I’m in a void, and it ain’t pretty. No, not the Star Trek kind of black hole, but one that induces the same kind of trepidation—almost, dare I say, panic? There is nothingness. There is blackness. There is the fear of the unknown or, rather, the fear that the hollow nothingness is endless, permanent.

In other words, I’m a writer without a WIP (work in progress).

It’s true. And it feels totally weird. Writers without a WIP are nothing—nothing, I tell you! We are the void!

Ahem. Sorry. The panic really started to take hold for a minute there.

But honestly, writers without a project are merely unwashed, pajama-clad, muzzy-headed, bleary-eyed individuals poking at their toes with their pencils and bothering the cat way too much when all said cat wants to do is sleep.

We wander about the house actually considering finishing projects we started months ago. Or even (gasp) starting new projects and finishing those. Or (double gasp, clutch heart) doing some housecleaning!

See? I told you it was bad.

Send cookies. (Oh yeah—we snack too much, too.)

As for me…I’m trying not to sink into the blackness. I continue to drink buckets of coffee, although I have no reason to stimulate my brain, so I’m just feeding my addiction out of habit. I have done some housecleaning, but nowhere near the amount it’ll take to make the house respectable (let’s not get crazy, here). I have already planted this years’ vegetable garden, when normally I stick the plants in the dirt in June and hope for some sort of yield in September or October if I’m lucky.

I keep thinking I have some writing to do, or maybe some editing. Yes, I even miss editing! But the proofs for my fifth romantic comedy were completed long ago, and the book is ready for publication in August.

My other rom-coms have been out there for ages—nothing new on that front. Except two of them are on sale this month. So when I get really bored, I make advertising graphics to remind people they’re going cheap for a limited time. It’s the writer’s equivalent of knitting hats for the cat—nobody ever sees them, but it keeps me busy.

Other than that…there is nothing. Just the void.

All is not lost. however. My agent and I are planning my sixth book. In fact, we’re mulling over two ideas, trying to decide which one to develop. So when I get really restless, instead of getting into political arguments on Facebook (I’m not that desperate), I make notes—snippets of dialogue, character traits, ideas for scenes and plot points. It makes me feel a little better, but (sigh) it’s not the same. I need to be eyeballs-deep in tens of thousands of words! Stat!

In the meantime…I guess I’ll stare at my seedlings, see if I can catch them growing. Or write blog posts.

Send cookies. Or Adderall. Whatevs.

And check out the other writers participating in Julie Valerie’s Hump Day Blog Hop, last Wednesday of every month!