Craft of Writing: I've got Nothing.

 Dear Reader,

I have no pithy comments or witty bits of inspiration for you. I've been slogging through the tail end of a depressive episode and about a month of chaos. I am not participating in Camp NaNoWriMo because I have barely had time to write in my daily journal, let alone take care of other tasks and projects. It's been rough going here.

My dear friends, I deeply appreciate you and your faith in me. When I have days where I feel like all is useless and hopeless, Beloved reminds me that I have you all out there eager to read what I have to share. My husband is a dear man and quite smart. I really should listen to him more often when my moods get down and the brain weasels are gnawing on me. I would like to apologize for the fact that I left you all in a lurch. I sincerely planned on doing more writing. Then I got sick for a week. My kids had a surprise superintendent conference that shot one day of work down. I forgot that they had a week off the following week. And there was the business of Easter dinner with my in-laws, which is always an experience.

Now that things are beginning to settle down, I hope to start posting more often. My side business reading Tarot cards is defunct. It is simply because the platform that I was on became unfriendly towards readers like myself who don't fit the newer business model that the new president of the company envisions. I was on there from 2007 until a few weeks ago. It wasn't super profitable but it boosted my confidence a bit to actually make money using a skill that I have.

I've decided to take this as a sign from the Universe that I must focus now on my writing as a serious business effort. I know nothing about  marketing. I am rather ignorant about traditional publishing but I seem to be doing ok for a beginner in a niche market as an independent published author. I'm attempting to screw my courage to the sticking place and actually submit work to publications. The last time I did that, there wasn't any reply back or anything. The time before that, it was a fly-by-night operation that tried to steal a book that I wrote. I sent them a nastygram and I got my manuscript back, shredded. (This was in the late 90s when people were still accepting paper submissions.) The experience has me a little gun shy about trying to get work out to magazines and such.

But, life has altered my course and I suppose it is time to get to work. Tomorrow, I will not be on-line and there will not be a post because I am going to the eye doctor to get checked for glaucoma. I am as nervous as a cat in a rocking chair factory but Beloved is confident that everything will go well. Look for another post from me on Thursday.