I hate waiting.
Do you hate waiting?
I'd rather drive the long way around -- even if it takes the same amount of time rather than sitting in traffic.
I'd rather be cleaning my house than sitting around until an appointment (and I don't like cleaning).
I'd rather run around the block fifteen times that sit in front of my computer for that one anticipated email.
Is there an elegant way to wait?
Or maybe like this?
Or this?
And yet that is so much of life -- especially lately. Too many things are out of our control, so how do you develop patience?
Me? I read books. Or write my books. Or play piano. Or build a puzzle. Legos. Balance Cheetos on my nose... (but only the Simply ones).
There are no easy paths to patience. It's only in practicing it that we gain it.
So this is me. Waiting. The next big thing is coming but who knows when or how. Not holding my breath.
Maybe I'll start a soccer club while waiting. (I wish that was a joke.)
And let's be clear, this isn't passive waiting. This is working my rear end off while hoping for the intended outcome.
The awesome co-hosts for IWSG this month are J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox!
Question - Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?
I major cringe when I read most of my old old works. If it was only a decade ago, it's usually okay to "Hey, that was a really inspired turn of a phrase." If it was six months ago, I usually like what I wrote. It's funny how time changes your perspective, but my goal is to always be learning more, so it doesn't matter how much I like something I've written, I will have new thoughts to apply.
What about you. How do you feel about old projects you've completed? Are you waiting on something? How do you keep yourself busy while waiting?








I'll go the long way around as well!
ReplyDeleteI also cringe when reading older pieces. So I usually just don't.
LOL! Those of us who need to be busy, eh?
DeleteIt can be hard to look back on things we wrote years ago, but it does help us to grow as writers, Crystal. Waiting isn't easy for me, either, but patience is a virtue we all have to learn. Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I do read them, but the cringing is real. Patience -- one of the hardest, most important lessons, eh?
DeleteI enjoy my older stuff. Waiting, not so much. I am a punctual person and impatient, especially behind the wheel.
ReplyDeleteRIGHT?! Make the appointment, keep the appointment. I'm 5 minutes early, so this is...well, not killing me, but difficult.
DeleteYes, we have to develop patience as a writer. And you're right that there's so much we can't control. I think focusing on what you do is a good way to handle it all.
ReplyDeleteIt's true. And distractions help.
DeleteI think patience is one thing that writing taught me. I won't say that I learned it though:)
ReplyDeleteHaha! That's a good way to put it.
DeletePerfect timing for me with this post because I am actually waiting for a mail from my publisher today LOL and it ain't coming, which means I will spend days checking out the inbox. I usually turn off the computer, glue myself to my reading armchair and take a book.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a plan. I'm wishing you sanity while you wait!
DeleteThis! - "There are no easy paths to patience. It's only in practicing it that we gain it." I'm working on it. :)
ReplyDeleteRight? Work in progress -- you and me.
DeleteI used to think I was a very patient and methodical person. Then I started doing art and discovered I have no patience to spend hours and hours or days and days working on any particular piece. I want everything finished in 2 hours, max! This discovery shook my whole self-image, LOL.
ReplyDeleteLOL! It's so interesting how we can be patient in one sphere of life and NOT in others, eh? Good to know our limits though.
DeleteMy fingers are crossed that you get the right outcome. Until then write your next great story. Distraction is only part of it. If god forbid you get the wrong outcome, you have the thing you're working on to ease the blow.
ReplyDeleteSending you positive thoughts. Hope you hear soon.
Thank you! I'll send the same your way.
DeleteAgreed, the farther back I go with projects, the more cringe. Everything I've written that has been published, I'm pretty okay with even now, but before that? We don't speak of those horrors. LOL
ReplyDeleteLOL! They are unspeakable.
DeleteI hate waiting. I'm not very good at being idle at all.
ReplyDeleteMy old projects are extremely cringeworthy. Funny, but super embarrassing. I like to think I've grown and improved and am a far better writer now.
Hope you get that intended outcome soon!
I hear you -- I think we all hope that. No way to know except with outside perspective, eh?
