IWSG - February
The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh as a place where writers can talk about their insecurities once a month, and receive encouragement and support from other writers. It's such an amazing group, it even has its own website now, which you can visit here.
Thanks to my new found motivation earlier in January, I've been blogging more regularly than I have for months. I've been putting up at least one post a week, and visiting other bloggers occasionally. I still feel as motivated as I did then, which is a good sign.
However, I haven't done any writing at all. I'm not too concerned about this at the moment, though; it would do no good to try to jump back into everything at once. Slower is better, in this case. I'm planning on participating in this month's WEP Valentine challenge. I still have no idea what to write, but I'm looking forward to coming up with something.
I'm also still not happy with the amount of other bloggers I'm visiting; I certainly don't visit as many as I used to. I need to set aside some time each day to visit blogs, like I used to.
So I suppose this month I'm insecure about everything, in a way; I'm not blogging enough, I'm not visiting enough blogs, and I'm not writing enough. At the same time, though, I know it will come. There will come a point when I get it right, and I will do exactly the right amount of blogging, visiting other blogs and writing each week. I just need to find the balance.
Finding balance is the key. Just remember that the most important is the writing.
ReplyDeleteYou're getting there, it's a journey, remember to enjoy it! And Diane is right, it's all about balance!
ReplyDeleteI've been there before, and I understand. It's all about finding the right balance and staying positive about what you do accomplish. This may be easier said than done, but isn't everything? Good luck! I can't wait to see your WEP contribution!
ReplyDeleteSlower is better. Take each task and goal at a time. :)
ReplyDeleteI do better on visiting blogs if I set aside certain hours for that. Once the time is up, I do writing even if I feel guilty for not getting to everyone. Nice to see you posting more often.
ReplyDeleteI think visiting other blogs is one of the hardest things about blogging. I love doing it and maintaining the relationships but it is definitely time-consuming and can feel overwhelming at times. I'm still working on finding a balance and making it work.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are posting more often again!
Finding that balance will make it all come together. Agree the blogging part can be a challenge. That's why I set most of IWSG aside for just that.
ReplyDeleteWell Miss Laura all I can say is you are a jolly good writer, so write first and then visit other blogs if you have time. It is good to be creative. Maybe set yourself a very long term project that you can do bits on as and when you get the chance without the pressure of a dead line.
ReplyDeleteI agree that taking things slowly is usually best. I too worry about how often I'm blogging and visiting others. I have definitely been doing both less recently. The trouble is there are so many demands on our time and most of my free time at the moment is taken up with my editing as I really want to finish polishing my ms. Concentrate on the writing and the other things will follow I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally there with you. I only do a post a week, only visit bloggers on our hop or return comments (when I used to visit many more people a year ago), and I'm having trouble finalizing the idea for my novella (that I was supposed to start in Dec). But like you I don't despair! There's always tomorrow and things will come together like they're supposed to. :)
ReplyDeleteYou can start small by making a list of maybe 15 blogs you would like to visit regularly and try to no matter what always check those blogs first when you are blogging and visiting other blogs. As you have more free time you can expand. My blog list is a life saver and as you can see on my blog I have lots of lists which I update regularly with new blogs to visit and those inactive I move over to blog lists on another blog which I peek at periodically.
ReplyDeleteI think some months we can just do what we can do...there are things more important than writing. Family, for instance. Working so we can pay the bills. So we have to squeeze in time for writing. Even though they say it should be a priority, even when it DOES pay the bills, you realize that in the end, it's only one of the many important things in our lives.
ReplyDeleteBalance is the key... You'll find we are all in the same balancing act, Laura... Just do the best you can. That is all any of can do...
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about finding time to do everything. There are so many interesting blogs to visit, but not enough time to do it. I agree moving slowly is the best way to ease back into it. Hopefully, you'll find that balance.
ReplyDeleteGood luck finding the right balance.
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