Last September I joined an online writers group - Absolutewrite.com
Writers can ask questions and learn about writing, bounce ideas off each other, critique each other's work and have fun online with games and chat (via postings).
I also found myself addicted to the site and I would spend up to six hours a day there. I still worked -- submitting magazine queries, working on a child's book or writing my novel -- but I always had the boards on in the background. And, I found myself taking more and more breaks to go in and check it out. It was the first thing I did in the morning and the last thing I did before going to bed.
So, last week, after being assigned 15 new stories -- I decided it was a good time to take a break from the boards. I told myself I could only go in once a week -- which I did Sunday and only for about an hour.
The first three days were the hardest. But on the fourth day, I found that I could make it through an 8-hour day with minimal withdrawal symptoms. :-)
I haven't missed it too much, but I've been really busy with my new assignments. I spent a six-hour day last week getting organized, setting up interviews and taking a drive to visit a few farmers. I've since interviewed a cotton grower and a dairyman and I have a few more interviews set up for this week. (Among other things, I'm writing about the top 10 agriculture commodities in my county.)
I miss you, my AW friends -- and I'll come back soon. But for now, I'm doing what I love the most -- I'm writing.
We miss you, too. (SOB)
ReplyDeleteWrite faster, missy!
Been there, done that. I suffered a bit of board-addiction after I finished Transit Gloria last August, not helped by the Stories of Strength anthology. It took some effort, but I broke the cycle and now wonder what I could have accomplished if I had made better use of the time I spent arguing with ... some of the other posters. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the freelance success.
miss you too Unique! sigh...
ReplyDeleteI think I've finally broken the cycle too, Mark. Now, if I sneak in, I stay only long enough to find what I'm looking for and I allow myself to have a little fun only on w/ends in there.
I feel like I've really neglected this blog site. I meant to do so much more with it, but oh well...maybe after the ag stories are all done.