This Train Track Goes Both Ways

Often, I’m so focused on what I have yet to do that I forget to take a breath and celebrate what I’ve done.

It’s an easy trap to fall into when the to-do list is still ten miles long no matter how many things you check off and you have deadlines rushing at you with the speed of a freight train.

But, for just a moment, I’m going to step off the track and look back.

Photo by Ales Krivec (@aleskrivec), courtesy of Unsplash.

It occurred to me yesterday that I have now published eight fiction titles. They’re of varying lengths, but when you average them out, it still works out to about eight full-length novels. (That’s what happens when you publish a 300,000-word doorstopper that counts as four to six on its own.)

Wow.

And thirty knitting patterns. That’s not nothing either, especially for something I do as a hobby.

And, for over half of those patterns and stories, I’ve revised and re-released them at least once.

And even though it feels like I’ve been working on this website update forever, it’s only been about three weeks.

In those three weeks, I’ve improved a lot. In addition, BookFunnel, the extraordinary eBook and audiobook delivery service I use, has been rolling out a bunch of new features, and I’ve managed to implement most of them.

Plus I’ve published a new pattern, revised an existing one, and I’m very close to publishing another new pattern. (Hopefully next week.)

And yesterday, I finally got bookplate stickers and even a special character art bookmark of Caleb from Every Star that Shines listed in my merch store, plus I got the ball rolling on a few more merch items I’ve been wanting to create for a while.

Oh, and Squarespace keeps reminding me that I now have over four hundred pages on my site, the vast majority of which are my blog posts, so that’s some kind of accomplishment too, I think.

So, yeah, I guess I’ve managed to do a few things, even while I’ve been taking a less structured approach to work and reducing my hours.

… Because, yes, I’ve managed to stick to my new schedule this week. I’ve even taken the occasional walk and nap. Yay!

See? When I say Slow progress is still progress, it’s actually true. (She says to herself.)

But I’m still learning how to recognize progress when I’m checking things off in what feels like a very willy-nilly way. Sometimes, I have to actually add something to my list after I’ve finished it, then check it off, just so I have a record of what I did. (You can roll your eyes at me here. I am.)

And thank you to those of you who responded to my last post and encouraged me to take my time writing Book 2 in the Peace Country Romance series, even if it means it’s out after Christmas. I mean, that’s pretty much a guarantee now. But it’s good to know that you all have my back.

Because one of the purposes of this Slow Productivity switch is to take the pressure off myself. And I sure appreciate the support you amazing people are giving me in that regard.

In other news…

Alright, time to get back on the track and look forward again. Because while I’ve been working on all this behind-the-scenes stuff, a deadline has been approaching: wide platform release day for the Every Star that Shines eBook, which goes out into the world next Tuesday.

I saved most of my promotional push for next week, since—as much as I’d love for more readers to buy the books directly from me—I know most people will want to buy the book in the places they’re already comfortable with, which means buying through their favourite platforms. So, I guess in about a week, I’ll actually know if I’ve hit my market with the packaging of this product.

(But, hey, if you want to get it for the launch price and you want to read on that world-class BookFunnel app I referred to above, you can buy it in my store. Or pre-order it elsewhere, if you don’t want to forget…)

And in other other news…

I’m thrilled that the kids’ musical in my community is running again this year for the first time since 2019. It was missing this experience so much that prompted me to feature it so heavily in Every Star that Shines. My son Jabin has been cast as one of the leads, and he’s super excited. I’m super proud, of course.

They’re performing Madagascar Jr., and Jabin got cast as Marty the zebra. I mean, if you know Madagascar, and you know Jabin, it’s like the perfect match, amiright?

Anyway.

That’s about all my news for now. I hope you had a fulfilling week, friend, and that you have a relaxing weekend.

All my love. Tell me something you’re proud of accomplishing recently in the comments.