Watering My Garden...

This weekend was a productive one for me. I’ve been working on many projects, but I finally got around to editing submissions for the Fort Worth Jazz biography book I'm working on for Wildcatter Exchange. I'm also a contributing writer to this project, and just submitted one of my entries and finally convinced another musician to let me write his bio. I'm hoping to have that complete either tomorrow or Thursday.

It's strange, but editing the short bios and completing one has spurred my creative bug and got my mind spinning on projects that have laid dormant for quite a while, including my novel! Just the fact that I'm thinking about writing again and not having anxiety about it is a very good thing, indeed. I am definitely coming out of the fog I've been in for several months. I truly let my emotions block me where my writing is concerned, so I must work to either guard my emotions, or better yet, make those emotions work for me in a productive way. 

I'm about to enter what I predict to be the busiest time of the year for me. Every organization I am a part of will have something going on starting this weekend (January 23rd) until mid-April. I will be working on the Texas Media Awards hot and heavy until TLA in April (I'll be in Austin this weekend to sort entries). Next weekend I'm presenting at the Fort Worth ISD Technology Conference. Wildcatter Exchange is the weekend of March 25-26th, so I'll have meetings galore (and more bios to edit) between now and then. Of course, every “free” weekend I have will be scheduled with writing sessions at Fort Worth Writer’s Boot Camp. That leaves me precious little time for my own writing or reading (or really anything else…like laundry!). Keeping busy, though, is the best cure for the emotional takeover. My idle mind sinks into depression if it doesn't have multiple projects going on at once.

Oh, and then there is the publishing company I'm probably going to start in May…

What else can I come up with to keep me busy?

The New Year Brings New Light

I've been absent, but not because I was too busy writing away on my novel. Writers block has struck my household. I've been in a funk since Thanksgiving. It was the worst case of blockage that I've ever had. It was even a struggle to think of anything to write in my journal, which I've done almost every day for about 5 years. It has been depressing and miserable, mostly because my mind has been wandering to the dark recesses, thinking every negative thought it could.

Yesterday, being New Year’s Day and all, I put a prayer out into the universe. This year will be brighter and more productive than the last. I've forgiven myself for my month of darkness and will now focus on the light of new beginnings. The decision to turn it around is mine and mine alone. I choose to be happy!