13 December 2022
Well, that’s been an extremely long time, I’d say. And I can say this because after all, this is my writing update. I did survive 2020, in case anyone was wondering. In fact, I moved to Barcelona in January of that year to be close to my #PakispanishLover – who went to see his family shortly after and whom I didn’t see back until June. He didn’t think my warnings to come back before restrictions would prevent his return applied to him. (SIGH!)
One would expect, I’d be happily writing away on my novel #ManWithDog during the lockdown, but I realised fairly quickly in March ’20 that – of course – I had uploaded the wrong file from my PC onto my laptop and I was stuck with an old version. Like ancient.
Now, I know that people always say that you should write your first draft and then throw it away, but those people don’t realise how attached I get to things. So I figured I’d just wait it out a bit and upload it when I’d go back to the Netherlands. Which still hasn’t happened…
However, I did retrieve the version I needed a year later, which turned out to be on my phone, of all places!
One would think that in the meantime I would just write other stuff. Me, identifying as a writer after all. One would think. One would think wrong.
Life decided to find its pesky way to suck all the creativity I had out of me. For one, as an autistic woman, working 40 hours a week is actually not recommended for my mental health. I am eternally grateful to Covid-19 though for making it that much easier to work from home! It’s been a life saver for me personally. Because of this development I have been able to make a living and even have some energy left to – at times – go out and enjoy my existence. Finding energy to write is more difficult though.
(Yes, there should be a follow up to my ‘for one’, but I’m just going to leave that hanging in the air.)
I have spurs in which I create. For instance, in the first week of 2022, when I had a week off from work, I was able to finish the chapter I was working on for #ManWithDog. I even did research for the following chapter and started the first couple of paragraphs. And since then it’s been silent.
It doesn’t help that my laptop is dead.
At the moment I am trying to find a new one because there is a writing group every Sunday morning close to where I live, and I think it would be very beneficial if I’d join them. Without an actual budget this proves difficult though. My best friend from the Netherlands offered her old laptop and I would love it so much – but part of me is resistant because it has keys missing (not the important ones thankfully), it is not updatable anymore, and the programs it’s running on keep having pop ups. Which is annoying when it’s your own computer, but I can imagine it becoming extremely frustrating when it’s a gift.
I’m not in the position to look a gifted horse in the mouth though. At some point I’d really like to finish my novel. And continue with my other book(s). But… (spoiled brat smiley).
Here’s to a creative and writeful 2023!
