Ceara Comeau's Blog: Lessons From A Struggling Writer - Posts Tagged "writing"
Who Will You Inspire?
This past weekend I attended a writing event at nearby library. A friend of mine from there asked me to come and take part. I was grateful for the opportunity as I was trying to reach out to more people. Unfortunately, no one, aside from other authors, showed up. But that's not to say nothing came out of it. In fact, this was a major learning experience for me.
You see, I've always considered myself an ambivert. This is not a term one usually hears, but its a combination of extrovert and introvert. Although, over the past few years, I've become more introverted. This, I found, doesn't really help when you're trying to show the world your masterpiece.
My introverted side has a tendency to come out when I'm surrounded by writers who I believe are more experienced than I am. But my friend at the event expressed to me how glad she was I could make it. According to her, I was a huge influence to the kids who came. But when I had to leave for college, many of those kids lost interest in writing.
I had no idea how much of an impact I made on them. I felt quite guilty that I lost contact. I tried to convince myself that I was at college and there was nothing I could do. That's not true though, I could have definitely kept everyone updated and even communicated more with my friend at the library.
This weekend I've learned that it's really important not to cut ties with people, even accidentally. Networking is a HUGE part of being an author. Even if you aren't in the process of publishing your next big project, that's okay! Take the time to reconnect with people. You never know who you'll inspire!
You see, I've always considered myself an ambivert. This is not a term one usually hears, but its a combination of extrovert and introvert. Although, over the past few years, I've become more introverted. This, I found, doesn't really help when you're trying to show the world your masterpiece.
My introverted side has a tendency to come out when I'm surrounded by writers who I believe are more experienced than I am. But my friend at the event expressed to me how glad she was I could make it. According to her, I was a huge influence to the kids who came. But when I had to leave for college, many of those kids lost interest in writing.
I had no idea how much of an impact I made on them. I felt quite guilty that I lost contact. I tried to convince myself that I was at college and there was nothing I could do. That's not true though, I could have definitely kept everyone updated and even communicated more with my friend at the library.
This weekend I've learned that it's really important not to cut ties with people, even accidentally. Networking is a HUGE part of being an author. Even if you aren't in the process of publishing your next big project, that's okay! Take the time to reconnect with people. You never know who you'll inspire!
Writing For A Living--Can It Be Done?
Now, by the sounds of this blog title, you're probably thinking, "Of course you can write for a living! Just look at Stephen King or J.K. Rowling!"
This statement is definitely valid. But I think as budding writers and avid readers we often forget how much work goes into the concept of "writing for a living". It isn't just, "BAM! I wrote a book, now everybody read it!" No, there is so much more to it than that.
I've heard it said before that "writing for a living" can be compared to that of a normal home business such as Mary Kay or Pampered Chef. But the difference with those two is that people know they have a need for those products. With selling books, an author has to show the potential buyer that they have a need. Its another added step which makes it ten times harder.
We only ever see the outcome of an author's success. But I bet if you asked some of the greats, they'll tell you that they put in a lot of time and money into their craft. Determination and perseverance leading them to their ultimate goal.
This statement is definitely valid. But I think as budding writers and avid readers we often forget how much work goes into the concept of "writing for a living". It isn't just, "BAM! I wrote a book, now everybody read it!" No, there is so much more to it than that.
I've heard it said before that "writing for a living" can be compared to that of a normal home business such as Mary Kay or Pampered Chef. But the difference with those two is that people know they have a need for those products. With selling books, an author has to show the potential buyer that they have a need. Its another added step which makes it ten times harder.
We only ever see the outcome of an author's success. But I bet if you asked some of the greats, they'll tell you that they put in a lot of time and money into their craft. Determination and perseverance leading them to their ultimate goal.
Publishing
In my previous posts, I've expressed how challenging writing can be. But, that's only half the battle. The real difficulty begins when you go to publish.
Years ago, a writer could only publish their manuscripts through a traditional publisher, but with the 21st century comes self-publishing. A writer no longer needs to beg an agent to take a look at their manuscript. The writer is their own publisher...sounds great! Right? Well it depends.
Self-publishing and traditional publishing have their pros and cons. Traditional publishing comes with their own editors and cover artists and the agent who you get will work with you to make your book "best-selling" material. But, it takes months just for an agent to return your email and sometimes the answer is a rejection...sometimes they won't even respond and you have to take that as a rejection. If you're like me and were rejected by about 100 agents, don't worry, because self-publishing is just as real as the traditional way.
