in The Writing Life, Things I've Learned 719 Words

I’m back!

After taking a three-week hiatus from my blog, I am back today. I’ve given my blog a lot of thought and I’ve concluded that it is not healthy for me to write about politics. I thought I was filling a need – and perhaps I did. I felt like God was calling me to speak up about the corruption and injustices of the Trump Regime. I believe that was what I needed to do for a while.

I wanted the world to know that all Americans don’t agree with Trump. I think I’ve accomplished that in some small way. I have connected in a meaningful way with individuals in Canada, Scotland, Ireland, England, Spain, Thailand, Australia, Egypt, Kenya, and Ghana, and Uganda in addition to the United States.

Those blog posts are out in the blogosphere indefinitely – until something replaces the internet as we know it today. People in 126 countries have read my blog in the last twelve months. That humbles me.

I ended my June 9, 2026 blog post, Post-World War II Ground Observer Corps, with the following words: “Note: This will be my last blog post for a while. There are just more pressing tasks – like sweetgum sprouts — that need my attention. One of the joys of country living. They multiply like rabbits and grow as fast as kudzu. I will sorely miss getting to work on my blog posts every day, but life changes as we grow older and energy is limited.”

The part about the sweetgum sprouts was true, but it was not the whole truth.

When I wrote that post, I had started reading a book that made me realize why I was struggling. (I plan to blog about that book next week.) I was coming to grips with the fact that I had a depression problem.

There. I’ve said it. My life is a bit of an open book. I’m told that readers like that in an author.

Photo Credit: k-mitch-hodge-IqSaG9zv2e0-unsplash

I’m feeling a little better now that I’m on some medication, but this is a new journey for me. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

I’m back now, but I will probably only post one blog most weeks. The habit of blogging four, five, or six times a week – mostly about politics — proved not to be sustainable or healthy for this fragile writer.

These three weeks of not blogging gave me time to read three good books. It gave me time to almost finish writing the first draft of my historical novel. It gave me time to look at the entirety of the historical novels I want to write. It gave me time to start pulling myself out of depression.

I’m spending less time devouring the news and more time listening to music. I’m working on the things that trigger my anger and sorting out the triggers I can control and the ones I cannot.

For instance, I can stop getting angry if someone cuts me off in traffic, but I cannot control Trump’s supporters. I can be frustrated with them and baffled by their beliefs and gullibility, but I cannot “fix” them. My political rants on my blog perhaps opened some MAGA eyes, but I doubt it.

I plan to get my blog back to its original purpose: my journey as a writer. That includes my journey as a reader for to be a good writer one must read – and read a lot. My journey includes the things that distract me. My journey as a writer of historical fiction includes blogging about history.

I don’t know how often I will blog. For the next while, I hope to blog once-a-week. I hope to replace quantity with quality.

Thank you for joining me for the ride. Just know that once in a while, the political science major in me might rear its ugly head. You’ve been warned! I hope I am a better version of myself in the coming months. I hope to bring you a better and less combative blog.

Next week I plan to blog about one of the books I read in June. See you then!

Janet

“I was okay just a moment ago. I will learn how to be okay again.” ~ Nina LaCour

27 thoughts on “I’m back!”

  1. Welcome back Janet! I hope the break from the blog has given you more air to breathe through all your wonderful projects, to include your novel. I truly agree. Making a political point is advisable but better left alone once published. I too have done political postings on VALENCIARTIST but found that they were truly not the most popular entries. In any event, I am glad to see you back. On the other hand, I will probably not be “around” as much as I was. I will post daily (I hope) but I am quite engaged with my manuscript(s) and with my painting. I realised how much time active blogging can take and I had to step back. I will check in every day so I will be glad to see and read your posts which are always interesting and informative. All the best to you Janet!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I went through something similar during the COVID years. I’m glad you had time for retrospect and self-care. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Thank you, Francis. I, too, realized how time-consuming blogging can be if you’re doing it every day. Also like you, I started seeing that my political posts were not getting as many likes. We live and learn from experience. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Best of luck with your writing and your painting in the sweltering heat. I am excited to get back into seriously finishing the draft of my first novel. They say the second draft is the hardest, so I’ll see how that goes. I probably won’t see all your posts, but I’ll try to keep up. I always learn something. All the best to you from a sweltering and very humid North Carolina.

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  4. Thank you so much for sharing that, Alison. I decided to just put it all… well, some of it… out there. I’m doing better but realized today that one of the medications is what is messing up my dry eyes. It seems the fix for one thing always causes an unintended problem elsewhere. Thank you again, and I hope you’re having a great summer.

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  5. Thank you for sharing your story so honestly. It takes courage to open up like this. I’m glad you listened to yourself and are giving yourself the time you need to heal. I wish you peace, strength, and a steady recovery. Take good care of yourself.

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  6. Thank you for your kind words and well wishes, Matroos. I debated about sharing my story, but I decided to because it might help others who are going through the same thing. The more our political situation deteriorates, the more stressful it became to try to enumerate it and write it in a blog. It’s overwhelming. I think I’ve done all I can do until the November election, except I will continue to contact my senators and representative in Washington even though my words have so far fallen on deaf ears. Take care of yourself and enjoy your summer. Please keep in touch.

