24 June 2020

#WIPWednesday

I still have a few pieces in limbo. The longer they stay in limbo, the more I feel like the projects are likely not only stalled, but cancelled. I, myself, have not been very productive during the altered lifestyle of the pandemic, so it is quite possible the delays are just delays related to similar drops in productivity. But, I am also starting to receive notices from some outlets that they are making changes to their publications and writer compensation policies – so, it is also quite possible some projects will never recover.

17 June 2020

#WIPWednesday

While I still have no new work to share, I've actually been writing more than I used to – I'm just writing for my private journaling instead of for publication.

10 June 2020

#WIPWednesday

After I sent my Quarterly Newsletter, last week, I kept feeling like I didn't speak up enough. And I kept replaying a Martin Luther King, Jr quote – one which I've shared a few times in the past – in my mind.



I ended up writing something to more clearly, publicly declare my stance and shared it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Medium. I actually had to re-install Instagram on my phone to be able to post, since that platform does not allow posting from non-mobile. I, then, re-deleted all social media from my phone and resumed my social media break.

03 June 2020

#WIPWednesday

I was hesitant to send this quarter's newsletter. Not only does it seem inconsequential with the state of the world as it is but the new work I have to share – published in early March, at the start of the pandemic – already feels out-of-date.

The truth is, not even fiction writers would dream up such a confluence of events as we we have in reality, right now.

There is no denying that we are living in an historically significant time – current events will be written about and studied by future generations.

As I read about the major events in history, I often wonder how the average, everyday people lived. It is surreal to realize I am now an average, everyday person living in such a moment in the future's history.

And, despite being aware of the significance of these times, for the most part, we simply go on living our everyday lives.

I've decided to take a complete break from social media. I was already taking a personal break for the sake of my mental health but decided to also take a break, professionally, for a different reason. Anything I would post right now would feel tone-deaf and disingenuous. And there are voices that need to be heard more than mine on these issues.

I can still be reached via email during my social media break.

As we navigate this unprecedented time, I encourage each of you to check-in on your own mental health and take whatever steps you need to protect your mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as your health.

Be kind to yourself and others.

– excerpt from my Quarterly Newsletter