In fact, in some ways it feels more fulfilling. Although, in my opinion, self-publishing is much harder than the traditional way. Sure it might be faster depending on how you do it. But you have to format your own book, look for the right cover, edit it over and over again, and do a bit of extra marketing.
What it boils down to is this. If you have a book worth reading, prove it to the world! You definitely don't need an agent to be accepted. They are only of the small minority of people and even if you can't land an agent, that doesn't mean your book isn't good. It just means you have yet to find YOUR group of readers. Trust me, they're out there!
Years ago, a writer could only publish their manuscripts through a traditional publisher, but with the 21st century comes self-publishing. A writer no longer needs to beg an agent to take a look at their manuscript. The writer is their own publisher...sounds great! Right? Well it depends.
Self-publishing and traditional publishing have their pros and cons. Traditional publishing comes with their own editors and cover artists and the agent who you get will work with you to make your book "best-selling" material. But, it takes months just for an agent to return your email and sometimes the answer is a rejection...sometimes they won't even respond and you have to take that as a rejection. If you're like me and were rejected by about 100 agents, don't worry, because self-publishing is just as real as the traditional way.
In fact, in some ways it feels more fulfilling. Although, in my opinion, self-publishing is much harder than the traditional way. Sure it might be faster depending on how you do it. But you have to format your own book, look for the right cover, edit it over and over again, and do a bit of extra marketing.
What it boils down to is this. If you have a book worth reading, prove it to the world! You definitely don't need an agent to be accepted. They are only of the small minority of people and even if you can't land an agent, that doesn't mean your book isn't good. It just means you have yet to find YOUR group of readers. Trust me, they're out there!
Experiences
“A writer is only good as his or her own experience.” Have you ever heard this or a variation of this saying? Well, I have and for the longest time, I was on the fence about whether it was true or not. I always believed (and still do) that a story comes from within. It can emerge from an idea or really anything. But lately, I’ve been noticing a pattern in my past writings and present. In some way, my personal experiences find their way into my stories.
This isn’t always a bad thing as I have found that making a story personal to the writer tends to tug at the heartstrings of the reader. It allows people to see the real artist.
Now, what does this revelation have to do with anything you ask? For about a month now, I’ve been attempting to get back to an old story I wrote about a couple years back. But when I came back to it, there was so much that needed to be fixed. It was certainly salvageable, but something was missing with it and I didn’t know what until just within this past week. I had been focusing so much on one of the characters and I just couldn’t understand why she wasn’t “talking to me”, that was when I realized that she and I were facing similar obstacles in our lives. This was the origin of my insufferable writer’s block. How could I write about how that character deals with those obstacles if I didn’t know myself?
Well, I’ve been working along with this character to fight through these challenges. The more I look at it, the more I can see how educational writing is. Not from the standpoint of a class you would take in school, but a class you might take every day of your life.
This isn’t always a bad thing as I have found that making a story personal to the writer tends to tug at the heartstrings of the reader. It allows people to see the real artist.
Now, what does this revelation have to do with anything you ask? For about a month now, I’ve been attempting to get back to an old story I wrote about a couple years back. But when I came back to it, there was so much that needed to be fixed. It was certainly salvageable, but something was missing with it and I didn’t know what until just within this past week. I had been focusing so much on one of the characters and I just couldn’t understand why she wasn’t “talking to me”, that was when I realized that she and I were facing similar obstacles in our lives. This was the origin of my insufferable writer’s block. How could I write about how that character deals with those obstacles if I didn’t know myself?
Well, I’ve been working along with this character to fight through these challenges. The more I look at it, the more I can see how educational writing is. Not from the standpoint of a class you would take in school, but a class you might take every day of your life.
Critics...We All Need Them!
“Everyone’s a critic” I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase multiple times in your life. And if you’re an artist, you probably say that every time you get a negative comment about your work.
Well, I’m going to tell you a truth that is probably not a popular belief. Artists NEED critics!
Let me give you a recent example from my writing. I was working with an avid reader who I initially wanted to be an editor. To make a long story short, it didn’t work out. My writing wasn’t her genre and she missed a lot of concepts that I was trying to convey to the reader. But she turned out to be a phenomenal beta reader.
