Writing Withdrawal... Does it Exist?
I’ve been a little bit down lately, when I know full well I should by flying as high as a kite on top of Mt. Everest.
My book has been published, the response has been fantastic so far, and I’m continually delighted to read all of the thoughtful messages you’ve sent. Things really have been going well, and I am grateful to you all for your support and kindness. Yet, despite the many reasons I have to be happy, something has been eating away at me. It hasn’t been overwhelming, but it has been subtle and constant, like feeling an itch in a spot you can’t reach.
It took me a while to identify what could possibly be dragging me down when so many things were going well, but then I realized… I’ve spent the last three years of my life researching, planning, writing, and revising A Different Familiar, and all of a sudden, upon publication, I don’t have it to fall back on anymore. Strangely enough, always having the book to work on was a sort of comfort to me – something that would always be there when I needed it.
Now that it’s finished, I suppose I’ve been going through writing withdrawal… and there’s only one way to fix that.
That’s right, I’ve started writing another book.
If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that not writing feels worse than any possible frustration I encounter when I am writing. There is something so fundamentally unsettling about not putting pen to paper when that’s what you’ve been used to all your life. Since the publication of A Different Familiar, that’s exactly what I’ve experienced – that wandering, lost sort of feeling, as if you’re not sure what your purpose is anymore.
The good news is that I’ve finally found my footing by delving straight into another book. I already have about five other novels in the works at the moment (I guess one just isn’t enough!), but sometimes I find it more difficult to pick up a half-completed project than to start anew. I’m sure I’ll return to the others at some point when I have more time to sort through the writing and planning I’ve already done, but I have high hopes for the new novel I’ve started this past week. I’d love to reveal more about it, but where’s the fun in that?
Thanks for reading!
Rhian
My book has been published, the response has been fantastic so far, and I’m continually delighted to read all of the thoughtful messages you’ve sent. Things really have been going well, and I am grateful to you all for your support and kindness. Yet, despite the many reasons I have to be happy, something has been eating away at me. It hasn’t been overwhelming, but it has been subtle and constant, like feeling an itch in a spot you can’t reach.
It took me a while to identify what could possibly be dragging me down when so many things were going well, but then I realized… I’ve spent the last three years of my life researching, planning, writing, and revising A Different Familiar, and all of a sudden, upon publication, I don’t have it to fall back on anymore. Strangely enough, always having the book to work on was a sort of comfort to me – something that would always be there when I needed it.
Now that it’s finished, I suppose I’ve been going through writing withdrawal… and there’s only one way to fix that.
That’s right, I’ve started writing another book.
If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that not writing feels worse than any possible frustration I encounter when I am writing. There is something so fundamentally unsettling about not putting pen to paper when that’s what you’ve been used to all your life. Since the publication of A Different Familiar, that’s exactly what I’ve experienced – that wandering, lost sort of feeling, as if you’re not sure what your purpose is anymore.
The good news is that I’ve finally found my footing by delving straight into another book. I already have about five other novels in the works at the moment (I guess one just isn’t enough!), but sometimes I find it more difficult to pick up a half-completed project than to start anew. I’m sure I’ll return to the others at some point when I have more time to sort through the writing and planning I’ve already done, but I have high hopes for the new novel I’ve started this past week. I’d love to reveal more about it, but where’s the fun in that?
Thanks for reading!
Rhian
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AJ
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Jul 10, 2017 10:28PM
Hopefully you'll see some reviews pop up soon Rhian. I feel cheap entering in the giveaway, but it's hard to turn down "free" when it's offered...heh. Five novels in the works plus one new on top of your current release? It certainly sounds like writing is truly your life's work. Is it revealing too much to ask the settings for these books?
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Don't feel cheap - the giveaways are listed for people to enter, so I'm happy you did! To answer your question, I'm thinking of writing a separate blog post about my "WIP" novels, so please forgive me for not revealing the details at the present moment! I'm more than happy to message you (and anyone else who'd like to know more) privately about the settings of those books. I hope that's a good compromise, and thanks for your interest in my "yet-to-be" works!
