May 24, 2025 – 8:08 am

Something’s causing a clog. A stop. But it’s not enough to cut the thoughts. Make fingers falter. The words—they always come. Get out no matter what. There’s always a workaround. So, this clog is bothersome because I had plans to work on Rabbit Den, the next batch of short stories. Old ones revived. New ones too. But there’s this thing in my brain demanding me to get sidetracked and poke around until whatever it is has passed.

I want to get DEVOTION out there. That takes work. A different kind of work than writing. Marrying those two things—the creative and the business—is not easy. Especially when you’re trying to get people to like something you have created. It’s easier to pimp someone else. To share the work of another. Doing it for yourself? That’s tougher. But people are doing it every day. Depends on how much I want to share, I suppose. This morning, my goal is to get books into envelopes and mailed. At least a few. To people that supported me or played a part in my creative path. To bookstores. Newspapers.

So, that’s the clog. The transition from creating to marketing. And it’s about more than DEVOTION. It’s about trying to get more eyes on all of my work—stories I’ve written over the years. The effort around it is pure. There are also two other books that I’d like to breathe life into that aren’t all my own—Just Flowers and The Crooked Steeple. Poems by Marcus Wahlbring and stories by a handful of other writers–Bastow, Heraghty, Ryan, Schikora, and Shaw. In my head, I see an event at Thunder Bay Winery or similar venue and people coming to see the books. Feel them. Touch them. Fan through the pages. Read them. I just want the message to get out.

It’s okay to be dark, to not know, to be fearful and hurt. But while you’re in all of that, you need to look for the light. Recognize and fight. And you need to take that first step to digging yourself out of the hole. This life is good. But it’s good because we’re aware of the bad. Because we feel fright, lose our way, and experience pain. If we stay devoted to ourselves—to our path—we’ll be okay. There’s beauty in all of this—the whole of IT—and that is what keeps us at this keeping on.

And there it goes. Broken up. Dissolved. Down the drain. We’ve got good flow now. It’s time to move on.

Let’s get to work on that sharing.

~ KJ

One response

  1. ralskim Avatar
    ralskim

    I tried posting to your site, but I must be doing something wrong, so here’s my review for you ! I know I have posted many times before but apparently, I am forgetting something!

    Your words carry a beautiful passion for storytelling and the power of books as living experiences. I love how you emphasize both the creative journey and the importance of ensuring stories to reach their audience, it shows dedication not just to the craft, but to its impact on the person who is reading your stories.

    Enjoy your day, sit back relax and just be you! mom

    “Believe in the Beauty of your Dreams”

    Rita’s Web sites
    https://ralskim.wixsite.com/myartmyway
    artworkofritalastevens.weebly.com

    https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ralscreations/ (The books I made)

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