She pointed out several “pet” phrases and words I used that I never noticed before. And she found description areas I needed to work on that even my regular beta readers never picked up on before. It was certainly an eyeopener and I made sure to keep note of these things for my future writing. Now, the question is, will I keep sending my work to be read by this individual, probably not as my “out-of-this-world” concepts are a bit hard to understand for her. But I certainly appreciated the help she gave me.
Critics are not bad in general. Yes, you’ll get those people who just want to see you fail. Sadly, that’s a thing in this day and age. But there are those critics you’ll meet that genuinely want to help you and will point out areas you need to work on in your art!
So, if this story resonates with you and that one critic comes to mind, don’t dismiss them like I initially wanted to do with this one. They might find something that will improve your work!
Well, I’m going to tell you a truth that is probably not a popular belief. Artists NEED critics!
Let me give you a recent example from my writing. I was working with an avid reader who I initially wanted to be an editor. To make a long story short, it didn’t work out. My writing wasn’t her genre and she missed a lot of concepts that I was trying to convey to the reader. But she turned out to be a phenomenal beta reader.
She pointed out several “pet” phrases and words I used that I never noticed before. And she found description areas I needed to work on that even my regular beta readers never picked up on before. It was certainly an eyeopener and I made sure to keep note of these things for my future writing. Now, the question is, will I keep sending my work to be read by this individual, probably not as my “out-of-this-world” concepts are a bit hard to understand for her. But I certainly appreciated the help she gave me.
Critics are not bad in general. Yes, you’ll get those people who just want to see you fail. Sadly, that’s a thing in this day and age. But there are those critics you’ll meet that genuinely want to help you and will point out areas you need to work on in your art!
So, if this story resonates with you and that one critic comes to mind, don’t dismiss them like I initially wanted to do with this one. They might find something that will improve your work!
Turning a Page
Job promotion, new house, and now a cat. These last two months have been kind of crazy for this writer which is why I’ve been slightly MIA (sorry about that). These are new beginnings as I like to call it. But new beginnings always come with new challenges that we all have to face. For me, it was trying to establish a new writing pattern.
I don’t know about you, but anytime something even slightly disrupts my creative juices from flowing, I usually get lost in my own mind. I get paranoid that I’m not writing enough or frustrated that I can’t story storm my next novel. And, as with any kind of stress, those around me could see something was a bit off. To be honest, I could feel it to which only added to my madness.
But this past week I began thinking more about my “creative blockage” and wondering what could I write about. We all go through bouts of “writer's block” or something of that sort and I know I’ve spoken about this particular topic before. So, what could I say that was different?
I never had writer’s block.
There, that was different! See, I realized that I had been story storming and contemplating my next novel the ENTIRE time! Whether I was talking with co-workers, thinking of how a character would react to a particular situation I was in, or even vegging out in front of the TV watching a favorite actor and thinking how they’d be in one of my character’s shoes. All of this was still story storming. And this made me realize that I don’t have to be sitting down at a desk with my computer on or pencil in hand to be working on my next novel. I know some authors may disagree with me, but thinking and imagining situations are still part of the writing journey!
Eventually, they’ll all get down into an outline, once my thoughts have sorted out and I’ve settled into this new chapter in my life, but for now, I think I’m going to view story storming and keep on dreaming!
I don’t know about you, but anytime something even slightly disrupts my creative juices from flowing, I usually get lost in my own mind. I get paranoid that I’m not writing enough or frustrated that I can’t story storm my next novel. And, as with any kind of stress, those around me could see something was a bit off. To be honest, I could feel it to which only added to my madness.
But this past week I began thinking more about my “creative blockage” and wondering what could I write about. We all go through bouts of “writer's block” or something of that sort and I know I’ve spoken about this particular topic before. So, what could I say that was different?
I never had writer’s block.
There, that was different! See, I realized that I had been story storming and contemplating my next novel the ENTIRE time! Whether I was talking with co-workers, thinking of how a character would react to a particular situation I was in, or even vegging out in front of the TV watching a favorite actor and thinking how they’d be in one of my character’s shoes. All of this was still story storming. And this made me realize that I don’t have to be sitting down at a desk with my computer on or pencil in hand to be working on my next novel. I know some authors may disagree with me, but thinking and imagining situations are still part of the writing journey!
Eventually, they’ll all get down into an outline, once my thoughts have sorted out and I’ve settled into this new chapter in my life, but for now, I think I’m going to view story storming and keep on dreaming!
