Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For October, the question is: “How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?”
This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Dolorah @ Book Lover,Christopher D. Votey,Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.
My answer to the question (How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?)
This month’s question is a personal one. As long as I remember, I’ve written a diary, every day, for almost 30 years. I wouldn’t know whether this helped me through certain episodes, because of its daily occurrence, but I do know that the urge of writing has always been there, especially during major life events. What certainly has helped me through the years, are emails to my best friend Rosie. So, it might not have been with books or articles, blogs or diary entries, but communicating via the written word certainly is one of the best remedies for me during emotional times.
My (slow) book progress
Don’t get fooled by the title of this post. I don’t like rain, just like I’m no fan of cold weather (yet we’ve been having plenty of both lately), but there is one big plus to a leaky sky: I happily spend the day inside our camper, behind my computer, as long as my battery lasts. So, after getting soaked to the bone during one too many hikes here on Vancouver Island, I managed to dedicate a few hours to my memoir in September. I collected all the notes of my beta readers and created an overview to understand what needs changing.
I haven’t combined the track changes documents yet after reading how to do this, but it’s on the agenda for October. I considered working on a book proposal, but concluded that I really need to have polished chapters to include; excuse enough to postpone that event and focus on (some of) the rewriting and editing process first.
The urge to pick up my memoir again and the rainy, chilly weather (especially in combination with liters of condensation, a leaking van and a non-waterproof jacket), has Mark and I point Zesty’s snout south! Winter is coming…
After the rain, comes the sun!
How has your writing process been this past summer?
October 3, 2018 at 10:18
Hi Liesbet! Come south! The weather here is just cooling off but as you know that means GOOD things to us that live in the desert. The sun is out every single day. The couple that pet-sat for us in Aug/Sept said that she had never stayed anywhere that she could hike every single day for 3 weeks. In fact, in those 3 weeks (in summertime no less) she said she walked a total of 160 miles!!!!!! Amazing to me. Kloe loved her but I think she wore Kloe out! 🙂 Anyway, if you want good weather, you know where to find us. ~Kathy
October 3, 2018 at 12:34
I’m glad that you had such a wonderful house sitter. Hopefully, Kloe enjoyed all the activity! I love blue skies, so sun every day is my favorite view to wake up to. As we are a tad behind “schedule” (so much to see and do everywhere), it seems that we will follow autumn south.
Mark and I have been living in 50 (or less) degree weather for weeks now and will head south soon, starting today with a ferry ride into Washington state. We constantly run out of socks and don’t have gloves. And, we haven’t been able to ride our bikes for almost a month. By the winter, we will be in Southern California. 🙂
October 3, 2018 at 10:45
Ah, yes. Vancouver Island is gorgeous, but the rain, the rain! It’s never-ending.
Glad you’ve made some progress on your memoir. I’ve also found journaling to be helpful, though I’m not nearly as consistent as you, but writing back and forth with good friends always helps.
Wishing you a good month. I’ll try to be better at commenting and responding. x
October 3, 2018 at 12:43
No worries about the commenting and responding! As I mentioned before, your priorities as a writer are in the right place. Some months we have more time for blogging and some months less. You’re doing just fine. 🙂
My diary is such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine not writing it one day. I have been too exhausted some evenings, or it has gotten too late to deal with it, but then I catch up the following day. My entries are extremely long these days, though, since we have been sightseeing every day. While I used to write ten minutes a day, I’m easily at thirty now, which makes me not want to write anything else.
October 3, 2018 at 12:02
Hi Liesbet – Hurrah for progress on your book. Slow progress is still progress. Hope you’ll get drier and warmer days ahead but not too many distractions.
October 3, 2018 at 12:45
That’s the spirit! But, here’s the contradiction: dry and warm days are awesome for sightseeing and are what I prefer. But, rainy days are when I get a chance to work and write. 🙂 Being in the Pacific Northwest right now might offer me a decent balance.
October 3, 2018 at 13:05
Sorry about all the rain, but it did get you writing.
October 5, 2018 at 12:10
I’m getting more and more antsy to make some progress with my memoir, Alex. So, if it’s up to me, some rain once in a while would help. But, being in a tiny camper with your other half on a rainy day is less pleasant than in a house…
October 3, 2018 at 13:22
I lived on the coast for years and the weather is usually rainy. The few days that the sun comes out make the rainy days worth it. Vancouver Island is so close I can almost reach out an touch you.
But I’m far away, check out Grand Forks, BC on a map.
Tofino in February is best time to go whale watching. And make sure you take a gander at Long Beach. It will change you somewhere deep inside.
