Katrina Changes Things Up

I know, I know. AGAIN?!

Alright, I know a lot has changed in the Lab over the last 6 months, and for that, I’m sorry. I used to have a paid plan that included monthly workshops, daily writing sprints, etc, but that was a TON of upkeep and few members signed up for it (it was pretty damned cheap too!). I was freelancing at the time, so I’m drowning in work and barely making ends meet, then add running a whole community on top of that with all the cool stuff. Including the podcast.

On top of all that, I’m still trying to fit in time for my own writing . . . which just isn’t happening. I’m barely making short story deadlines, I’m losing sleep. It feels like work.

Fast forward a bit and I get hired to work at the University of Oklahoma Press. I’ve been here almost five months now and I love it. Now I’m no longer working insane hours and actually making ends meet. I cut back in the Lab, focusing on the free Discord and the podcast, while also building a healthy work/life balance. I know, what’s that?! But still, no writing. Which, to be honest, since finding a work/life balance was a priority for me, I’m ok with this.

Fast forward to today! Looks like we made it… *insert music note emoji here

The free Discord is still going strong, and we’ve even brought the book club back! And now I’m ready to dedicate some time and energy to writing my manuscript. Or short stories. Or blog posts (already making progress, yay!). However, that does mean I’m going to cut back on the podcast. There aren’t a ton of listeners, and it takes time and focus away from writing.

But I think that does open up some space for me to write articles and blog posts like this one! Or even recruit some of you to write something, share it here, and share your own knowledge and experience!

This means that I’ll get a little more practice at writing and can do a better job of setting a writing habit, even if I’m using that time to write an article rather than on my manuscript. Because really, practice is the secret sauce.

All that to say there will be fewer podcast episodes, more articles, and more writing/passion fulfillment from yours truly. I have no idea what I’ll write here, but honestly, it’ll probably be more stream of consciousness as I go through the writing process or it’ll be some writing tips, tricks, interviews, or guest posts!

Wishing you ink-stained fingers and carpal tunnel,

Katrina Schroeder