Writing When Not Writing
After last month’s blog post, I actually took my own advice and decided to stop being so hard on myself. No, seriously, I actually stopped! Now, some days are easier than others, I’ll admit. But, it wasn’t until I joined this writer’s zoom meeting that I actually realized just how much writing I’ve actually done this year.
I write this blog on a monthly basis and I have another blog (and possibly another on the way) that I write for my family history. This I do on a weekly basis. To top it off, I’ve been editing the second book of my trilogy (which should be nearing it’s second to last stage soon) and I’ve also added the first 1300 words to the third book of my trilogy.
Phew! Yes, I have been writing a LOT lately, but it’s not entirely about my book. Like a lot of authors, I don’t have inspiration strike me every single day. Sometimes it comes on the weekends when I’m finally able to relax after a long week of working. Some days it comes randomly during the week when I’m watching my favorite show.
I guess, what I’ve learned this month, is that I don’t have to ALWAYS be punching out words right and left for my latest WIP (work in progress). It’s okay to expand my brain to other things so I don’t get super burned out.
If your WIP has you stressed out, it’s time to take a breather. Write something different. There are TONS of free write starting phrases on Pinterest and other websites. Who knows, maybe writing something different will inspire your main project!
I write this blog on a monthly basis and I have another blog (and possibly another on the way) that I write for my family history. This I do on a weekly basis. To top it off, I’ve been editing the second book of my trilogy (which should be nearing it’s second to last stage soon) and I’ve also added the first 1300 words to the third book of my trilogy.
Phew! Yes, I have been writing a LOT lately, but it’s not entirely about my book. Like a lot of authors, I don’t have inspiration strike me every single day. Sometimes it comes on the weekends when I’m finally able to relax after a long week of working. Some days it comes randomly during the week when I’m watching my favorite show.
I guess, what I’ve learned this month, is that I don’t have to ALWAYS be punching out words right and left for my latest WIP (work in progress). It’s okay to expand my brain to other things so I don’t get super burned out.
If your WIP has you stressed out, it’s time to take a breather. Write something different. There are TONS of free write starting phrases on Pinterest and other websites. Who knows, maybe writing something different will inspire your main project!
New Year, New Mindset
We are nearing New Year’s and I think I speak for everyone when I say hindsight will be 2020 (sorry, couldn’t resist). But it’s true. We’ve gone through a lot this year—some, more than others. But like every year around this time, I find myself reflecting on what I learned.
Now, granted, this year was especially difficult to focus on the things I’ve learned about myself. Even now, I struggle to think of what made the most impact on me. If I’m going, to be honest with myself, it’s the same thing nearly year after year—perfectionism.
Anyone who knows me well enough will tell you that I am a perfectionist in anything I do and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it at least once or twice here. Whether it be my day job, extra hobbies, and yes, especially writing; I’m always giving my all. I always find my writing to be the metaphorical love of my life (aside from my husband of course) and also my Achilles heel. The writing part is easy for me…the beta reading/edits, not so much.
Like most people, I hate being told that something doesn’t work well in my work. I know that’s why they’re called drafts. But it’s hard for me to divorce myself from my perfectionist ways, so much that I intentionally find other things to do other than going over beta reader comments. It’s nothing against them. Subconsciously I know they’re all trying to help me improve my craft. (And if any of them are reading this post, thanks for putting up with me 😉). But deep down, it kills me that I keep making mistakes, and sometimes I keep making the same ones over and over again.
If 2020 has taught me anything it’s that I need to slow down. With events canceled and book sales plummeting, I had no choice but to take a breather and get back to my core roots—writing for the love of it. Yes, my quota for publishing a book a year might be a bit off right now, but so is almost every writer out there. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. It just means I need to really evaluate my life as a writer. Why do I put off editing? Why can’t I tolerate looking at my mistakes? Why do I get so angry with myself?
I’ll give you a clue—perfectionism. It’s awful. It slows me down and, in some cases, debilitates me. And I guess it began when I first started writing. I never let anyone look at my work when I was younger (pre-publishing years). Want to know why? I didn’t have a lot of support. Yes, my parents were 100% supportive and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. But, they were all I had. I didn’t know any other writers at 15 and some people even thought that what I wrote was bizarre and not worth anyone’s time (joke’s on them, right? 😉).
So, I guess what my rambling is trying to get at is, I’m always trying to fight my past demons. Some days are a TON better than others. This new years’ resolution for me is this. I’m going to work harder at conquering my perfectionism and aid future/new authors in their writing endeavors. No one should ever feel like what they’re passionate about is worthless!