Anna from elements of emaginette
October 5, 2018 at 12:15
Oh, you’re pretty close to the border with Washington. I bet it’s getting cold over there as well, huh? And, you are correct, Anna, the area along the coasts is so pretty that when the sun comes out, I’m always glad we waited around long enough to see that happen. 🙂
We spent a couple of rainy days in and near Tofino when we first arrived on Vancouver Island in September. We walked on Long Beach – quite grey, unfortunately – and enjoyed our time in the national park. We didn’t see any whales from any coastal trails, despite September/October being the time they migrate south again. 🙁
October 3, 2018 at 13:38
Unless you live in Florida. Then winter doesn’t exist. 😉
October 5, 2018 at 12:17
And that would be the main reason to overwinter in Florida! 🙂 We will try Southern California, Arizona and Baja California this winter. Whenever we get there… 🙂
October 3, 2018 at 14:20
Hi, Liesbet – I am so sorry about the cool and wet weather on Vancouver Island. If it is any consolation, July and August were absolutely beautiful! I agree with Kathy — come South!!
I am glad that you did have time for your memoir. I really want to read it!
October 5, 2018 at 12:19
Hi Donna! Are you baking in the sun right now? 🙂 We are slowly heading south, but will remain near the coast, I suspect.
We enjoyed our time on Vancouver Island, but Mark said that we were about a month too late in regards to the sunny weather. Now we know. On the up-side, it wasn’t crowded with tourists anywhere and we got to observe the salmon run and bears that go with that.
October 3, 2018 at 15:54
Good to hear that you are making progress on your memoir. I’ll join Kathy and Donna in urging you to come south. The weather here has been great… not too hot and not cold at all. Btw, we have our first house sits we have gotten through the websites coming up. We are staying local right now so we can generate some good reviews before we venture out.
October 5, 2018 at 12:22
Janis, that’s fantastic about your upcoming house sits. Cats? Dogs? You’ll have to tell me all about that when we get to San Diego in December. We are house and pet sitting for my friend Amy in Ocean beach for three weeks then. I think it’s a good idea to stay locally first and collect some reviews. We did that as well, starting out in Massachusetts and New England. Have fun!!
October 3, 2018 at 23:38
I love the photo of the view from your camper into the green of the forest. That looks like a terrific place to be writing. I happen to love rain, but not when its cold and has that “get in your bones feeling”…. Glad the rain helped your progress with your memoir!
I used to keep dairies as a teenager, until my mother read mine and I got into big trouble for having had an illicit sleepover with my boyfriend at age 18. That event traumatised me somewhat, but like you, over the years I wrote letters and then emails to close friends …In my case though the writing could not be considered book material though, I don’t have enough literary talent.
Peta
October 5, 2018 at 12:30
It is getting cold here, Peta, that “get in your bones feeling”; not our thing, so we are heading south now. We had way too many things on our agenda this summer and thought we could push our itinerary into fall a bit. It has been OK, but enough is enough. Especially without a heater (we need at least 1/4 of diesel in our tank and enough camper electricity to run the heater and have been low on both, not driving enough in Canada and nursing our tank due to high fuel prices). You would love strolling trough the mossy rain forests here. Very different from SE Asia and the tropics.
Funny you mention your mom reading your diary… When I was a teenager, my mom used to know so many things about me that I never told her, so I used to wonder about that as well. But, my thinking towards her was “If you find out about particular things that make you feel uncomfortable, it’s your own fault!” A bit like when I run around our camper naked (getting ready in the morning) and someone manages to stare inside through a partially uncovered window, it would be their own problem if they’re shocked. 🙂
I’m sure you have collected plenty of book material throughout all your travels and adventures! There is a difference between having the stories and being able to write the stories. Besides, isn’t that what editors are for?
October 4, 2018 at 14:47
I’m impressed – over 30 years of keeping a diary! I wish I had resource like that – my memory is so bad and there is so much I have forgotten. I like being holed up in the van every once in a while – but too much bad weather would drive me crazy.
October 5, 2018 at 12:36
I feel like you in regards to the being holed up. When the rain lasts, it would be better to be in a house!
When I was in 4th grade, writing a diary entry in a notebook for class was a daily assignment. I think that’s how I got into the habit. But, I didn’t write daily journals until I was 14 or so. From that moment, I’ve been on it, every day for 10-30 minutes a day. During my travels (which has not been most of my years) the entries would be longer than when being “sedentary”. Going digital with it made my life easier and my storage problems smaller. 🙂
It’s an easy habit to get into, Duwan, and the reason I was and am still doing this is because I have a very bad memory! Even now, when I postpone writing the day’s entry for a day or two, due to being busy or tired, I’ve forgotten what I did those days! Also, I did not look at any diaries for my memoir, since they are stored in Belgium, and I had a blog, photos and emails to go by.
