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Hello, dear followers. I know I fell off the web this year and apologize for my silence. I'm still here, still working on writerly pursuits.
My springtime hours were filled with recording narration tracks for The Elephant and the Dragon: the audiobook! I wanted to wait to tell you how it was going until it was all done, but alas I'm still working on it. It's amazing how time-consuming the recording process can be for an amateur like myself. There are various setbacks like needing to pause or re-record because of loud neighborhood noises, choosing to redo an entire page or chapter because I didn't like the way one sentence sounded, and compensating in editing for different recorded volumes between character voice actor recordings. YET—if all goes as planned, The Elephant and the Dragon will be available for your listening pleasure near the end of this calendar year.
As for this summer? It seems I hit a wall called author burnout. What does this mean to a writer? It means my interest in writing or editing my own stories has dropped to an all-time low these past few months. It means every time I consider sitting down and editing or adding to my work in progress, I feel exhausted and inadequate and even question my ability to tell a story.
So instead of writing, my time has been spent trying to refuel. I've been reading encouraging blogs by other writers, listening to podcasts on writing craft or book publishing, and reading several different genres of fiction. I even hit my yearly 50-book reading goal last month—that's extremely early for me! 🤓 I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I started taking cello lessons two years ago. This second creative outlet has been wonderful for me. Being able to switch gears from staring at a screen to reading sheet music has been good for my psyche. I encourage you to find more than one way to express yourself too, no matter what stage you are in life.
Thankfully, I haven't been completely useless when it comes to writerly work. I'm honored to have been asked to serve as an editor yet again for two fellow authors. Their latest nonfiction books are now available! If these titles interest you, click on them and they'll take you directly to Amazon:
Ignite Your Imagination: Bring What You Never Thought Possible Into Everyday Reality by Wendi Lord PhD
Mischief Maker: A Memoir by Jenna Lynne MacFarlane
As for my own creative works, even though I haven't been able to bring myself to write much, I'm still thinking and considering how to continue the stories. I haven't given up. I just need time to regenerate my creative juices.
Now that we're on the cusp of my favorite time of year—AUTUMN!—I shall endeavor to pick myself up and actively work on my books again. And, in case you're wondering, I will definitely not be participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. I'm certain I don't have the necessary words in me to even attempt a 50K rough draft, no matter how rough it's allowed to be. Even though I've focused my entire writerly attention on my Mars trilogy these past 18 months, I haven't forgotten about my elven low fantasy. In fact, it might be nice to go back and forth between the two projects until I find my mojo again. Yes, I will do that. Whichever story brings me the most joy will be the one I focus on for the rest of the year. 😊
Wish me luck, my friends! 🤞
You got this! Love hearing your updates. And love sharing music and book recs and all the fun tidbits and bittids. Oh, and snerdeling is also great! ;)