Searching for Rainbows

Welp, this week has been interesting, folks.

I finished the deadline-y projects for clients I needed to finish. Then my big project for the week was to outline my next book.

Except, that’s not what happened.

Coffee… mmmm.

I’m stuck. Ish. I haven’t found the thing about this book that makes me super excited to write it yet, and I think that’s because the original premise I had wasn’t fleshed out enough. There’s something that’s not lining up between the problem and resolution, but every time I think of a “fix,” it starts taking the plot into a direction I don’t want to go, or into a totally different genre. (Yikes.)

So… I’m trying to give myself grace and the time to percolate, but that’s hard for my task-oriented brain to do.

In addition, I’m starting to feel a bit burnt out, so some of this is just plain old resistance. Not Resistance-with-a-capital-R as in I don’t want to write. But just normal resistance of I really need a break because I’m worn out.

So I did take it easer this week, which has helped. A whole weekend off will really help.

Adventures on TikTok

Did I mention that I signed up for TikTok two weeks ago as an experiment?

I’m starting to get the hang of the TikTok thing, but it’s taking a lot more time out of my schedule than I want it to. However, I’m making some great connections in the reader and author community there, so that part is fun. If you’re on TikTok for the bookish community or don’t mind hearing me talk about books non-stop, please come find me.

One benefit of TikTok I’ve noticed is how I’ve started thinking about new ways to talk about my books in a video medium, and how much more comfortable I’m getting in front of the camera.

I’ve done some fun stuff the last couple of weeks while I’ve experimented and learned some new skills, such as how to use Canva’s video editor. (It’s a little faster for simple videos like TikTok videos than using Adobe Premiere.)

Figuring out how to repurpose that content has been a bit more challenging. I mean, if I’m spending all this time on social media, I want to make the most of it that I possibly can.

I just uploaded my first YouTube short today, which you can see here. It’s a clip from a TikTok video I made this morning of me reading the first page of The Undine’s Tear.

More rain lately means more rainbows. :-)

Honestly, there hasn’t been a lot more to my week. I mean, trying to avoid that feeling of being a failure I get when I’m stressed out and burned out (the perpetual driver of Enneagram Threes) takes a lot of time. ;-)

I’m managing this week by taking a little more rest than usual (but not too much, or it backfires on the mental health thing. Seriously, it’s exhausting being me). I hope that doesn’t translate to more stress and burnout later when I’m having to type like a madwoman to meet my deadline for my manuscript.

Author Interview to Check Out

I’d like to make note of this awesome interview between author and editor Jennifer Lindsay, who helped me develop Every Star that Shines, and Brenna Bailey-Davies, another talented editor and writer (both of whom are in my mastermind group and are friends of mine).

Brenna posted the interview with Jennifer on her blog today. Jen is the author of a fantastic book for authors called The Writer as the Protagonist, which helps you develop your writing career with you as the hero of your own story. I highly recommend it!

That’s it. That’s the update. Wish it was more exciting.

Looking forward to finishing Stranger Things Season 4 this weekend, and a book or two besides. And maybe getting some gardening done.

Which reminds me—every fertile ground needs rain to be refreshed. Maybe that’s all this week is. Just a time of refreshing. That means a rainbow must be just around the corner.

How was your week?

Making the most of my time… I hope.