Starting Over Again ...

The past few months have been nothing short of life-changing for me. There were fantastic changes, like giving life to a beautiful baby boy. And there were not so good changes like losing my job and the recent death of my grandmother - a woman I now realize I thought I knew, even judged at times, but probably didn't know a damn thing about her really. All these changes - a thousand more little ones too - have combined to slow me down and I haven't had the time, energy or creativity to continue writing. Add to that the rejection of a manuscript I am really proud of and you could say I dropped out of what I love doing. But now I think I am ready to come back. But there are some hurdles with that. 

The first - I am a different person than I was six months ago. My world view has been altered over the course of a few short months (although let me tell you, those first three felt like a LIFETIME. I don't remember Christmas ... or New Years ... or January ...). So returning to an old manuscript, I see it with completely different eyes. I don't like what I see in most spots. 

Secondly - Time: I don't have it. I've been robbed. Well, been robbed of long stretches of time. For now I have perhaps 20-45 minutes at a time to sit down and just think, let alone write. This forces me to work quickly and I don't work well under pressure.

Third - I've been out of the romance writing loop for awhile and it seems like in the time I was gone, publishing took a completely different turn. Perhaps I am wrong but I feel as though (from just a few days of surfing my favorite sites) romance has turned from historicals and veered directly toward contemporaries. Bummer for me since I have several half finished historical novels going on. 

All this combined means I have to completely re-invent myself and my writing style. So welcome back to me, now start all over lady.