August Writing Focus

Getting back on track with Personal Essays

It’s August 1st! A new month. A new day. A new opportunity to build up my cache of personal essays.

The last few months have been a rollercoaster. I’ve been inconsistent. My focus has been all over the place. I’ve also been suffering from imposter syndrome.

My poetry has only received one acceptance after dozens of submissions. I’m in a poetry rut. My creative block has unleashed my depression. A rise in depression has activated my anxiety. I’m a psychological mess!

But a new month brings a fresh start. I’m given another opportunity to get back on track. And I want to get back on track. I’m tired of seeing other people publishing poetry books and essay collections. I get worked up when I see someone report on the progress of their writing. I feel like I’m doing nothing with my writing career.

I need to be consistent. It’s hard. Some days I’m raring to go. On other days, I just want to stare at the television. The weight of my mother being gone permeates my home. I often have to leave my house in order to get any writing done.

But my mother would want me to write. I’m sure she’s fussing on the other side. She’s waiting for me to bring my published book to her grave site. I know my mother wants to brag to everyone in the afterlife about her daughter, the writer. She’s been waiting for so long. I’m letting her down. I’m letting myself down.

So I must write even when I’m tired, even when I’m sad, even when I'm depressed. I need to write. And I need to keep writing until I reach my writing goals.

Let’s go!