hiatus – Jennifer Lane Books

Join us HERE and thanks to **Alex Cavanaugh** for starting the group.

Much appreciation to the co-hosts for the July 7 posting of the IWSG: Pat Garcia, Victoria Marie Lees, and Louise – Fundy Blue!

This month’s question: What would make you quit writing?

This question hits deep because I haven’t written fiction for about eight months. And I’m not feeling a current urge to write. But I won’t go so far to say I’ve quit–there’s a finality to that statement that doesn’t fit me right now. If I speculate about reasons for taking a break or even quitting writing, here’s what comes to mind:

Lackluster sales. There are so many books out there that it’s hard to capture reader’s attention. Still, I’m disappointed by sales of my last two novels, Rivals and Twin Sacrifice. I’m thankful for lovely reviews by readers devoting time to my books–I just wish there were more of them. Reviews, even critical ones, spark motivation in me.
Consuming career. I have high productivity goals and a fast pace in my psychologist position at an academic medical center. Therefore, I want to decompress on weeknights and weekends by swimming, reading, walking, socializing, playing volleyball, and watching TV. (Swimming laps outside in the summer is so relaxing!) The demands of my career have felt even more relentless this past year due to the pandemic worsening mental health for many, especially teenagers.
Time for a break. I started writing in 2007 and publishing in 2010, and maybe it’s just time to slow down. I like to write only when I’m inspired, and I don’t want to force it.

How are you feeling about writing? What inspires you to jump back into writing after a hiatus?

I almost missed ANOTHER month of the IWSG! But I’m posting during a break in psychotherapy clients.

Thank you to Ninja Alex for developing this supportive author meme.

I’ve been embroiled in some good stuff with my psychologist career lately, so writing/blogging has taken a back seat. My fourth novel has been under contract for a while with Omnific Publishing, and I can’t wait to start with the edits. I finally started writing my next novel — a New Adult romance with sports and politics — but I only have about 500 words so far.

I could get really insecure about this hiatus in writing, saying things like:

“I should have started another novel by now.”

“The NA genre is hopping and I should strike while the iron’s hot.”

“Maybe I’m being lazy.”

But I don’t think these judgments will help anything. Instead, I’ll use the NONJUDGMENTALLY mindfulness skill. According to Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., the nonjudgmentally skill is:

* See but DON’T EVALUATE. Take a nonjudgmental stance. Just the facts. Focus on the “what”, not the “good” or “bad”, the “terrible” or “wonderful”, the “should” or “should not”.

* UNGLUE YOUR OPINIONS from the facts, from the “who, what, when, and where”.

* ACCEPT each moment (this doesn’t mean you like it or agree with it).

To practice this skill, I’ll examine the facts, like “I feel anxious that I’m not writing frequently right now” or “The psycho part of my psycho author career has needed more time recently”.

Have you experienced an ebb and flow in your own writing career? How do you deal with judgments and insecurity?