A quiet return: Where I've been, what I'm doing, and what is coming up

Last July, I took the plunge and set up a simple blog to share the short stories that I'd written over the years. It wasn't until I was having a clear-out on my pc that I came across them. I have tended to write them, stick them in the folder and then forget them. So, over time, there has been quite a lot built up. Through July and August, I shared summer and generic themed stories, but with September already upon us, I have themed back-to-school and autumn stories to keep in line with the moment. As you may see a pattern setting here, I will also be adding Halloween, winter and Christmas stories through the rest of the seasons too.

All the short stories I share on A Writer's Journey are free to read. They are also included in compilation books that are currently being added to Kindle Unlimited and Amazon. The books have extra stories, as well as there being longer stories. The current average word count for the regular free stories is around 5000 words, so it makes for a good bedtime read and/or a car journey indulgence. 

As we move into the new school year, I recall my own children's return to school and their transition to high school, along with the nerves and teething issues that would plague them. Through my years of writing, I have had so many ideas for short stories as well as full-length ones, and to be honest, I've never really taken the short stories seriously because I didn't really know if they would be of interest. Oh, how I was so very wrong! 

If I remember correctly, it was on Substack that I came across a post where someone was reaching out to connect with middle-grade and short story writers. I commented and chatted with her for a little while, and she enlightened me that short stories are as popular as full-length stories for different reasons. She, Louise, is the one who encouraged me to set up my blog and use it to showcase A Writer's Journey movements. I have to be honest, though, I haven't shared much behind the scenes yet because I want to get as many short stories listed as I can, but I do have some fun plans for the blog, as I do this one as time goes by.

I'll admit, this blog won't be full of homemaking entirely, and I doubt I'll share much about my writing or my business, but I do plan to share some simple homemaking tips for someone disabled, which is what I am now. Life since a double diagnosis of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis on the same day back in 2013 really tipped my life (and self) upside down for about a year before I could accept the limitations and struggles and rewrite the future. Since then, I've had a few more conditions added to my list, I've had some deleted, and a couple more added. Either way, I'm stuck with a few hicky abilities that caused me to have to have a real hard luck at how I live in my home, and do other things, such as go shopping.

This side of my life is more of what I'd like to share because when I first started out in my 'new life', there was nothing that fit what I was looking for and as the saying goes:

If you can't find what you are looking for,

Create it.

So that's what I'm doing. For the time being, I plan to post every Friday, 9.30 BST, with the hopes of increasing to twice then three times a week as time goes by. This all depends on my workload and my writing commitments. If you'd like to follow me over on YouTube, I do have a channel there that I post randomly, some are studio vlogs, and some are a day/week in my life. 

             

As time moves forward, I plan to share some things that I have been doing in and around my home over the years, especially given that I now have a multitude of disabilities. These posts will be around twice a week, and when I have more time, I hope to include other areas of life that I think others may enjoy. For now, though, I have a writing deadline and orders to pack and post! I will be back, though, honest!