Now, granted, this year was especially difficult to focus on the things I’ve learned about myself. Even now, I struggle to think of what made the most impact on me. If I’m going, to be honest with myself, it’s the same thing nearly year after year—perfectionism.
Anyone who knows me well enough will tell you that I am a perfectionist in anything I do and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it at least once or twice here. Whether it be my day job, extra hobbies, and yes, especially writing; I’m always giving my all. I always find my writing to be the metaphorical love of my life (aside from my husband of course) and also my Achilles heel. The writing part is easy for me…the beta reading/edits, not so much.
Like most people, I hate being told that something doesn’t work well in my work. I know that’s why they’re called drafts. But it’s hard for me to divorce myself from my perfectionist ways, so much that I intentionally find other things to do other than going over beta reader comments. It’s nothing against them. Subconsciously I know they’re all trying to help me improve my craft. (And if any of them are reading this post, thanks for putting up with me 😉). But deep down, it kills me that I keep making mistakes, and sometimes I keep making the same ones over and over again.
If 2020 has taught me anything it’s that I need to slow down. With events canceled and book sales plummeting, I had no choice but to take a breather and get back to my core roots—writing for the love of it. Yes, my quota for publishing a book a year might be a bit off right now, but so is almost every writer out there. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. It just means I need to really evaluate my life as a writer. Why do I put off editing? Why can’t I tolerate looking at my mistakes? Why do I get so angry with myself?
I’ll give you a clue—perfectionism. It’s awful. It slows me down and, in some cases, debilitates me. And I guess it began when I first started writing. I never let anyone look at my work when I was younger (pre-publishing years). Want to know why? I didn’t have a lot of support. Yes, my parents were 100% supportive and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. But, they were all I had. I didn’t know any other writers at 15 and some people even thought that what I wrote was bizarre and not worth anyone’s time (joke’s on them, right? 😉).
So, I guess what my rambling is trying to get at is, I’m always trying to fight my past demons. Some days are a TON better than others. This new years’ resolution for me is this. I’m going to work harder at conquering my perfectionism and aid future/new authors in their writing endeavors. No one should ever feel like what they’re passionate about is worthless!
Make Your Own Door
I’ve had a lot of time to think about this month’s blog post. This is mostly due to the fact that I didn’t really know what to write about until now. See, this month’s been rough for me. In the beginning, I was doing great with book-related stuff and I was actually making a schedule (of sorts) so I could get everything done on time. But this month gave me an unpleasant surprise that totally threw my system off. I got into a car accident—in my driveway of all places. And unfortunately, I sustained bruises that I’m still trying to heal from. To throw my book system out of whack, even more, I’m also still dealing with insurance stuff and trying to get my car fixed.
So, yeah, I guess you could say this was a very tough month for me. I had to redo my already shaky schedule, not to mention catch up on everything I fell behind on. This past weekend, I was venting to my husband about all my struggles (which obviously he already knew). I remembered telling him that lately every door I’ve tried to open to get further in my book career has either slammed shut or just won’t open. Then, he said to me, “Sometimes you have to make your own door.”
And you know, it hit me, “make your own door”. I realized I HAD been doing that all along. I was so focused on finding the “right door” that I neglected the door I was trying to build for myself. Maybe the door I’m building is meant to be opened by someone else, maybe even someone who can help boost my book career. The point is, I realized that it doesn’t matter where my door is at in the construction process. Right now, it’s a semblance of a door frame, but eventually, it will be exactly how it supposed to be. I just need to keep building and, with those inconvenient moments in life, maybe even rebuild.
So, yeah, I guess you could say this was a very tough month for me. I had to redo my already shaky schedule, not to mention catch up on everything I fell behind on. This past weekend, I was venting to my husband about all my struggles (which obviously he already knew). I remembered telling him that lately every door I’ve tried to open to get further in my book career has either slammed shut or just won’t open. Then, he said to me, “Sometimes you have to make your own door.”
And you know, it hit me, “make your own door”. I realized I HAD been doing that all along. I was so focused on finding the “right door” that I neglected the door I was trying to build for myself. Maybe the door I’m building is meant to be opened by someone else, maybe even someone who can help boost my book career. The point is, I realized that it doesn’t matter where my door is at in the construction process. Right now, it’s a semblance of a door frame, but eventually, it will be exactly how it supposed to be. I just need to keep building and, with those inconvenient moments in life, maybe even rebuild.
