Restarting & Catching Up

Okay, so…

I’ve been working full-time for about a year now. Loving the job, loving the busy-ness, loving the people I work with and the challenges (yes, I landed in a fantastic place!). But…one thing that I have obviously and totally let go is this blog.

Not what I wanted to do.

So I’m going to try getting back into this with a baby step. Once a week. That’s all I’m asking from myself, and it’s a tester to see if I get enjoyment and fun from posting or if I just put stress pressure on myself. Hoping for the former! The posts may be shorter than they used to be (oh, stop that cheering!), and I’m sure they’ll be a mix between writing stuff and life stuff. I’d like to get some links up for you, too, to posts I find interesting or useful or to books I’ve read and loved.

Like this one about writing with a new baby from Jen McConnel. Oh, yes, it’s been years, but I remember. And, no, going back to work full-time and still writing is NOT (for me at least) as challenging as having a newborn and still writing, However, it is another phase in my life where I’m having to figure it out. (See below). Go, Jen!

For today, a quick catch-up:

• This is where I work. RAFT is an educational nonprofit that provides educators with professional development, educational products, and totally cool/fun repurposed materials–all focused on the idea that hands-on learning, where you actually touch and build and explore is the way to go. I’m the Grants Manager, helping raise funds to support our mission and programs. After years of looking for a job I might actually like, I found one I love.
• I am empty-nesting. Since our son is an only child, we did the first college/empty house thing all in one fell swoop. First, may I say, thank goodness for the full-time work; otherwise, I do think I could have driven myself crazy. But…right now, he is really happy with what he’s doing, I am really happy with what I’m doing, and–yes–I’m getting to know my husband again and finding out that we are still more than good together. So, yay.
• I am writing. My middle grade magical-realism story is making me love writing again. And I am coming to terms, once again, with the fact that maybe having a process just means doing whatever gets the writing done. My biggest challenge with the full-time work thing is trying to use my weekday evenings for other-than-life stuff: i.e., writing. I. Am. Not. Good. At. This. But…I have realized that, being the total introvert, please-give-me-the-whole-weekend-at-home-to-recharge person that I am, well…I have lots of hours for writing during those weekends. And I am turning out more pages than I was before I went back to work. By a long shot. So, yes, I lose that touch-your-story every day feeling, which I still believe in, but I’m writing and I’m loving it and I’m feeding my critique group several scenes on a regular basis. So–process!
• I am querying several picture books at the “ready” stage, so I’m back in the query process, which–I have to say–feels surreally different from the last time I was at this stage. Back then, I was freelancing at home with a son in elementary school, and while I was doing many things, I had a less packed-full life, which meant TONS of time to obsess and worry and recheck email for query responses. Now I get mine out there, I check to see if the not-heards have been long enough to mean a “no,” and I get some more out there. I am still hoping and dreaming, but I am also fretting less. Good? Not good? No judging here, just noting.

I know, I said, shorter. Maybe I just don’t have it in me. In the one statement that I probably could have left it all at: I am balancing. Pretty well and very happily. And now I’d like to weave this blog back into this balance. So….see you back here on a more regular basis, I hope!