Monday, August 22, 2022

Fiction University Is Back from Hiatus

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

With some changes and updates, and more on the way.

Life is a funny thing. I went on hiatus last November to deal with my husband’s health issues, fully expecting to be blogging again by summer of 2022. I also thought the downtime would allow me to update the site, and do some of the things I’ve been wanting to do with it for years.

That totally didn’t happen.

Happy Cancerversary!
Mostly, because it took a whole lot longer to physically and mentally recover from “The Worst Year of Our Lives” than I thought it would. But that year officially ended on July 28 (we got a “Cancerversary” cake and everything), and we were able to put it behind us. 

My husband’s condition has stabilized, he’s doing well, and he’s out of danger. He’ll never be cured (Leukemia’s not that kind of cancer), but he’s in the maintenance and management stage, and now it’s a medical condition we’ll deal with like any other chronic illness.

So I got back to work, feeling a little lighter and less fatigued.

I’ve gotten some decent work done on the new site, and actually made solid progress this past week, but I’m nowhere near where I’d hoped to be by now. I’m fairly confident the relaunch will happen this year, but I’m not sure when that might be. One day, you guys will log in or check your feeds and see the announcement that the site has moved. Surprise! It’ll be fun (grin).

I still don't have the energy I used to have, but I finally feel capable of blogging again. I’m cutting waaaaay back, though. For now, I’ll post only on Monday’s, with a mix of new and updated articles. I’ll invite one or two of my regular guest authors back as well, so you’ll have the random guest author post, but there’s no set schedule anymore.

In 2023, I’ll reevaluate, and see if it makes sense to go back to daily blogging. Though with the new site, it’ll be a whole lot easier to find articles, so it might not even be necessary to blog that frequently. We’ll see how it goes.

Hugs to all, and I appreciate your patience and support over the past year.

—Janice

36 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to hear your husband has stabilized. Glad you're back but don't feel pressured to blog everyday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wishing you and your husband strength as you continue to recover and so very glad to hear he is doing better. Also very happy to see your blog back - one of my very favorite blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so pleased that your husband's condition has stabilised. You must have been through so much in the last year, that anything you are able to do for Fiction University is a bonus for us readers and writers. I wish you and your family all the best on the road to health and healing, physically and emotionally. Jules

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I appreciate your kind words :)

      Delete
  4. I'm glad your husband is doing well and that you're back here. You have been missed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It really made my day seeing your name return to my Inbox. I've really missed you. Above all, I'm so happy to hear that your husband is making such good progress. May he, and you, go from strength to strength. (I have a friend who has been living with leukemia for many years and she has more energy than I have!) Wishing the best for you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks! Your friend probably has the same kind, and that's encouraging to hear :) (That she has so much energy and is doing well)

      Delete
  6. Welcome back, however often or rarely you post! I'm glad your husband is doing better.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm glad you're back, Janice.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Janice, It's wonderful to hear your husband has stabilized and hopefully you'll both have many more happy years to enjoy together! Glad you're back as you are a gift to the writing community! Take care and best always, Don

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful to see your email arrive in my inbox and to learn the worst is behind you. We are never prepared for the toll illness takes. You give so much to the writing community and I have learned a lot from you. Thank you! I look forward to seeing your website announcements as your future evolves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It makes me smile to hear that.

      Delete
  10. I am so happy that your husband is doing better:) I love your blog, it helped me so much! You are wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I use Feedly and Inoreader to keep up with blogs. Every season I evaluate my blog list to see if I'm still interested. At the beginning of the summer I realized this blog had not been updated in a while and wondered what had happened. I am glad your husband is doing better. Don't forget to take care of yourself. I agree with an earlier poster. You don't have to post everyday. There is already a ton of evergreen content on this blog for us to look back on as needed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Knowing there's so much on the site for folks needing help did indeed make it easier to take a break.

      Delete
  12. All the best for you Janice and your family

    ReplyDelete
  13. L. Ana Ellis9/06/2022 10:06 PM

    I was really happy when I checked the website and I saw new posts! Welcome back!

    ReplyDelete
  14. As happy as I was to see you blogging again, the real win is your husband's condition stabilizing. What a huge relief! We'll keep. We're shelf stable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) LOL I love that. "Shelf stable." What a great phrase.

      Delete
  15. Glad to hear things are looking up, Janice. We missed you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much. I missed you guys, too. It's good to be back.

      Delete
  16. Oh Janice! This is marvelous news. <3 I'm so glad things have stabilized and wish y'all every blessing. Just take your time and figure out how you want to go. Whatever your decision is, it will be the right one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! -hugs- Good advice, and one I'm working hard to remember when I start to feel overwhelmed. But every day gets a little easier. I'm feeling good about things again.

      Delete
  17. I just wanted to let you know how much you inspire me. Taking a step back to re-evaluate is so important. Something I have been doing for the past year. Your book "Understanding Show, Don't Tell..." was a writing lifeline to me. So just now how important you are to not only all your family including your writing one. Whatever decision you make, do it for you. Wishing you the best of luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks so much. That's so sweet of you to say. It's tough, isn't it? We're always encouraged to GO-GO-GO, but that doesn't always get us where we want to be. And life is too short to not stop and make sure you're doing what makes you happy once in a while.

      Delete
  18. It is so good to hear that your husband's health has stabilized. My extended family has been deeply affected by the complications and devastations of cancer. I have two dear friends who just finished radiation and are moving into the chemo phase of treatment. Such difficult stuff to go through. I am so glad that now you can return to something that brings you joy and fulfillment. We missed your posts!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, and I'm so sorry your family has gone through such terrible times. I hope your two friends' treatment goes well and they can have long, happy lives afterward.

      Delete