Critical Mass
If you’re like me, you probably work a LOT. And I’m not just talking about the general 9-5 where you wear ten hats in one day. I’m talking about working that, plus having a bunch of hobbies that each require a lot of your attention. Does this sound like you or someone you might know?
What about this scenario?
Take everything from above, but add in the fact you’re really hard on yourself? Everything must be done at a certain time every week and that warning bell in your head is starting to chime.
Well, my friends, that warning bell is your “Critical Mass” level telling you to take a break. Sadly, I reached almost beyond that point this month. That annoying little bell was going off for so long that my “Critical Mass” level nearly broke. And, it was this past week that the realization hit me—I needed to say no.
What does that two-letter word have to do with the dangerous level? Most of the time, my problem is piling too many things on my plate whether it be constantly telling people at work, “Sure, I’ll get this done at some point today.” Or when I’m telling myself, “Yeah I can add one more project to my list, no big deal.” Saying, “No, I can’t do that right now” or “Nope, that idea will have to wait” is SOOOOOOO liberating!
When we reach “Critical Mass” we lose passion in our hobbies whether that be art, music, writing, (etc.) and when we lose passion, we lose interest, and when we lose interest, we can tend to become lethargic. And this can show in our work. I began to see that my hobbies and passions became more like obligatory chores and when I reached my level this week I reflected back on this month and saw my slow decline. It made me sad that I managed to get myself to that point. So, I left work a bit earlier than expected this past week and took a nap when I got home. The second I woke up, everything was so clear to me. I knew what I had to do.
Stop planning.
“Wait…what? But how will you get anything done?”
That’s the point. Not EVERYTHING has to get done the second we think about it. I have a YouTube vlog where I review books and talk about book-related things, I read at least one book a week, I do projects for my family history, and I help people who reach out to me with book and genealogy things, and on top of it all…I’m finishing a trilogy!
But not all of these things are immediate and I feel that as an artist I get caught up in all the things I think I need to do to move my career forward. I am constantly thinking to myself that, “My fans want to see progress.”
Of course they do, but they understand I’m human too and I get burned out just like the rest. I feel it’s important as an artist, writer, and creator to take some “me” time. Do something that is non-project related, even if that means not always posting something, even if that means…taking a day to do absolutely nothing.
So, to all my artsy friends out there…you do YOU, the rest of the world will wait!
What about this scenario?
Take everything from above, but add in the fact you’re really hard on yourself? Everything must be done at a certain time every week and that warning bell in your head is starting to chime.
Well, my friends, that warning bell is your “Critical Mass” level telling you to take a break. Sadly, I reached almost beyond that point this month. That annoying little bell was going off for so long that my “Critical Mass” level nearly broke. And, it was this past week that the realization hit me—I needed to say no.
What does that two-letter word have to do with the dangerous level? Most of the time, my problem is piling too many things on my plate whether it be constantly telling people at work, “Sure, I’ll get this done at some point today.” Or when I’m telling myself, “Yeah I can add one more project to my list, no big deal.” Saying, “No, I can’t do that right now” or “Nope, that idea will have to wait” is SOOOOOOO liberating!
When we reach “Critical Mass” we lose passion in our hobbies whether that be art, music, writing, (etc.) and when we lose passion, we lose interest, and when we lose interest, we can tend to become lethargic. And this can show in our work. I began to see that my hobbies and passions became more like obligatory chores and when I reached my level this week I reflected back on this month and saw my slow decline. It made me sad that I managed to get myself to that point. So, I left work a bit earlier than expected this past week and took a nap when I got home. The second I woke up, everything was so clear to me. I knew what I had to do.
Stop planning.
“Wait…what? But how will you get anything done?”
That’s the point. Not EVERYTHING has to get done the second we think about it. I have a YouTube vlog where I review books and talk about book-related things, I read at least one book a week, I do projects for my family history, and I help people who reach out to me with book and genealogy things, and on top of it all…I’m finishing a trilogy!
But not all of these things are immediate and I feel that as an artist I get caught up in all the things I think I need to do to move my career forward. I am constantly thinking to myself that, “My fans want to see progress.”
Of course they do, but they understand I’m human too and I get burned out just like the rest. I feel it’s important as an artist, writer, and creator to take some “me” time. Do something that is non-project related, even if that means not always posting something, even if that means…taking a day to do absolutely nothing.
So, to all my artsy friends out there…you do YOU, the rest of the world will wait!
