It certainly feels like forever since I am sat face-to-face with a blank screen, ready to write. Gone were the days when I could just open a writing prompt every Saturday and jot away on my notebook to write short proses for my readers. And the saddest part is, I am well aware how writing is slowly slipping away from my grasp.
Now, I’m not saying I’ve not done any writing since my last appearance on this blog or my Instagram. I am a working professional, after all. Writing emails and internal memo are basically my bread and butter. But if you asked me when was the last time I wrote for the sheer fun of it, I would definitely struggle to answer.
The fact is, I am painfully aware that writing had slowly become such a chore for me in the past. Sure, churning out word after word every week may sound good on paper, but certainly not sustainable. It didn’t take long before I started dreading the weekends—my allotted time to do some writings, be it for my blog or my Instagram.
That’s not to say I don’t have anything, though. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you would know that I finished a manuscript called Project Smoke in 2020. My readers would rejoice at the fact that I have, in fact, finished revising the manuscript, and it is technically ready for publication.
For the readers who enjoyed Maybe Everything and Celebrating the Fallen Leaves, they would be overjoyed to learn that I have finished compiling another collection of proses—one that I made from past writing prompt submissions on the weekends.
Will I ever publish them? Possibly. But not at the moment. I promised myself I would only attempt to publish either of them once I’m done with this other manuscript I’ve been working so hard on since its conception in 2021. (Yes! It’s been THAT long.)
So in case you’re here because you’re curious if I have plans to publish a new book in the near future, unfortunately the answer is no. But believe me, I’m working on it. I HAVE been working on it.
Now, just to throw something new in the mix, loyal readers of my blog would know that I have loved writing personal essays for almost as long as this blog exists. And just in case you’re not familiar with the term, no, a personal essay is not the kind of essay you’re asked to write at school.
As the name suggests, a personal essay is an autobiographical essay written as a tool of self-expression by writers, often drawing connections to their personal life experiences. These writings are often thought-provoking and brim with nuggets of life lessons that the writers themselves had learned.
Now I’m not saying that my personal essays—the ones you’d often find in this very blog—are amazing or life-changing. But I realize a few of you had reached out to me in the past, mentioning how these writings (that I intentionally wrote in English as a desperate attempt to force some distance between my writing and my personal life), helped them navigate their own lives in a way that I never even predicted.
And what do I do with that piece of information? I gathered all my personal essays, published or otherwise, and created a book out of it.
Will I ever publish it? I honestly don’t know.
My plan is to print a small batch, and send out copies to my friends and family for their birthdays and special occasions. You can find most of the writings on this blog, after all. It just wouldn’t sit right with me to even try and charge people money for a content I have already put up for free for everyone to read.
But please feel free to message me in case you’re interested in having one. I can definitely print an extra copy or two to send out with the rest of the batch, when I eventually finished printing them. Think of it like a token of gratitude, for sticking with me through thick and thin. For finding me through my books, my prose, or my blog posts.
Of course, depending on how many people are interested in purchasing the book, I might even have to open a pre-order. Haha!
Anyway, life’s been good. Could use a little more writing and a little less day job, but I digress.
P.S. I’m still alive on my social media. Just because I don’t post regularly anymore doesn’t mean I’ve disappeared for good. Drop me a message anytime!
Alicia Lidwina 