As I went to write my post this morning for Insecure Writer’s Support Group, I was presented with a wonderful 403 Forbidden error. Yay. It seems every few years I lose my site and I have to dig to get it back. As I stepped through the troubleshooting and nothing worked, I relented and reached out to my webhost support. Minutes later, I received an update on my ticket saying “it’s resolved”. Sure enough, I could access my site again. Hmmm. I appreciate the speedy service, though it does make me wonder what caused the issue. If it wasn’t my plugins, a corrupt htaccess file, or permissions… then maybe it wasn’t me who broke it this time.
But onto the post! June was a packed month for me. I took a week off to work on my book and settle my kids into a summer routine. They weren’t keen on the “no screens before noon” rule I laid down but begrudgingly adhere to it, along with the first 40 minutes of screens being Epic! and Prodigy. I celebrated 15 years with my husband in June and went to the movie theater for the first time since the pandemic hit. My friend released her new covers to the world with artwork I made for her. (Please go look!) It’s not the type of art I typically do, since I lean heavily toward my own characters and world, but it was interesting to exercise my artistic muscles as I tried to nail down what she wanted.
Writing-wise, I made some progress. Last month, I decided to split my WIP in two. I transferred 130K to my current working document, pulling bits and pieces from the multiple versions I have of this book. I’ll likely add 50K before I finish the “first draft”.
But the burst effort seems to have burnt me out. After rewriting one chapter three times during my week off and writing a new chapter that I still don’t like the ending of, I have found my enthusiasm waning. That leads to the question of the month.
IWSG Question of the Month – What would make you quit writing?
I think the only thing that’d make me quit permanently would be finishing my series. I’m not a person who writes for a living. My writing goals are specific to a particular universe and characters.
But there are times when writing stops for a while, like it has now. I’ll plug away at a chapter over a span of a few weeks, but my main focus exists elsewhere. I never really quit writing. I need to make sure I have something to submit when my turn comes up for critique group.
Does summer get busy for you? What do you think of Sarah’s new covers? What inspires you to write?
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
Thank goodness you recovered your site. I’ve not had that problem before, but there have been others. The blessings and curses of the online world I guess.
Finishing a series would probably not stop you from writing further. Hard to contain the imagination of a creative person.
Many things inspire me to come up with ideas to write about. A lack of initiative keeps me from the actual writing process I guess.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Happy anniversary!
Glad you were able to access your site quickly.
The new covers are beautiful. Great job.
Good thing you recovered your site. It would be very upsetting to lose all that work and imagination that went into creating it.
I loved the new covers you made for your friend. Minimalist but distinctive. They are very different from your usual art I saw on deviantArt, but I find it a fascinating challenge to make covers for someone else. I did it a few times, and the results of those collaborations were always interesting.
I want to get back to writing, but I don’t have the energy to attack it during every spare moment like I used to. I keep waiting for a blank day on my calendar to write. No luck. Back in the day, I would find time anyway. I guess I’m getting old and slowing down.
Glad you were able to get your site back!
It sounds like you got a lot done in one week so don’t feel bad about wanting to take a break!
After working on the same chapter or scene for weeks with little progress, my enthusiasm tends to wane too. That happened earlier this spring, when I began finding all sorts of excuses for not sitting down in front of the computer. Oh, look, a new TV show I haven’t seen before. Oh, look, a TV show I’ve only seen ten times before.
I’m better now.
Glad you got your site back. I remember when mine went down when my former blog partner didn’t pay the domain fee. It was distressing.
Glad you’re making progress on your writing. I think plodding along when you can is okay, especially since you have a family and a job. You can only do so much.
Losing your site is not a fun experience. Glad it was a temporary issue.
Thank goodness for speedy service! If I got an error message like that, I’d be panicking and likely wouldn’t receive quick help from Blogger (my blog) or WordPress (my website). I’m glad your site is back up and running.
Your friends covers are beautiful. Oh my gosh. I’m gushing. I love them!
Those error pages strike fear in the heart of all of us! Been there, sweated that.
Love Sarah’s new covers! Great job!
I was banned out of my blogger account once. Freaked me out.
I hope you get to finish your series.
Love. Love. Love! the covers. So different and so beautiful.
Summer has turned into a hectic time for me. I can’t seem to keep up with anything. Writing has slid to the back burner which makes me kind of sad.
I’ll get back to it eventually. 😉
Ah yes, the joys of kids off for the summer. Glad to hear you got some writing done, but yeah, hard with the kiddos at home.
I was thinking of doing a series on computer problems. I can relate to your frustration and am super glad it’s over. Best to you.
First — those covers are gorgeous! You did an amazing job.
My site has an issue once or twice a year too. So I get it.
Sounds like you had a good June!
I think I’m going to apply the “no screens before noon” rule for myself. Maybe it will help me focus and get more things done. 🙂
I love my new covers. You did an amazing job with that artwork–it’s gorgeous. Thank you!
Glad you got your site back (not something I’d deal well with being inept at technology) and that you’ve somewhat settled into a summer routine. Hope all goes smoothly and you can enjoy your summer a bit even though it’s busy. 🙂