October 4, 2018 at 16:31
May the rain stay mainly in the plain (or rain-forest), Liesbet. The weather can help the writing and is better than a crisis.
October 5, 2018 at 12:38
Isn’t that the truth! Rain promotes writing, while crises don’t at all! Wishing you success, enjoyment and determination with your publishing schedule later this month!!!
October 5, 2018 at 07:49
Oh, no the van is leaking 🙁 Is it still the windshield or are there other leaks? Smart of you guys to head south. While I love the Pacific Northwest, the rain can get a bit old after a while.
October 5, 2018 at 12:41
No leaks at the windshield anymore, luckily. These are new leaks, due to old caulk and condensation (which aren’t leaks per se, but make the van very wet and troublesome to live in). Mark managed to fix a couple of them, I think, thanks to having friends with ladders along our route. More rain is due, so that will be the next test!
Having the freedom to go where we want again is the beauty of this lifestyle. And, heading south to be warm is definitely important to us! We are just having a late start with that.
October 5, 2018 at 11:31
My summer writing has been non-existent. I think I’m still in a funk. I’m hoping to sit down this weekend and write my submission for IWSG anthology contest. I’m looking forward to winter, rain, but don’t like the wind that usually goes with it.
Good luck on your trip south.
October 5, 2018 at 12:43
It’s the wind that makes the air and climate so darn frigid in places, I agree! I prefer summer, always, but need some less pleasant weather to get cranking on my memoir. Hopefully, later this fall and this winter I’ll make decent progress again. Like you, my summer writing has been non-existent, so it was the right time to involve beta readers. That being said, it will be tricky to pick up the pace after four months of inactivity. That’s a third of a year!!! 🙁 Almost like starting all over again…
October 6, 2018 at 13:34
All has gone super smoothly writing-wise for me over the past few years. I ceased judging my writing and just churned out words for the fun and joy of writing. Getting clearer helped me sell more eBooks too. Energy thing. Most authors struggle because they cannot accept themselves, and their lack of sales reflects this lack of self-acceptance. Fabulous post. I hope you are enjoying the rain.
October 8, 2018 at 15:46
That’s the correct approach, for sure. And, good for you, Ryan! Writing has always worked like that for me, when it came to my diaries, letters and emails. And, to some extent, articles, since I have my own style. And, with the first draft of my memoir. Now, the editing stages require input from others. Especially since my way of writing doesn’t contain any taboos or sweet-talking. As in, things that could get me in trouble or are a very European way of thinking, which might be slightly offensive to the American public. 🙂
As long as the rain is interspersed with a couple of days of sun here and there, life is doable, even in a 19ft space.
October 8, 2018 at 17:15
Welcome to Canada, lol, Happy Thanksgiving. Yes, it looks as though winter was nearing here lately and Wednesday and Thursday are called to go up to almost 85 degrees lol. Then back to coats. That’s how flu season starts I’m convinced. 🙂
October 13, 2018 at 09:01
Yeah… not sure whether it’s better to get a few incredibly nice/hot days to feel warm again, or just have a gradual change from summer into fall. I agree that these weird weather patterns promote flu! That being said, the forecast for Portland, OR this weekend and next week is sunny and pleasant!
October 11, 2018 at 01:26
Gad you got some writing time in! Here’s to more rain…?
October 17, 2018 at 00:39
The rain will come. But, until then, there is way too much to explore to be sitting behind my computer. 🙂
October 15, 2018 at 16:13
That is the age old dilemma for writers — to live life and experience it fully, or to observe life and write about it. I think it is hard to do both at the same time, so I think there has to be some amount of switching from doing to writing and back again. Yes, as it turned out, the timing of your visit to Vancouver Island could have been better weather-wise. June and the summer months were hot, a drought in fact, but the weather suddenly turned cold and rainy at the beginning of September.
We were happy to assist with the ladders 😉
Jude
October 19, 2018 at 00:22
Maybe we should call those visits ladder visits. 🙂 I do think the summer is the best time to explore the island, but then the crowds are much denser, and there are no salmon runs…
You are so right about the dilemma and need to switch between being in writing mode and living/traveling mode, Jude. I’m ready for that switch to a desk one of these days. Yet, traveling is my life. Hence I will never ever run out of topics to write about. So much of our sailing adventures is still untapped as well. Life is too short!