A Lonely Thing on Lonely Street

When I worked extensive overtime in my day job, I spent untold hours in front of the computer. Now that writing is my job, I realize that I only thought I experienced solitude during work.

The time spent alone to write, because there is absolutely no required interaction with others during the process, is most definitely a trip down a lonely street.

Because of this aloneness, I very much appreciate contact with friends and family via phone, text, and social media. I also am grateful for an awesome husband who does most of our cooking, the puppy that requires lots of petting and walking, and the three cats that sleep in kitty cubes near the writing table to keep me company.

While for some being part of a group is rejuvenating, for me, alone time is how I ground and regain my energy. But THIS much alone time...

Even for someone who enjoys quiet solitude, this amount of alone time does tend to foster a feeling of a lack of connection with others and, at times, a deep aching loneliness.

For now, I am tapping into that ache and using the discomfort to finish my current revision; yet, in doing that, the next four books in the series tend to loom before me.

Writing coaches Cathy Yardley and Kat Duncan both suggest setting up and fostering support systems. Awesome writerly friends check on me every few days and fantastic non-writer friends touch base every day or every other day. In taking breaks, I reach out as well. I so welcome the connecting and interacting!

Since, I want writing and revising to be something I look forward to with enthusiasm, I am experimenting with scheduling and potential techniques to increase productivity but also encourage balance.

I hope to blog about potential options soon. In the mean time, a singular task conducted in solitude, writing is a lonely thing on a lonely street.