Working to Get Back on Track
And a set of special celebrations
I usually like to start my newsletters with a bit of encouragement, or by sharing what I’ve been learning through life over the past month. This time, though, I’m not quite sure how to do that.
As I hinted at in my June newsletter, this summer has been a bit all over the place for me. What I’m going through is manageable; it’s just life getting life-y. I’ve been feeling a little directionless, like I’ve been jumbled all up, twisted around, and thrown off course with no map or compass to get back on track like I was before.
Even though it’s a bit frustrating, I’ve got a great group of people around me, encouraging and supporting me, and a strong belief and hope that the Lord will work all things out in due time.
Writing-wise, though, I feel like I’m re-learning how to walk. I have moments of what feel like pure genius, then not two minutes (or sentences) later I’ll get stuck. I’m trying to give myself some grace, along with the space to figure out a new routine since my previous one was so drastically interrupted. I still love book 3 so much, and I don’t want to burn myself out on it by forcing myself into a box I don’t fit into anymore.
Sometimes, you just gotta trust the process, even if it doesn’t make any sense in the moment.
Monthly Moments
When it wasn’t getting life-y, life outside of writing had some pretty great moments! We celebrated birthdays (including my husbands with a family outing to an escape room), attended a baby shower of some dear friends, and I got to attend my second year as a small group leader for our church’s week-long summer camp. It was so special getting to celebrate some big wins and milestones!
Also, in case you didn’t see it on my Instagram, I’m participating in a 25 day social media fast with my church—a challenging but so far super refreshing endeavor! I wasn’t initially going to participate, but eventually felt convicted that I needed to spend some time off the internet to focus on my writing and strengthening my faith while prayerfully seeking direction for the next season of my life.
I’m 18 days into the fast (as of writing this), and it’s truly astonishing realizing how much time I would spend scrolling for no other reason than to do it. It’s definitely making me rethink how I’m going to approach my social media once I return to it. Because for all its faults, I do love and currently miss connecting with fellow readers and writers online!
Monthly Reading Recommendations
For the romance readers:
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry — Another wonderful book by the legendary Emily Henry! It’s a slight divergence from Henry’s previous full-scale romance novels, but I loved it all the same, especially because of the slight bit of mystery and intrigue involved.
That’s all for this newsletter! Thank you so much for reading and following along on my writing journey.
Until next time,
-Abby
New here and looking for my books The Cracks That Form Us and The Paths We Carve? You can find them here!