Back in the Saddle Again – Update March 2024
About six weeks ago I was in the grocery store. I was doing my usual weekly shopping and came across a deal too good to be true. Olay body wash was on clearance sale for $1.80 a bottle. I had a coupon for $5 off three. So, I bought 3 bottles for $5.40, used the $5 coupon, and walked out of the store paying only .40 cents for 3 bottles of body wash. (They smell good too.) For the first time in years, I felt like the old days (aka pre-covid) were there were actually good deals to be found at the grocery store. I don’t need to tell you how expensive things are now and walking out of the store that day felt like old times.
Since then, I’ve found some other good stuff too. Frozen lasagna, salads, tomatoes, carrots, are just some to the products I’ve caught on a good sale. It’s not everything I need, but enough to feel like old times.
Recently, I’ve also started re-watching some of my favorite TV shows from about 10 – 15 years ago. Elementary, The Good Wife, and Grimm have all made their way to my DVR. I’m not sure I’m falling into a nostalgia hole, but it has had an interesting effect on me.
It reminds me of who I was 10-15 years ago.
In the 2010’s I was a lot more productive with my writing. I feel like since 2020, I have really slacked off. True, I was trying to write a novel from 2020-2022, but I didn’t do much else. I didn’t keep up with publishing news, or work on this blog, or even submit stories. Isn’t it weird that even though I was home a lot, I didn’t push my writing career forward at all. I did, in fact, slide backwards.
Well, not anymore. Recently, my job has put me back on full remote work, meaning I am home all the time now. But instead of slipping back into my old ways, I’ve gone back to more like I was in the 2010’s when I worked full time from home. (Side note: From 2015-2019 I worked from home full time.) And I have been a lot more productive. This month alone, I submitted to 25 places! I also have started a new project and feels promising.
In April, I’m going to keep working on the new project, but I’m also going back and re-visiting older stories that have fallen by the wayside. There are at least three that need to be dusted off and given some attention. Hopefully by May, I’ll have more stories to submit for the summer.
I’m glad I took a break for that year or so. From March 2022 to about September 2022, I didn’t write a thing. And then when I started to dip my toe back into writing and publishing, I felt so overwhelmed. I needed to go slow. Like I said in my last post, I felt like I’m starting all over again.
But now I’m back and gaining more momentum with my work. I’ve got a pretty good writing schedule and, so far, it’s working for me. I’m feeling productive and trying like hell to build something that looks like a writing career. I know that this will take time, but right now, I’m pushing forward.
I hope everyone else is feeling as productive as me. You can do it!
Christina Keller's Blog 