My year began with almost no writing, some surprises, and a lot of doubt.
Monthly Stats:
- 1869 words drafted
- 0 words / 0 pages revised
- 0 projects submitted
Some time ago, during an admittedly overdramatic moment, I was reflecting and lamenting over my author journey. I’ve had a pretty backwards career thus far—usually the process is finishing a manuscript, querying and signing with an agent, going on sub, an editor choosing your work and making an offer, edit edit edit, and your novel is published. That didn’t happen to me, at least not in that order. While I don’t regret the path that I’ve carved out for myself, I am a little insecure about it.
All that to say, one vital step I truly felt like I was missing actually happened. I don’t want to say what it was, but an important person said ~some magic words~ to me that I’d never heard before.
My MBD proposal sold in the middle of January. It was a really strange couple of days, tbh. I’ll go more in depth once the deal announcement is live.
I’ve spent an egregious amount of time focusing on my social media presence to support LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE HAUNTED PLACES (releasing May 21, 2024!).
My goals were really ambitious, and reality swiftly put me in check. I had to scale back several times before settling on one video and one post per week on Instagram. And then, I scaled back again to just one post. I found that I really enjoy the finished product of static posts (like, I truly reread them several times a day lmao), and that videos on IG truly feel like they’re more effort than they’re worth.
Currently, I’m down to one post a week on Thursday. The Welcome Home Project is comprised of four revolving series:
- Good Enough Guides
- Behind the Scenes
- Looking for Music in All the Haunted Places
- Advice for Supernatural Researchers
I’d love to add a second static post on Tuesday but haven’t figured out what it should be yet. Leaning toward unrelated romantic supernatural micro stories but we’ll see!
I want to live in the moment and be proud of whatever projects I choose to create and release. And right now, that’s supplemental content to support my book, regardless of sales. I spent so much time in that world, and there’s so much information that didn’t make it into the book that I can share.
My primary obstacle (apart from staying focused) is increasing my reach without paying for it (i.e. boosting my posts). Creating organic grown on any social media platform is almost impossible these days without going viral and virality simply isn’t a goal of mine. I’m not ready for tiktok because consistency is key there. I feel the most comfortable on IG, but the algorithm hates creators. My heart, unfortunately, is with YouTube.
I really want to make YouTube videos. I found a flashdrive full of videos and graphics for a vlog series I wanted to create in 2019! I’ve found entire scripts from 2020! This has been an unrealized dream of mine for literal years, but I can’t make it past the Overthinking It barrier.
Everything seems so much harder than it probably is because I’ve decided not to film myself. Being a faceless channel as a writer who isn’t making video essays or writing vlogs? Ludicrous. How am I supposed to do this without visual media?
Instagram posts aside, I haven’t written anything in quite some time. While it’s not the longest break I’ve taken, it feels the most… unproductive. I’m anxious, unhappy, and lost. I want to write but have no direction. No project. No ideas to even give me a jumpstart. I personally don’t believe in writer’s block when it comes to myself. There’s always a reason why I can’t write.
I’m at the point in my career/all-consuming hobby where I’ve reached another crossroads. I don’t know where I’m supposed to go next and it’s turning me into a nonstarter. Should I write a middle grade book under a different pen name? Is it time to go back to YA? Am I truly happy writing romance even though I don’t feel welcomed in the space? Do I even have ideas anymore?
Not to mention, I can only write one story at a time. If I don’t write the romance I’m obsessed with now, will I lose it? Because it isn’t due for several months and I could technically write something else. Should I try to write a middle grade book because those are shorter? Should I give the giant fantasy project that’s brewing in the back of my mind a shot? Chasing trends is never a wise move, but here I am, ready to run!
A large part of writing is deciding to start, to make a concerted effort to get words in every day, no matter what. I just don’t know how to get back to that mindset.
And so, it’s time to commit.
February 2024 Goals
- Don’t miss any Thursday posts on Instagram
- Figure out the YouTube issue
- Finish MBD: the first draft by March 1st… for myself. It’s best to get it out of my system and move on to a new project while it simmers.
- Read more. Immerse myself in story.
Until next time,
Claire ❤
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