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Writing Wednesdays: Getting Started after a Hiatus


The Amlokiblogs schedule says postings thrice a week.

But I disappeared for one whole month, without a ‘see-you-soon’, or ‘I’ll-be-MIA’ kind of post, even.
I’m depending completely on the good nature of my blog-friends, followers and readers to forgive me my disappearance, and visit me just as before.

I was relocating, renovating, generally giving myself a bald spot by the slow, painful method of tearing at my hair, but now I’m back, hopefully for the rest of this year, posting regularly as schedule demands. I’ll use the rest of this week in returning the visits of the folks who’ve been kind enough to visit, comment, or follow this last month in my absence.
Awfully sorry, people. Hope not to do this again any time soon!
Now for the Writing Wednesdays part:
I’ve been so busy cleaning floors, shifting cartons, working beside contractors and puzzling over manuals this past month, I have not really seen the inside of my notebooks in a while.
I tried to squeeze in a few minutes here and there in the beginning, even carried my notebook around and squiggled a few lines now and then. But I have not produced anything worth mentioning, and now that I have the time (relatively) to sit before my laptop or my notebook, I’m scared of the blank space, and my head goes blank.
I’ve written a few emails, hammered out a ho-hum blog-post, and am now tapping my toes waiting for something to happen. Writing-prompts are my next destination and spring-board.
I refuse to utter the B-word…so I need to be up and writing soon. Any words of advice?
Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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6 Comments

  • Damyanti says:

    Thanks folks, for all the tips and the words of advice! Nothing seems to have worked so far, but I'm not giving up 🙂

    Have been missing from the blog for a bit again, but will make up for the long absences and irregularities.

  • westcobich says:

    Welcome back!
    Never feel pressured about writing – just write! even if it's pages of lists of things you just finished or will finish.

    It will all come rolling off your pen. Writing begets more writing.
    You're good…hang in there…

    and I find that my blogging suffers (absences) when I'm really writing, too.

    It's tough to juggle all the writing. You choose what's important. And that may change on a daily basis. But that's ok!

    Actually, I"m using Natalie Goldberg's OLD FRIEND FROM FAR AWAY for my writing prompts this month. It enhances my story writing somewhat to warm up with some exdercises.

  • Thanks for stopping by! I just re-read the last parts of your post. I'd thought to kinda take the day off – the weather's dreary — and curl up with a good book. But, I've got closets to prepare for spring, so will jump in. Thanks for the inspiration!!

  • No words of wisdom to offer. I suspect it will take time to work yourself back into a writing groove. Take your time. It'll come. Cute pic!

  • Relieved you're doing fine!! I like to clean stuff too to get the creative juices flowing!

    I take absences from blogging. It's impossible to blog non-stop. We've gotta have a life aside from blogging. So, take off when you need to; we're right here!

    Are you sending out Pings? (ping-o-matic.com) You're not showing up on my blog roll.

  • Didn't know you were gone, but am glad you're back.

    Well, my advice has always been to clean something, that usually gets my creative juices flowing.

    I think I'd stick with writing prompts. (or try this, write a query for a book you've read.?? )