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  7. I completely understand. I also decided to step away from the constant Trump news. It is/was simply too much.
    In the meantime, I finished my book, which will be published next week in the Netherlands and Belgium. Wish me luck! It’s about my mother, who lived to be 100, and through her life I tried to capture a century of change. She was an extraordinary woman.
    I’m now writing about her uncle, who emigrated to Chicago in 1903 and died there in an accident a year later. I wish I could travel to America to do more research, but thankfully there’s the internet.
    Take good care of yourself.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Loved your kudzu reference. I heard of one person who did some church work in West Virginia and found kudzu had buried entire railroad. It allegedly was considered a good ground covering in the 1930s.

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  9. Thank you for sharing this update with us, Janet. I think your new approach is going to pay big dividends. The current political environment is too toxic to get involved. We can’t devote too much of our precious time to the current people in Washington, we’ll go insane if we do. It’s better to stay away from that noise, while of course keeping an eye on things and staying informed. I switched blogging to once a week, and I’m glad I did.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Congratulations on the publication of your book! I read your blog post about it earlier today but was interrupted before I could leave a comment. It sounds fascinating. Do you know if it will be translated into English?

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  11. We’ve never had kudzu on our property, thank goodness, but it is a horribly invasive vine. I’ve heard that you can literally see it growing. I don’t doubt it. Yes — the things we bring into our country with no thought about the possibility that it will be an invasive — like that horrible Bradford pear trees. I think they multiply like sweetgums and kudzu! Glad you got a chuckle from my reference.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Thank you for your kind words, Edward. I think if I blog once a week, I’ll be a much happier person. Instead of having CNN playing in the background all afternoon, I’m listening to music. I can always catch up on the headlines in the evening.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Best of luck. The second draft is where you begin to get things done, so enjoy it as it promises to be a most creative and satisfying labour. Greetings and all the best from sweltering but thankfully not to humid València.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. You’re welcome, Janet. I think you are right. I’m definitely happier posting once a week. I can’t even watch the news anymore. I switched to The Economist and the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition, both in paper form, and it’s so much better than listening to reporters talking about the reflection pool, how much Mr. T made in crypto, and on and on.

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  15. This is freaky timing for your post. I was thinking about just this morning and wondering how you’re doing and if I should reach out! I’m so glad you had a good break to do some reflection, soul-searching, and self-care. I think you’ve made a good decision to go back to blogging about your writing. Welcome, back! I look forward to learning more about North Carolina history from you.

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  16. I wrote a poem about kudzu last fall. I remember the first time I saw kudzu on a back road in Virginia. I was astounded by it. New England has invasive plant species, but nothing like that!

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  18. Welcome back! I stepped back from too much obsessing about politics at the beginning of the year, and feel much better for it, so I hope it has the same effect for you. I do think it’s important that voices are heard, but we can’t change what we can’t change – we can however vote, and hopefully next time around enough other people will vote to get us back to some kind of normality. I think we’re all tired of lurching from crisis to crisis. Take care, Janet – and enjoy your increased leisure time!

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  19. Thank you, Francis. I intend to let it be an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, in just a few more days I’ll be ready to start on the second draft. At 3pm it is 98 F. and feels like 109, according to my phone. Next two days predicted to be hotter. Oh well… it’s July. Take care and accomplish all you wish to this week.

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  20. You make a good point, Edward. It seems all the TV coverage is whatever the crime of the day is and everything else going on in the world gets pushed out. If not for NPR, I wouldn’t know what’s happening in Ukraine anymore.

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  21. Thank you, Liz. I think I’m on a better track now. I had to stop one of my medications yesterday because it was wreaking havoc with my dry eyes… so we’ll see how that pans out. I’m optimistic, though, that I’m on my way out of this. Thank you for your ever-present words of encouragement.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. If left to it’s own devices, kudzu can envelope an entire building, not to mention a field or a forest. As if kudzu weren’t enough, the Bradford pear was introduced from Japan or somewhere about 40 years ago. Beautiful in bloom in the spring and a lovely red in the fall, but in between it is spreading like kudzu and the trees break all to pieces in an ice storm. Also, as they multiply, the trees start sprouting spikes several inches long that I’ve heard can puncture a cow’s hide. It seems Americans will never learn to just be happy with the wonderful native plants we have. I hope you have an enjoyable and peaceful July 4th weekend. It is so hot down here, I plan to spend the weekend indoors with the air-conditioning. At 3pm it 98 degrees with a heat index of 109. Tomorrow and Saturday are predicted to be hotter. Take care.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Thank you so much! It feels good to be back into some old pastimes with a little less stress. Being hit every single day with multiple levels of corruption in the White House, a hide-my-head-in-the-sand Congress, and too many Trump appointees on the Supreme Court has taken a toll on the American people. I pray enough of us who are sick and tired of being sick and tired will at least vote in a majority Democrat House and Senate in November. Of course, even if it’s a landslide, Trump will cry corruption. It’s amazing and frightening how one man with a huge platform can put so much doubt in our elections with absolutely no proof there is a problem. I never would have believed any of what has happened in the last 18 months if I hadn’t lived through it. I hope the U.S. experience will at least serve as a lesson to the other democracies in the world. This system is so very fragile. Take care of yourself. I started to wish you a Happy July 4th, but I don’t guess that would be appropriate. Enjoy your weekend anyway!

    Liked by 2 people

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