Ceara Comeau's Blog: Lessons From A Struggling Writer - Posts Tagged "events"
No Turning Back
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! That’s what my brain has been screaming since the beginning of this month. Why? Well, I’ve been planning for one of the biggest book events of my career (so far). I’ll be heading to Canada to the Niagara Falls Comic Con on June 7th-9th. Sounds exciting, right? Definitely, but there’s a lot more to it than I originally thought.
I’ve spent months preparing for the event and it seemed every time I thought I had things figured out, Canada whispered to me, “But wait…there’s more!” And to top it all off, I get a letter from one of the Canadian officials who are in charge of the event stating that I’m one of ten foreign vendors! That’s right, TEN! “Great, no pressure!” is what I thought upon reading that letter. I didn’t know who these other nine vendors were and for all I knew, I was the only American! (I’m probably not, but that was just what my paranoid mind was thinking at the time).
With all the legalities involved and the constant stress of having all my ducks in a row, my dad asked me, “How much money have you put into this thing already?” I’m pretty sure my brain short-circuited at this question, but I simply said, “Too much.” I then started thinking, is this going to be worth it? But my mom said, “You can’t turn back now, you already put so much time and effort into this!”
So, at this point, I became so consumed with this event and my writing that I began to forget the important things. I forgot to enjoy the journey that I’m on. Yes, preparing for this event is a big thing and obviously writing is my career, but they’re not the only things going on in my life. I began to give myself more breaks and took up exercising more whether it be hiking or biking. I even started eating super healthy foods! And you know, it made such a difference in my overall mental state.
Now, I’m not saying go on a week-long fast or go climb Mount Washington. No, but I find that taking care of one’s self is far more important than any career or hobby. I mean, subconsciously we know that. But as people, we sometimes get caught up in the awesome moments of life that we tend to forget about ourselves. Think about it, if we don’t take the time to care for ourselves first, then our careers will suffer for it in the long run.
I’ve spent months preparing for the event and it seemed every time I thought I had things figured out, Canada whispered to me, “But wait…there’s more!” And to top it all off, I get a letter from one of the Canadian officials who are in charge of the event stating that I’m one of ten foreign vendors! That’s right, TEN! “Great, no pressure!” is what I thought upon reading that letter. I didn’t know who these other nine vendors were and for all I knew, I was the only American! (I’m probably not, but that was just what my paranoid mind was thinking at the time).
With all the legalities involved and the constant stress of having all my ducks in a row, my dad asked me, “How much money have you put into this thing already?” I’m pretty sure my brain short-circuited at this question, but I simply said, “Too much.” I then started thinking, is this going to be worth it? But my mom said, “You can’t turn back now, you already put so much time and effort into this!”
So, at this point, I became so consumed with this event and my writing that I began to forget the important things. I forgot to enjoy the journey that I’m on. Yes, preparing for this event is a big thing and obviously writing is my career, but they’re not the only things going on in my life. I began to give myself more breaks and took up exercising more whether it be hiking or biking. I even started eating super healthy foods! And you know, it made such a difference in my overall mental state.
Now, I’m not saying go on a week-long fast or go climb Mount Washington. No, but I find that taking care of one’s self is far more important than any career or hobby. I mean, subconsciously we know that. But as people, we sometimes get caught up in the awesome moments of life that we tend to forget about ourselves. Think about it, if we don’t take the time to care for ourselves first, then our careers will suffer for it in the long run.
Normal
With July fast approaching, I really didn’t have anything to write about until yesterday. See, most of this month was the same as last month and the month before due to the events that have been going on in the world. Book events were still being canceled or postponed right and left and there was very little to do except to continue writing my second book of the trilogy.
In reality, life has been rather dull and, like many of us small business owners, I was getting really discouraged in regards to my books. Even my publicist was having a hard time finding ways of helping me get my book out there. But I had an epiphany yesterday.
My husband and I decided to venture out a bit from our hometown and we went to the mall for the first time in months. We had no idea what to expect, but what we didn’t expect was how relaxed it was. There were few people and everyone was keeping their distance and for the most part, everyone was playing it safe. It felt…normal!
For months now, I kept hearing from customers coming through my line at work, “This is the new normal”. And yesterday, on our way home, I got to thinking. What is normal? Is normal what we knew before the pandemic? Or is normal just a setting on a dryer (as the old saying goes)?
No, we are the ones who define what is normal in our society. Sure, my book events have been delayed, but that doesn’t mean I can’t push my book out there more through giveaways and virtual book tours. Sure, major fairs and upcoming holiday events are canceled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a cookout for ourselves and make a “fair” in our own backyard.
We have so many options in our current situation, we just need to tap into the creative side we were all born with and try something new.
In reality, life has been rather dull and, like many of us small business owners, I was getting really discouraged in regards to my books. Even my publicist was having a hard time finding ways of helping me get my book out there. But I had an epiphany yesterday.
My husband and I decided to venture out a bit from our hometown and we went to the mall for the first time in months. We had no idea what to expect, but what we didn’t expect was how relaxed it was. There were few people and everyone was keeping their distance and for the most part, everyone was playing it safe. It felt…normal!
For months now, I kept hearing from customers coming through my line at work, “This is the new normal”. And yesterday, on our way home, I got to thinking. What is normal? Is normal what we knew before the pandemic? Or is normal just a setting on a dryer (as the old saying goes)?
No, we are the ones who define what is normal in our society. Sure, my book events have been delayed, but that doesn’t mean I can’t push my book out there more through giveaways and virtual book tours. Sure, major fairs and upcoming holiday events are canceled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a cookout for ourselves and make a “fair” in our own backyard.
We have so many options in our current situation, we just need to tap into the creative side we were all born with and try something new.
