A Writer has to Write, Right?

When creating my personal blog a few years ago, I never contemplated how, or when it might end. Naming my blog wasn’t difficult. For me, it was a no-brainer. My Alternate Universe was the best way to describe my ridiculous ordeal.

From the summer of 2016 to mid-2018, I was living a real-life nightmare. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) absolutely ruled my world. Every single day, I fought a grueling battle in order to regain some sense of normalcy. I was always looking for something—ANYTHING, but could never seem to find it.

Aggressively fighting for my sanity, I continued searching for answers. My isolating existence on the other side of “normal” forever changed my life.

Then, something incredible happened.

Enter Journaling…

I found that penning my unfortunate chain of events kept me from going over the edge. The simple act of writing my thoughts on paper kept my mind busy, which was good—very good.

Yes—I still dealt with intense pain and other ridiculous symptoms, but as I wrote down my thoughts, dreams, and endeavors, everything else seemed to take a backseat.

After finding my voice, my personal blog (My Alternate Universe) was “born.”

A few months after that, I was given quite a unique opportunity.

Enter Lexington Medical Center’s, Every Woman Blog…

What would a novice writer and inexperienced blogger have to contribute to a respected, well-known blog? It was intimidating. When given a chance to write for LMC, I was scared, but ecstatic all at the same time.

Nervous about my new venture, I sought advise from other accomplished writers. I met with members of our local chapter of the South Carolina’s Writer’s Association. It was the logical thing to do. Steve, Ryan, and Bill were my biggest “fans” (i.e. critics.) This was good, and exactly what was needed. I always coveted their remarks on my submitted writings. I still do.

Enter 2020…

Enough said. How’s that working out for everyone? Talk about an alternate universe, right?

For this very reason, I’ve not written any new posts for my personal blog since mid-January, 2020. I haven’t felt compelled to write about RA while Coronavirus has literally consumed e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g else. Chronicling my story with RA suddenly seemed unimportant; however, my contribution posts to Every Woman Blog continued for several months after.

Sadly though, at the height of “all things” COVID, Lexington Medical Center (and the social media firm in charge of publishing Every Woman Blog,) made the tough call to “sun-down” their blog until further notice. It’s no secret they had more to contend with other than a “social media presence.” I respect that, and totally support their decision. It was a good call.

Although I was sad at the time, this prolonged “writing hiatus” has been exactly what I needed. No—I’m not “quitting” my blog. There’s much to say. I have many drafts just waiting to be published…

I know my personal blog has been lacking lately, but trust me, My Alternate Universe is a constant work in progress.

A writer has to write, so stay tuned. I’ll be back soon…