“A little progress each day adds up to big results…”
Hi all!
In December 2016, I published the following post Meet The Astro A Team & Counterparts! (Signs of the Zodiac Series) that promised Book #3, ‘Aligning the Signs’ would be released in 2017. Well, 2017 has been and gone but no book became available for purchase. I apologise for that. You see, last year I fell into quite a writing slump. I began putting so much work into my blog (which I don’t regret) and neglecting my book. I had moments where I felt truly inspired to write chapter after chapter but mainly, months would go by and I would barely get down half a page. It began to feel forced and tiresome. I was in a legitimate writing slump…
At this time, I also began to question my work. All of a sudden, it felt like it really wasn’t good enough or worth continuing. It felt directionless and unbelievable. I did my best to remember my late writing mentor and friend’s words of wisdom: Ignore The Voice Of Doom. I’m talking about that inner voice that puts you down and tries to stop you from pursuing any passion/project. At the end of the year, I made a vow that no matter what happened, I would finish what I started whether it was the worst piece of writing I had ever produced or not. I wanted my child to be proud of me. I wanted to be able to read the entire trilogy to her someday and show the importance of not giving up.
So, I set the most realistic and doable goal for 2018 ever created:
WRITE ONE PAGE A DAY
I cannot explain how much better I felt once I had made this simple commitment. I no longer felt daunted or overwhelmed. All I had to do every single day was write just one page. No more, no less. If I felt like writing more, I was welcome to but the pressure had been completely removed. Since the beginning of 2018, I have 100% stuck to that promise. If I have absolutely no time on a Saturday for example, I write two pages on the Sunday to make up for it. I have now written over 200 pages with a finish-line on the horizon. I am not going to promise that the book will be completed or released in 2018. I still don’t know how big I want to make it. There is much ground I need to cover before I feel satisfied and not rushed with the ending. What I will promise is that come hell or high water, this book will be published. I’m not going to give up just because of a slump or a sudden lack of confidence.
If anybody else is stuck on something that isn’t going anywhere, I would strongly suggest trying the same method. Do a bit every day, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. Read a page a day, paint one stroke a day, apply for one job per day etc. Break it down so it becomes simpler. Know that any amount of progress is still progress. A little can go a very long way. Please watch this space as I will eventually finish ‘Aligning the Signs.’ That I am sure of.
If you have any other tips for how to get out of writing/project slumps, please let me know down below. Thank you for reading and your patience.
Peace & Love xoxo
So proud of you my friend for making the time to write your third book! I think many of us writers go through writing slumps. For the longest time I sat on the first draft of my book. Didn’t want to continue it. The more I read it back the more I disliked what I wrote. At the end of last year, I decided if I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to continue with it – and then I felt a sense of peace. In time I will know if any of those writings will be in my first book. There is no pressure at all to continue at all. I love writing, I know that for sure, and at some point, a book will come along 🙂 Thank you so much for the credit my friend. Also your blog came up in my WP Reader today! Hope you are doing well and it is always nice seeing you xxx
Thank you so much my friend! I always value your support and kindness. I totally understand how you felt. Writing slumps are so disheartening at times. They make you question everything. I cannot wait for your book to come along when it’s ready. Yay I’m glad it’s showing up in the Reader now! xxx