HELP! I'm having trouble compartmentalizing. [View all]

Ever since 7th grade I have fantasized about being a mystery writer. Then, when I retired a few years ago, I starting working on a mystery series set in the 2010’s. I have since completed five drafts of a first manuscript, the first draft of a second manuscript and have started outlining the plot for a third novel in the series. While I have identified a possible agent I haven’t yet been able to work up the nerve to submit anything.

After the catastrophe of November 2016, however, I have struggled to get my bearings on what kind of world I’m living in as well as manage my anxiety and have a sense of future. Besides, it feels like such a frivolous thing to be doing with my time given the monstrous threats we are facing as a world on so many fronts.

That said, I am so deeply grateful to all of the wonderful writers who have given me so much pleasure, comfort and solace during this out of kilter era, and it would give me the deepest feeling of satisfaction to be able to give the same to others.

On the plus side, my third story deals with mental health issues as well as political and social divisions in the workplace that may, or may not, lead to murder and mayhem. The setup will be especially challenging for my protagonist, a management consultant who struggles with a serious mood disorder and is growing ever more cynical about her chosen profession.

Anyway, that’s my story if only I could stick to it. I know, I know, it’s all about “butt-in-chair”, but am open to advice. Even a good scolding. 🙄