Autumn is a season of change, when the leaves begin to change colours and then fall off the trees, and the frost comes and kills the plants. It is the transition from summer to winter, and for millions of children and young adults throughout the world, it is back to school season. Each new school year brings with it challenges, some of them old, some of them new. New teachers, new classmates. Old teachers, old classmates. New expectations. Harder classes. For many university students, a new town or sometimes an entirely new country.
September has been a month of adjustments for me. I’m working as a writer for the first time, getting paid to blog about the things I love most: books and writing. I’m in harder classes this year and I’m learning to dedicate more time to my homework. I’m working on Moonshadow’s Guardian, but progress has slowed almost to a stop. There’s a new book itching to get out of me, but I don’t know the main character’s name. There’s a lot more on my plate this year, and it’s both exciting and exhausting.
You might have noticed that I’ve changed the layout here at Dianna’s Writing Den. I’ve gone with cooler colours to reflect the change in the season, and in the general mood. In the summer I was working hard on my writing, but it was light hearted work, easy even when it was hard. School is draining work, taking hours out of my day and leaving me near exhausted when I get home. Still, I make myself read and write and edit. It’s a much more serious tone, and it’s a more strenuous procedure. The time I spend writing is hard to find. The time I spend reading exhausts me.
With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to make changes in more than just the layout of Dianna’s Writing Den. I don’t want to burn myself out, so I’m changing the posting schedule here at Dianna’s Writing Den. Starting next week, I’ll be posting twice every week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the second Saturday of every month I’ll post a prompt for a short story. On the last Saturday of every month I’ll either interview an author or share some recommended reading.
My goal is to ensure the quality of my blog posts. With fewer posts to write each week, I’ll have more time to make each post shine. I want to make sure each post means something to you. And really, it is hard work, especially when you’ve got a big pile of homework sitting there taunting you.
It’s October, so this week I’m going to wrap up the Dear Diary Project and talk a bit about Nanowrimo, which is National Novel Writing Month, for those of you who don’t know. During the rest of the month we’re going to talk about how to prepare for Nanowrimo, and I’m hoping to interview a horror writer at the end of this month. There are a few other changes I’m thinking about making here at Dianna’s Writing Den, but I’m going to let them bubble in the back of my brain for a while before I do anything with them.
And for now? I’ve got a big pile of things to read and homework to do, and not enough caffeine. Not enough hours in a day either.
What do you think of the changes going on here at Dianna’s Writing Den? What changes has autumn brought to your life?