Oh, readers, I have missed you SO much! Every time I take a break from blogging, I miss a vital piece of my writing life. When I’m not blogging, I feel disconnected from my readers and from the greater writing world. I even feel disconnected from a part of myself, the part that enjoys putting her thoughts and opinions out into the world without first filtering them through an editor.

I actually had to resist the temptation to return sooner. The original goal of the hiatus was to re-think, update and add to the website, and that’s been ready to go for several weeks. But I was also mid-draft on Blizzard– the core, seminal draft– and I decided that should be my only focus until I’d finished. Even though I missed blogging and writing short pieces, I think it was the right call. The draft was completed on Wednesday, May 10, and I think my complete focus on the project helped me finish before my self-imposed deadline. (More about the process of that draft in a future post.)

I am SO happy to be back, and to celebrate, I’m doing a mini-blogging extravaganza. For the next month, I’ll be upping my usual post frequency to three times a week, alternating with twice, so you’ll get five new posts every two weeks. (I really want to commit to posting every day, but it’s just not feasible at the moment.)

Updates

1. Web design: Even though I was on hiatus from posting, I have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes. Some of it is obvious. I changed my theme and color scheme out of the desire to make it more personal to me and my writing. I chose a background of maps because I feel they are a symbol of the work I do, whether I’m writing historical fiction that gets its basis in a particular time and place, or a piece that seeks a new perspective. (I love maps. We have a “map wall” in our house where I hang vintage maps of places we’ve lived or vacationed.) I also inserted some spring green into my website color scheme, which is my signature color.
2. Author bio: I changed my author bio page from a boring list of my writing accomplishments to a very abridged (but much more fun) story of my life. The list of writing credits now has its own page with links to the work I’ve done located in other parts of the Web.
3. Old posts: I went back through my old posts and reworked the categories, keywords and SEO (search engine optimization) for all 500 posts. (I deleted a few, so there are fewer than 500 at the moment.) This hopefully will mean more people landing on the site through organic search.

Changes

1. Newsletter: The change I’m most excited about is that I’ve FINALLY started a newsletter. I promised it back when I hit my 400th post, but better late than never, right? The newsletter will be released every few weeks and includes an introductory email with a special, personalized offer for each reader. You can sign up for The Perspective Post either via my fancy new slide-in box, or the tab on the top of the homepage. (Intrigued by the newsletter’s title? An explanation is included in the follow-up welcome email!)
2. Blog Post Content: You’ll probably notice some changes to content. I’ve circled back around, and won’t be solely ‘writing about writing’ any more. There will be posts about parenting, wellness, and everyday life perspective. There will be topical posts, introspective posts, and Top 10 lists. And of course, I’ll be giving out book recommendations on a regular basis, because I’ve heard from many of you that finding a great read is a big reason you come here.

Since I’ve been away, I’ve posted a few times in my “Be Well, Write Well” column for DIY MFA, and had a piece accepted in the May issue of Hippocampus magazine. Links below:

“The Birth of Fear” for Hippocampus Creative Nonfiction Magazine

Three Ways To Balance Writing and Exercise for DIY MFA

How This Skeptic Became A Meditation Convert for DIY MFA

What Stress Can Do For You for DIY MFA

Expect a new post on Wednesday! See you then.

(SO excited to be back!)

If you see something, say something! With all of the changes and updates made to this website, there may be issues gone unseen. If you’re having any problems with the site, the newsletter, or the pop-up box, please let me know so I can fix it. You’ll be helping me out, as well as future community members here at Words From The Sowul. Email me at leannesowul(at)gmail(dot)com, or leanne(at)leannesowul(dot)com.