, that’s AMAZING! Truly. I’m in awe of your productivity. I am not wired that way. My brain literally fries after three/four consecutive hours on a computer and I’d much rather have submittable words produced during that time than content for platforms. And yes, I have tried creating tons of content. It did me no good whatsoever except to give me a nasty case of burn out.
TALKING POINTS : What about you, fellow writers? What have you been up to these first few weeks of 2024? Plugging away at projects from last year like me? Getting the reigns tighter on a workable schedule that allows you to crank our quality work (also like me)? Or are you one of those amazing individuals who are able to pick up any new platform, media or app and own it? You have my respect, truly.
Have a wonderful day, my Friends! I hope your week goes smoothly and that your days are filled with peace, health and whatever brings you JOY!
Go pour yourself another cup of happiness,
Jen x