Perhaps you’ve noticed the radio silence. I apologize for not sending anything last week.
I keep hoping that my verve will come back. So far it hasn’t. I thought changing Exolymph’s editorial direction would do the trick! But no dice. Whenever I sit down to write this newsletter, I just feel depleted. I feel like I have nothing to say.
My best guess is that I’ve been using up all my creative energy at work. Having a full-time journalism job means writing way more frequently than I ever did when I was freelancing, plus other responsibilities. So I think all my energy is going to that.
I’m not sure about how best to proceed. I feel like the most practical thing is to go on hiatus. I already paused my Patreon — those of you who support it won’t get charged when July rolls around. I set a calendar reminder to re-pause it (because of course I have to do that) before August starts.
I could turn Exolymph into a “here’s what I wrote at work plus some interesting links” newsletter, but that feels wrong. That wasn’t what I set out to do, nor is it what you signed up for.
So… hiatus? What do you think? How would you prefer for me to cope with my dearth of inspiration and drive?
Ken Rodriguez says:
Sonya, you are an up-and-coming writer. You’ve paid your dues, and now you get to enjoy the benefits of all the free writing you have done. Do what you need to do. Our worlds won’t end because you stopped working on this blog. We’ll still be watching for you, and your name will always catch our eyes. You’ll still be on Facebook (one would assume), so you’re not losing friends.
There are times when one must leave things behind and move to what is important now. I wish you the best of luck because you have an excellent talent. Go forward and be great.
Ken
P. S. I’ve answered in your email feed, but I’m also posting this here so other readers can see it and because I didn’t see the post on Exolymph’s Facebook page.
June 15, 2017 — 10:32 am
Sonya Mann says:
Thank you Ken <3
June 17, 2017 — 7:01 pm
N says:
I am sorry to hear that you have a case of writer’s block. For what it’s worth, your skills are needed. However, there may be a lack of money to pay for your writing. I had recently been looking at various crime stories that involved high technology. For example the police now can use amazing databases and computer vision to search for patterns that match street gang graffiti.
Perhaps you should write about cops and thugs in the last days of a high tech hegemony. Because I suspect that the world is on the cusp of a geopolitical shift that will alter the balance of power. But even if you can’t write at this site, do not despair. It is hard to feed the beast of online readership.
June 15, 2017 — 10:02 pm
Sonya Mann says:
Thank you for the encouragement and suggestions!
June 17, 2017 — 7:01 pm