Writer's Block

It's been (over) a year and I haven't finished any other writing projects. So what gives?

It's a variation of writer's block. Not the kind that stems from a lack of material and ideas to write about, but the kind where you simply find yourself juggling a million and one things and your mind can't seem to stay focused on just one. I don't mind overly much, as its been one heck of an adventurous year, but I do feel the need to catch up.

To recap: I traveled to Korea, Mexico, and Washington D.C. There were weddings galore and one of them included a road trip from Oregon back home. I've listened to soooo many audiobooks to get my fix of fiction. One must imbibe the type of material one wishes to write, yes? I've spent a fair amount of time leveling up my martial arts skills and practicing Lion Dance. I even traveled to Arizona to watch my team compete! That was a nightmare of a wait in Union Station and a total of 40 hours with no sleep.

I've dabbled into rock climbing and bouldering and experienced the most epic snow ball fight of my life. Somehow, I landed a job as a lifeguard and Water Aerobics instructor. I upgraded my Wacom tablet for an iPad.

I've entered the world of Silhouette Cameo and paper arts, rekindling my old dream of starting a small stationary shop. Imagine having my own stationary shop selling postcards, stickers, and my own books?

Oh, the things I have done!

It hasn't all been fun and games, that's for sure. There've been car troubles, the ailing health of my grandmothers, the passing of my grandfathers, random family drama, and aging puppers. I never dreamed I'd have to put any of our dogs to sleep, but after Molly's decline due to cancer, that's exactly what we had to do.

Honestly, I've been doing seemingly everything except for writing.

Have you ever read the story "If you give a mouse a cookie?" That's exactly how my mind works.

For example:

Just as I start diving deep into the research of what it takes to start a stationary shop, I'll get an itch to put my background in zoology and education to work. Can I add a nature center to the stationary shop, perhaps? But I need more capital! So I start searching for nature education jobs that pay well. It doesn't go well (because they doesn't exiiiiist!!). So my mind turns to other things I can do, and voice acting suddenly seems doable. Perhaps an online nature program or podcast starring me?

That reminds me of my science teacher Instagram page that I should be updating more frequently. At most I've been posting twice a year. If I planned the content, it would be better. So I'll look up free webinars on how to run social media, but that reminds me of the 7 hour Gravy for the Brain webinar on voice acting that I haven't finished. I should look into that. But that triggers recollection of other projects I have yet to finish, and my mind free falls into the endless spiral of ideas (much like this post).

So I take a deep breath...and start scrolling for more ideas. But then politics strikes. And I start plotting on how I can save some little piece of the world. What petitions, what strikes, what boycotts; what can I do? Should I get involved with politics directly? What does it take to run for mayor? The world is burning and the U.S. is to blame for a great portion of that chaos. It wasn't my fault--but I live here and my government needs to be held accountable. How many other governments have been destabilized by us meddling? Free Palestine! Save Congo!

Can I save the world with stories?

And so on, and so forth. My mind never stops. But sentence by sentence, I'm getting closer to finishing another project!

El Chocolate de Abuelita will be finished soon! Honestly, it's been rough. I was so excited to write it fully in Spanish, thinking it an excellent way to become a better writer in my home language, but apparently, my imagination works best in English. I struggled to translate much of the prose and poetry that comes so easily to me. And there were some words that I'd never had need for in Spanish. Hissing and spluttering? Windowsill? Spoon holder? Needless to say, I've picked up a lot of new Spanish words.

I am so close! So stay tuned!! :D