I'm still kicking!
I took a long break between July of last year and now, fiddling with various personal projects and not paying much attention to the main thrust of my writing career. With my work appearing before agents again, however, it seemed the right time to get back to it.
It’s never a good idea to talk about what you’re writing when you’re writing it because the creative energy expended to describe your project to others is wasted. Please focus on the page where it belongs and worry about pitching people on how great your story is later.
Though some writers like to have multiple irons in the fire, I work on one thing at a time. It’s important to me that I finish everything to my satisfaction before plunging into the next project. Otherwise, lingering issues distract me from working on something new. This is why I rarely revisit my work once it’s done. By the time I’ve gone through the revision, I have no interest in rehashing the text further. This has also suited me professionally, as my books usually require minimal editing by my publishers.
There was a point where I seriously considered retiring and writing solely for my entertainment, but I believe I still have some life left in me. Plus, it’s more fun to share with others than to keep things to myself. Some people enjoy reading my writing. That makes the less-fun aspects of the business more tolerable.