When it rains it pours.
One thing goes wrong and then another.
Suddenly your routine and rhythm have gone up in flames, but that’s really just life, isn’t it?
It’s easy to fall off the horse and finding rhythm when you are wearing all the hats can be a struggle.
As an indie writer, it can feel overwhelming to say the very least. There is so much to consider when you publish on your own for it’s not just about writing the books. It’s about the editing, proofreading, cover design, marketing (oh God the marketing), and everything else in between. And at the top of my list of things I am desperately trying to get a handle on: DEADLINES.
Creating my own deadlines and sticking to them when I am wearing all the hats has been my biggest obstacle next to marketing. When I am dealing with my mental health it can feel near impossible to stick to the plan that I have made. These past few weeks I have done my best to turn that around and although I am writing more I am still struggling to stay completely on course.
Rhythm comes and goes
When writing my first book at the start of the pandemic, having been put out of work, I had all the time in the world. It was easy to say that the words weren’t there and I could try again tomorrow. But as the reality of the book really came to light with the second, third, fourth draft and what it might mean for my future I found finding routine difficult. I have gone weeks without writing a single word. My marketing attempts have come to a full stop and just like I predicted my blog has waned.
It’s a lot of writing and creativity and I froze. Not to mention the plethora of other personal issues that steamed rolled me as well. But every night I go to sleep knowing tomorrow is a new day. A day to make it all happen. And then, well, it doesn’t. I’m not lazy, because “lazy” in my world isn’t a thing, but I am working against a lot of variables and it’s made it hard for me to stick to my own deadlines and to-do lists. I should be halfway through my second book’s first draft by now and I am woefully behind.
KEEP GOING
Living on my own and isolated alone throughout the pandemic has taken a toll on me and though I persevered in many ways as I have written before, it also has created a weird bubble where I am constantly mumbling the words “After all tomorrow is another day…” and I hate it. Finding your rhythm in anything is a feat but when you are doing so in a stage of transition it can feel even more daunting.
I write these words though, as many of my posts are similar in theme, in the hopes that even one person stumbles along to my corner of the internet and knows they are not alone. We can make our dreams come true as we fight our demons and swim through the murky waters. Finding rhythm, creating through your daily struggles is an amazing feat no matter how little or big the accomplishment is. I have managed to write two blog posts this week after almost a month of nothing. I wrote over 1k words today and even went for a walk. Tomorrow may not look exactly the same but we all have to start somewhere.
So like I said, keep going. And dreaming. And hoping. And fighting. And creating.
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