PJL's Write Life

The other day on Substack, a post was going around of someone who had complied their list of top fiction writers. It was a solid list with lots of good writers. And I wasn't on it. Which stung, but also, my newsletter isn't solely fiction so I can't say I was that surprised. But I did feel pretty cruddy for a bit. Luckily, I did the smart thing and left the computer. Hubby and I went for a walk. We went down to the pet store and checked out the animals. Then we wandered into Goodwill and I ran into a coworker and others I knew. It made me feel better. It also reminded me of a moment when I was in college. I was an art major and the walls were often papered with student projects. Some might have looked and felt motivated, but I had the complete opposite reaction. I felt so demotivated by the displays. I wasn't good enough to be picked. And the thing is, even back then, I knew that was irrational. Art is something you practice and get better at. I also knew I didn't n...

 Have I ever mentioned how much I love this group? It's one of the few places on the internet that hasn't gone down hill. I've been a part of it for years and the support people give never wanes. Especially given last month was quite venty and not very writerly. But you rallied around me, shared your own struggles to let me know hubby and I weren't going it alone, and assured me things will pick up. I completely forgot to reply to comments, so consider this one big reply to everyone who popped in: THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORDS. Before I get in to the writing thing I want to talk about (because I really didn't feel like having a 3rd month in a row where I asked for good vibes for hubby. Especially because it's helping. Recently, hubby got a reply back from a company and he's been interviewing. I'm writing this before his interview so hopefully I won't have to come back after it and update with bad news because as of this week, hubby's unemployment has ...

I really wish I could say things are turning around since my last IWSG post . I WISH. But I can't. In fact, the hits keep coming. On top of hubby still being out of a job and looking, we've had a leak in a front closet and had to have someone come assess it and the ice dams that were above it. Turns out the access points to the attic are just plain pieces of ply wood with no insulation so we've basically been heating the outside a bit all winter. Not quite sure why the inspection guy didn't note that when he did his inspection or why everyone before him just ignored that fact. But given there's still a few feet of snow on the ground (we've gotten over 180 inches of snow this winter) any repairs have to wait until. Our repair guy noted we should just do it by next October, so while it sucks, it's not an OMG we need this fixed now like our furnace last year when we bought the house. We still spent a good chunk of time with an ax hacking at the ice dams to shri...

I'm not happy with 2025. Hubby is still out of work and his unemployment is about to run out. He's gotten 2 interviews and that was before Christmas. Since then, any resume he's sent out has been ghosted. Of course, none of that matters to the bills, (and we've cut basically all non-essential stuff) so.   If anyone would like to buy some knitting or books , I'd be ever grateful. Alternatively, you all buy groceries, right? I've been using an app called Receipt Hog to earn points because every little bit helps right now. It's nice because you don't have to clip coupons like with Ibotta. If you want to check it out, they gave me a referral code and I'll get extra points. You can check it out here . It's my Endometriosis surgery anniversary . I'm at 4 years now since getting my health back. It'd be nice to say I've been crushing the writing since I don't have to deal with crippling exhaustion and pain anymore, but life keeps throwing...

I am happy to say my November writing break was a success. Now, I can't claim I wrote a ton of words, but the few I did get down, I felt excited about. I felt excited for writing. That tells me the recharge was needed. Which is funny because I really resisted doing it. I felt bad for wanting to hit pause. That was because a mixture of pressure from myself and outside pressure. Mind you, know one was pestering me to write, but listing to others talk about writing made me feel pressure to keep at it too. It was like a fear of being accused of not actually being a writer because I took a break.  I feel like that is a big problem online, too. We see others doing the thing we do and seeming to do it well, so when we don't stack up, we start guilting ourselves or impostor syndrome kicks in. We often need a constant reminder to not do that. I guess it's because the thing we might be taking a break from is something we are passionate about. We don't like the idea that, yes, we ...

Last month, I decided to take a break from writing. I had finished a collection of 200-word stories and with Christmas craft show season starting, it was perfect timing as I'd need more time to knit. As with other times when writing has taken a back seat, I expected some guilt. Or to get a bout of inspiration that drove me to write despite me declaring I was taking a break. But I didn't feel any of that. Instead, I felt... Relief. This year has been eventful. Hubby and I bought our first house. I painted almost all of the interior. I cleaned up and planted some little garden beds. I went back to work at Salvation Army and got a year around position. When school started I went back to crossing guard. Hubby lost his job and we lost health insurance and all financial security. We've had some family deaths. It's been a lot. I feel like so much has been piled on my plate. (Some of it self-inflicted, mind you.) To take something off was a relief. All year, I've been strug...

It may not be 2020 but nothing messes things up like a bout of Covid. Yup, that and an ER visit got piled on top of all the other crap life has put there . IF anyone would like to know what it feels like when you're on the verge of passing out, I can tell you. #youknowyoureawriterwhen Anyway, so yup, my October went off the rails. I'm definitely used to it happening by now . As a result, I didn't get much writing or knitting done. But it did happen. A tiny bit when I had some spare energy, which wasn't much because my body was putting most of it into fighting off Covid. I was so hungry the entire time and I slept so much. (When I could. Current CDC guidelines meant I didn't have to be negative to go back to work, so I didn't get many days off before having bosses ask when I was able to come back and that tends to trigger my people pleasing tendencies. Looking back, I feel like I should have put my foot down and said no. I did not get to rest and recover much. Th...