Wednesday, December 2, 2020

IWSG: December 20

 Welcome to the last IWSG blog post of the crazy year, 2020. Thanks to all the admins at IWSG for all the work they've done and continue to do to keep this group dynamic and informative. And special thanks to the leader of the band, Alex J. Cavanaugh. To find a list of all the participants, visit this page.

This month's question?

Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?

What a perfect time for this question. I had prepared my apologies to all of you for skipping last month and visiting so few blogs since the end of the summer. My excuses are lined up;

1. I've been so busy as president of Pennwriters, a statewide writers group, that I'm buried.

2. I'm spending so much time on Zoom meetings and keeping in touch with my family, that I can't do one more minute in front of a screen. (Do those blue light glasses actually work?)

3. My granddaughter is so full of energy as a 3 year old that I'm too exhausted to blog.

All pretty good and true reasons. Or call them excuses. I know what my problem is. I'm a little blue like I'm sure a lot of you are. I don't mind staying at home. I actually love it. But I'm worried about some members of my family who are also alone and may not like it so much as me. Then I'm feeling the absence of my only daughter even if we do Facetime nearly every day. Not the same as sharing a glass of wine and watching a movie together. I miss sitting in a coffee shop to write. I miss the face to face writers meetings. But most of all, I miss the friends and acquaintances that are not around for a number of reasons. The details are too sad.

I know why I'm blue and while I chide myself because there are others dealing with worse than I am, I can't quite help it.

I also know I'll rebound from this. I'm forcing some words onto the WIP. I expected to finish it in July and now have a desperate hope to finish before the end of the year. I'm walking more even though it's starting to get cold. And I'm reading some great books. I'm making sure to stay in touch with family and friends, as much for them as myself.

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." Henry Ford

Enough of my whining. I loved the end of Supernatural though I cried for the last 30 minutes of the finale. I'm looking forward to the next season of The Expanse on Amazon later this month. There's really not much new stuff on TV unless you like contest or reality shows which I don't. There is one I might watch on HBO MAX, 12 Dates of Christmas, because one of my son's best friends is the male lead contestant. He's done some modeling but this is his first acting job. If you watch it, Chad Savage is the young man.

Most of all with this post, I wish all of you a joyful holiday season. I know many of us won't be able to spend it with family as usual, but I pray you're safe and happy. Take care of yourself and be careful not to take on the job of caring for everyone else. Take some me-time. I'm going to try to go into 2021 with a fresh energy and with hope for peace and health.

"Hope is a waking dream." Aristotle

Has 2020 been a good season of writing for you? Do you ever feel those blues and how do you get past it? What are doing for entertainment in this time of lockdowns?





22 comments:

  1. Hi,
    Good post. Looking at reality as it is right now and waiting patiently on the change. A very positive attitude in my opinion.
    I wish you too a Merry Christmas and a safe passage over into 2021.

    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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  2. Yes Susan it has been a crazy year, I enjoyed reading your post and that your grand daughter is full of energy.....good for her.
    Take care.
    Yvonne.

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  3. Entertainment? If it weren't for my husband, I'd never turn on the TV.

    We see a lot of friends at church and we've been having friends over Saturday nights for fellowship while distant on our patio. But I miss family and traveling to cons.

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  4. Hi Susan - I've refused to do zoom ... so far! Enjoy having some time off ... take care and stay safe - all the best - Hilary

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  5. I totally understand why you're a little blue. My 23-year-old daughter lives in an apartment down the street from me with her boyfriend. He has a suppressed immune system so we can't see each other right now and did not have Thanksgiving together. It's hard being a mom and not seeing our kids. Hope your winter is a productive writing time for you.

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  6. It's definitely tough but it sounds like you're doing your best to stay in touch with loved ones, which we all need. Good luck on finishing your draft and here's to some new energy for 2021.

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  7. Zoom has indeed turned out to be a blessing during this pandemic time, isn't it? Your grand daughter sounds adorable, keeping her grandma on her toes ;)

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  8. I think a lot of people share your sentiments about this year. It is hard to stay focused with so much going on. It does sound like you are attempting to be productive though! May 2021 be a better year for all of us! Merry Christmas!

    Betty

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  9. I'm aiming for some of that "fresh energy" as well, Susan. I think we can do it. :)

    Wishing you a wonderful holiday and all the best in 2021!

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  10. If you have HBO Max already, you are all set to watch WW84 on Christmas.
    I stay as connected to family and friends as possible. You're right, not everyone has options to see others.

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  11. No excuses needed. Life happens. :)

    I have the same hopes of finishing one project...two...no...three by the end of the year. Haha. I probably won't be able to finish one now. All three of these I had hoped to be done with earlier this year.

    Wishing you all the best!

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  12. I feel for you. I am a bit down. Trying to get UP can be exhausting. Be kind to yourself, Susan. Thinking of you.

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  13. I love the quote you added here! Thank you.
    I think we've all been feeling the blues, intermittently or all the time. It's a tough year. Facetime isn't the same. But I am glad we have it.
    The blue light glasses help, but they don't make it all miraculously easier. I know I get tired of Zooming all day, too.
    Hope you gain some rest, good words, and renewal from now into 2021!

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  14. This has been a trying time for so many. I now know the real meaning of resilience. Hope you can kick the blues and enjoy this last month of 2020.

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  15. I get the whole blue feeling. I've been there a lot this year. I too shed a few tears at Supernatural's ending. But at least it got an ending worthy of its run.

    Since you're going to do HBO Max, maybe you can tell me if His Dark Materials is any good. I saw advertisements for it, but am waiting until the next season fully releases before trying it out.

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  16. We can always have an excuse if we want to find one. Things can sure pile up though. I liked the last episode, at least last for now, but was what I expected. The fight with Chuck before that was lame though.

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  17. Just because other people have what you deem as more reasons to be sad than you does not take away from your own feelings.

    May your WIP bring you much joy as you work on it.

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  18. Definitely it has been a tough year! I've been fighting that blue feeling for months. I think we're all worn out by this pandemic. Hope is on the horizon though! Wishing you a happy holiday season, Susan!

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  19. My husband and I have fared better than some who are alone or who have to deal with the big problems of work, helping kids with schoolwork, and the loss of face-to-face time with friends. The social group, especially young folks, have it tough. For me, I've accomplished more in getting out of print stuff back as ebooks, finished the skeleton of a cozy mystery during NaNoWriMo, and am almost done with the editing and formatting of a new frontier fiction novel. I keep telling myself that life is beautiful, even when it's hard.

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  20. 2020 has been the mostest rollercoastery year ever! Emotionally, anyway - can't ride a real roller coaster, after all. But I'm up, then I'm down. I'm writing, then I'm not. It never ends, it has no rhyme or reason to it. It is what it is. But we will all get through it.

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  21. We're kind of in the same boat. I miss my 3-yr twin boys. So much energy. Can we bottle it? I'm blue/depressed. I should be more thankful--I'm not in a hospital bed. I'm wearing a mask not a ventilator. Still, I'm tired of staying in. Hang in there. We will get thru this.

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  22. 2020 can leave any time. The blues have hit almost everyone. Blogging 30 Days of Gratitude helped me remember I have things/people to be grateful for.

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