The Curse of an Unknown Writer

Thanksgiving is over and now we head into the Christmas season. I hope that everyone had a good meal and time with family and friends.

For the first time in over a year, my husband had four days off from work. He is one of these people that never takes a sick day and loves to hoard vacation days. The perfect type of employee all employers hope to have. He covers for everyone and is always on hand when a crisis develops. 

While this is great for his employer, it can become a hinderance for him. Rarely does he recognize his fatigue until he takes time off. Knowing that he needed those four days to decompress, we spent Thursday with family. The remainder of his time off was spent at home, with no plans – deliberately. 

Sometimes, you need a little self-care. No phones, no obligations, just whatever you want or do not want to do. I used that time for myself as well. I am glad I did. Thinking ahead to 2024 and what I want to accomplish as a writer was time well spent.

The Red Chair remains a priority – nothing about that plan will change. What about Tuesday’s blogs and Story of the Week? I enjoy writing both, BUT.  I expel copious amounts of time and energy writing these. Lately, I have been asking myself, why? 

This was when I realized that I am experiencing the curse of an unknown writer. It is a horrible curse because it causes self-doubt and the practice of comparison. It can stop your fingers from typing if you allow it to take control.

The curse appears when the writer realizes no one (or very few) is reading. People COULD be reading, but they give no feedback, so you can only conclude they are not. This is not meant to evoke a response or guilt. I am merely sharing a fact. Not only that, but the analytics also show me that I am correct.

Life is busy and most people do not make reading a priority. I know that I am in a minority of people that spend time each day making sure I read. It is also the busiest time of the year. What little free time folks have is now eaten up by holiday activities.

I will continue to write because I am a stubborn woman. As in all things creative, if you have a passion, you will do it regardless. What I will stop doing for a while is writing to a deadline on blogs and short stories. Instead, I will write when the ideas come in their time.

Given I have patrons who support me monthly, I will continue to provide weekly content through Patreon. 

This process is a very slow one. It takes years for some writers to garner recognition for their efforts. I am not arrogant enough to think my experience should be any different. At the same time, I will not lie. I am discouraged, and yes, a little fatigued.

For those of you who are reading, please know I thank you from the bottom of my keyboard. I will not allow the encouragement my ego needs to prevent me from what I feel is my true path. Everything has a cycle and I know readership will pick up again soon.

For now, forgive me for this one pity-party. I will see you soon, and I wish you a joyous Christmas. Blessings!