Travels with Charlie: An IWSG Post

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been a very good writer lately. No follow through. Minimal dedication. I'd open my WiP periodically and tweak a chapter here and there, but no real butt-in-chair commitment to finishing. 

I'm typically unorthodox in my work style, but rarely am I a complete and total slacker. I love writing. I love blogging. Why was I avoiding all of it? 

I've been thinking about that and I think I have some insight. 

Last summer, Boy #2 was accepted to UCLA's graduate film school. My husband and I drove him out to California across the historic Route 66. This was a trip I've always wanted to take, so I was excited. During our travels, I was texting pics of our fun to friends. One of them cautioned me not to share anything to Facebook. She'd learned the hard way. She'd posted a picture of her family at the beach and was tut-tutted in comments about taking a vacation during a pandemic, even though it was a family vacation not a co-ed beer-bong blast on the beach. 

I'm a weigh-your-risks and live your life-your-way kinda thinker. As my son always says- You do you, dog and I'll do me. Honestly, I didn't have the energy to deal with one more ounce of negativity from the world, so I had zero energy for online anything. 

And poor blogging got thrown under that same hateful bus. Earlier this week, I read C. Lee McKenzie's email newsletter where she said she was pulling back from social media and spending more time on blogs. She reminded me- blogs are different. A light went on in my head. There's more thought put into blogging. There's less drive-by hostility and rudeness. It's more of a community, especially in the network of writers. 

I don't know why I was feeling so insecure about being online, especially here among friends. I have seen the blogging community step up in times of death and hardship in ways I have never seen on other social media platforms. Maybe it's because putting together posts takes some thought and some planning. Or maybe it's because bloggers care enough about their craft to join a medium that requires more thought and planning than a quick half-baked post or comment. 

So, here is where I will be. And here are the pics of our trip...a trip I christened "Travels with Charlie" and dubbed my hubs Charlie. Even after I told him Charlie was a dog, he was still okay with it. He's my dog...a really, really good one. 

It was a great trip. It was good for the soul to get offline and spend time with people IRL. Face time restores my faith in humanity when online chatter makes me think humanity won't survive another week. Across the country, from one state to another, people were still people. 

The Seckmans in St. Louis 

Texas! I realized how big Texas was when I messaged Texan writer friend Melissa.
We were travelling through her state but were still over six hours apart!

New Mexico. Quaint little restaurant, El Rancho.
This place deserves its own post! 

The Grand Canyon. Not a fan. It was too big.
And all those folks standing along the edge?
I wanted to make them all step back a few feet.

Vegas, baby.
Also, not a fan.
We'd already checked the Covid, been there, had that box,
but Vegas made my fears of hepatitis push front and center. 

Arrived in California in time for a Pacific coast sunset on the Santa Monica Pier

Sign of the times!

Hollywood. We have arrived. 
Now, time to head back home. 

Join the IWSG! Sign up Here

What's the purpose of the IWSG? To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

October 6 question - In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language? I am filtering myself less and less in all things as I age. Pretty soon I'll be as sassy as my dear, departed grandma. 

The awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

Already Home by Heather M. Gardner is available on Amazon for 2.99Dragon of the Stars by Alex J. Cavanaugh is available on Amazon for 2.99 

#IWSGPit is set for January 26, 2022. It’s an all-day event where you pitch your manuscript in a line or two and using the appropriate hashtags. Visit the site for info.
Do these Twitter pitch parties work? YES. Dancing Lemur Press has signed FIVE authors from Twitter pitch parties. (And I believe all of them came from #IWSGpit.)