I finished another book this past week. And so begins the dismal phase where you know you have more stuff to do, but you get lost somewhere between desire to start the next project, and taking care of the little stuff that you could do any time. In truth, you end up sitting on your ass watching Netflix and nothing gets done until you’re pressed against the next deadline. Only then do you kick it in high gear and work around the clock until the next project is done. It’s about this point when you realize you’re feeding the cycle. And this is the way it’s going to remain until you change it. You have to push a little harder for a while, but eventually you’ll reach a stage where you don’t have to work so hard all the time. And that will leave you less stressed. Better yet, you’ll still turn out the same amount of work, just without so many late nights of sacrificed time with friends and family.
I’m just getting to this stage myself. I’ve worked my ass off this year, which would be nice if it was actually gone. But unfortunately, it’s not. (Yay for self-demoralizing fat jokes!) I’ve hit some low points where I ask myself if what I’m doing is really worth it. I drag on, knowing exactly what I’m supposed to do, yet I have to force myself to do it. Which is a leg up. It seems many people lack the will power to press on even when they don’t feel like it. In truth, I don’t always either. But I know what I want. I know that I can do this. And even if it takes longer than I think it should, I’ve learned that I enjoy where my life is headed. I may not be exactly where I want to be, I’m on the path. And that puts me closer to me goals than I would have been if I’d never tried. Now, please hang with me just a moment. This isn’t going to be some big motivational speech, though those can be helpful from time to time.
When I started writing this blog I wasn’t sure what to talk about. I’ve spent so much time lately discussing the marketing tips and strategies I’ve learned over the past few months. There’s nothing better than boring the hell out of people by dragging them through the same tired topics week after week. I want to change it up a bit. But I also want to discuss what happens when you finish a book, as I so recently have. (Another ‘in your face moment’, just so you know.)
You see, the thrill of completion it just like that of sex. Sure, it feels good. But when it’s over you have few memories of it, and that’s about it. (Provided you were smart enough to take precautions. If not, you may end up with a lifetime of memories.) You finish the book. That’s a good feeling. But it doesn’t last long. It gets lost, because now you have to jump into that dreaded editing phase, which isn’t so bad if you’ve hire a good editor. All you should have to do then is a final read through the ensure the book is good to go. But you also have to write filler content, dedications, author notes, book descriptions, and summaries. The list goes on. And each of these take a different set of skills to do efficiently. They’re all marketing tool if you didn’t know. And don’t even get me started on formatting or distribution. (Also marketing tools.) There’s a ton of work that goes into a book, other than just writing the story. In many cases, each part is an art form all on its own. And if you fail on any given aspect, the book may not do so well. If you’re an indie author, all of this falls on you. You need to spend the time to learn how to handle each aspect as its own entity. There is a right way to do everything, and several wrong ways. I wish you the best of luck in finding the right one. I’ll certainly give direction when I find it myself.