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Waiting is so much of the writing journey! And yes, it's hard when things are out of your control. Like you, I try to dive into a new project/manuscript and that helps a lot. It's always interesting to look at old manuscripts and see how much I've changed.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. And the longer it has been, the greater the change.
DeleteHi Crystal, Waiting in traffic is the pits, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem reading what's in my current writing genre, before that---umm, maybe not:) Have a creative day.
Haha! Before that...
DeleteWaiting in traffic is unavoidable if you ride the buses (I don't drive) so I always have a book with me. Reading is my way of waiting. Patience is something I always had though these days I'm getting a little short on patience in certain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah -- subway or bus, great. It's when actively driving, unable to relax. Isn't it always the way though, changing, finding new challenges? I hear you on patience wearing thin in some regards.
DeleteSometimes you find great things the long way around! As to my older writing, I'm mostly amused by it.
ReplyDeleteIt's true. But I'm such a clock/time person. Maybe I just need to let things go, eh?
DeleteI'm also terrible at waiting…but I find some great things trying to distract myself from the pain of waiting! @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
Too true! I do love the pretty distractions that crop up along the way.
DeleteSometimes I feel proud of a "turn of phrase" when I write it, but it's rare to feel that way when I reread it later, haha. Maybe I just need more time to pass until I forget what I wrote entirely.
ReplyDeleteI understand that. I have come back 10+ years later though and found some awesome little nuggets. Maybe because I used to fancy myself a poet. -- Forgetting is always good. I love when I read over something from ages ago and am surprised. LOL!
DeleteOh! My! Gosh, Crystal! Do I hate waiting. For anything. Although you have some new ideas that I hadn't thought about to do while waiting. And as for how perspective changes the way we feel about our previous work, I'm with you. Stay strong!
ReplyDeleteYou mean, balancing cheetos on your nose? Come on! Who doesn't dream of that?
DeleteIt's weird. I enjoy reading what I wrote as long as it isn't my journal entries. I hate reading what I wrote in journal form.
ReplyDeleteHuh. Interesting. I cringe at my journal too -- especially when my past self starts making assumptions about my future self. LOL!
DeleteOmigosh, that's the perfect way of putting it, Crystal. That fiction I wrote 6 months ago, no problem, in fact, I enjoy reading it, but the further back I go, the harder it is to keep reading. Even stories I was incredibly proud of back in the day, I start to read and then, nope! You've given me a new framework for looking at this situation. :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL. You're welcome, I guess? Would you like some cheese to go with that? ;)
DeleteWaiting is a terrible bore, Crystal. I always feel as if I'm wasting my time and look for some useful way of filling it, even if only checking my phone. Until recently I used to work as an exam invigilator which involved a lot of waiting around.
ReplyDeleteOh man! Bet you wished you'd had a job-shadowing day before starting that one, eh? But you know, it is nice to not be stressed all the time. Right?
DeleteI love the gif with the girl hanging upside down. And the helicopter upside down. They made me laugh. What is it with me and upside downs?
ReplyDeleteAs for waiting, I always try to be prepared for the worst outcome. Anything better than that comes as a gift (think of a result of a medical test).
True. And while TRYING to be an optimist, there's such conflicting desires there. Glad to bring a smile your way.
Delete"I'd rather drive the long way around -- even if it takes the same amount of time rather than sitting in traffic." 100% THIS! LOL
ReplyDeleteRight?! Active minds need active lives. We can't sit and wait for things to happen!
DeleteWaiting is hard. And I'm neurospicy enough that if I have an appointment that day, I'm waiting around for the appointment and not getting anything else done. But, I guess it's just a matter of finding things that are doable while you're waiting. Like reading blogs. Like I'm doing now while waiting for this period to end.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I'm glad you found a means of entertainment. I guess there are no fun stories happening at the moment then. ;)
DeleteI have patience but not all the time. Sometimes you do have to work on having patience. Waiting is worst if you have nothing to occupy your mind.
ReplyDeleteOur perspective does change because we change but yes, reading old writings or seeing old artwork does make me cringe a bit at some of them, like, why the heck did I do that, sort of thought.
Thanks for coming by my blog. Have a lovely day.
The cringe is acceptable. *salutes fellow cringer*
DeleteTell me about it! I feel like I have a PhD in waiting with my own story. Lol
ReplyDeleteI suppose you can't succeed without it? At least, if we're going to suffer through it, we should get the reward, right? And cheese. Definitely cheese.
DeleteYou remind me of the story Oh the Places You'll Go! by Dr Suess. Sounds like you're stuck in the Waiting Place. I don't mind waiting too much. I can usually keep my brain occupied, even if I am stuck in traffic.
ReplyDeleteSounds about right. For a squirrel, you have an amazing attention span. 😉
DeleteOh hilarious Is there an elegant way to wait? haha Living in NZ I had to learn to step back as people are very laid back here. I am have progressed and get the hang of it When I read back my old poems and writing I don't like most of it Just now and then
ReplyDeleteThat's like Idaho. My sister starting talking really slowly after moving there. It made phone calls a little difficult... especially since I was living in NYC at the time.
DeleteWaiting can be annoying. Certainly better if you can avoid "idle hands" while waiting.
ReplyDelete"A good book gets better at the second reading. A great book at the third." — Tyler DeVries
J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge international blog hop
I wish I was idle. 😂 What is that like anyway?
DeleteHa ha ha. There's a funny horror movie called Idle Hands, so I guess it's like that. 🤣 No, not really.
Delete“In the quiet of the night, online friendship speaks the loudest, as we share our stories and bond over our experiences.” ― medicosaurabh (Goodreads user)
J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge international blog hop
I am so impatient! May you receive wonderful news soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will send good vibes and cheese your way as well. (The virtual kind.)
DeleteUgh, waiting. I hate it, though I've become good at keeping busy/entertained while waiting (thanks, smart phone!). Right now I'm waiting to hear back from 3 agents who have my partial or full manuscript and trying not to lose my mind. You don't want to know how often I check my email.
ReplyDeleteThe pits! Boo! Here, you need this cheese more than me.
DeleteI struggle with the waiting game as well, but I can say I've gotten better at that game as time goes by. Mostly because I have no choice if I want to keep my sanity.
ReplyDeleteRight?! That "no choice" part is tough. Time to go hiking, eh? Or shooting things. Or biking. Or getting a punching bag.
DeletePatience is not my long suit, Crystal. I'm that pink raccoon running around in circles. If I'm waiting, I'm moving or I'm moving part of me. If I'm waiting for a longer period, I have to do something physical like laundry or washing the floor. Reading a book won't do it. I hope your waiting brings wonderful results!
ReplyDeleteI get that! I used to go biking to work out the tension. Then my knees, well, they disagreed. It's running these days. Like the raccoon. 😂
DeleteWaiting sucks. But you're right - if you can use that time for productive things, even if it's only cleaning the house, at least it wasn't a waste!
ReplyDeleteCan we call "reading all the books" productive things? Because I would really like that.
DeleteBest of luck with the waiting -- I hope the time passes quickly. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'll down a gallon of cheese. That should help.
DeleteWell, hopefully we're growing as writers so we should see a difference.
ReplyDeleteThat's the plan...but things don't always go according to plan. 😂
DeleteIt's weird and wonderful to reread my older works. Sometimes I still surprise myself. Good luck with the waiting. I do a lot of cleaning while I'm trying to be patient, but like you, I don't like it!
ReplyDeleteI love those moments -- when you're like, "Hey! I wrote that!" 😁
DeleteCleaning for patience... Yikes. I think I missed that gene. It's really not my favorite.😂
No, I don't like waiting. I think particularly in this industry, with the helplessness of waiting for an uncertain outcome, keeping busy with what you can control is key to sanity.
ReplyDeleteSeconded! It's best to just forget everything once you've submitted your work and pretend it never happened. There's real life elsewhere to be lived. (Gosh, neurotic writers!)
DeleteWaiting means someone is hanging on the minute hand of the analog clock, and it will take forever to get done with whatever you're trying to finish. This has been my month so far. Lots of waiting. Lots of being late.
ReplyDeleteOh man, sorry about that. Maybe tune in to the Olympics to pass the time? 😂 I hope your waiting is worth it and that the results are epic. And the lateness is forgivable. 😬
Delete