Are we truly alone?

The notion of an author sitting in a small, cramped space pounding out word after word in near darkness is one we have come to recognize. Perhaps, its one we have even come to accept and expect from those who take up the pen.

But is there any truth to it?

Isolation is a single part of being a writer. When writing we don't typically surround ourselves with other people. It is a mechanism to ensure success, and it lends itself to some misconceptions. Writers do not do it because we are anti-social but because it is the natural path to productivity and meeting the goals we set. After a period of time, it becomes second nature, and we simply continue it.

The word, isolation, however, does not necessarily mean we are sitting in a cramp, dark little room with endless cups of cold coffee and crumpled paper. No, there are times when we are sitting in a crowded space working on our projects, our focus on the story. Segregation does not require one to be separate from others, it can be a state of mind.

I have met several authors who find working around others to be too distracting. They are often drawn from their craft by other conversations, interruptions, and other distractions. Isolation, for them, is the only way to write and it is a truth they've learned the hard way. For these authors, it is a vital part of ensuring success, but for others, they find success in a different form of separation.

For example, J K Rowlins wrote The Harry Potter books - in a coffee shop. Being a public space, it is safe to assume she was not alone. Yet, her ability to meet the quotas and deadlines she had set for herself within the limits of her location and time is truly impressive. Her environment was noisy, crowded, boisterous and yet she managed to create an amazing story we can all recognize. Physically, she was part of a crowd, mentally, she was isolated and focused.

There are moments for each of us where we are writing while we are engaging with others. Even in the most minute way. For some of us, however, true isolation is needed. Where we set aside the time to write when the house is quiet, the day is done, and perhaps we are alone while everyone else sleeps. Every author is different.

You may say, there are some writers who spend their time in a crowded office working on their writing, and this is a prime example of isolation whilst included. As a professional one needs to understand their writing habits and curate healthy mechanisms to ensure deadlines can be met. Those who spend their time surrounded by others in the office setting have learned how to work within the confines of their environment. It is not something you can simply do, you have to learn how to recognize distractions and how to tune them out to ensure you're able to work.

Insanity...or Determination

Insanity by its own definition is utilizing the same action time and again while expecting different results.

How often have we, as authors, tried some new-fangled promotional tool and not seen the results we want, but we continue to use it in the hope it'll suddenly net us the sales. Well, if you're anything like me, or some of my author friends, probably more times than you'd like to admit. Perhaps, its the sense of entitlement we have come to believe in, or maybe its complacency, or simply a desperate hope we cling to like a shipwrecked victim clinging to the dingy. Or perhaps, its none of those things but rather a simple lack of awareness of what we're trying to do.


Are we trying to get recognized?
Looking to boost our ranking on Amazon?
Perhaps, we are trying to attract sales?
Are we trying to compete with other authors?

Whatever the answer, it drives us forward, beating our fists against a brick wall without truly understanding what the end result is meant to be.

I've talked with a lot of people, including professional coaches about using the tools at our disposal in the pursuit of success and sales. During those conversations, the very idea of having an expectation of instant return on investment was talked over.

I had one conversation where the person I was speaking to asked me at one point a question. Instantly it had me rearing back with a gasp. How dare she ask me such a question. How dare anyone assume I wasn't looking at the big picture. 

What is this question which caused such a monumental moment of shock and horror? It was a simple question, and instantly had my defences going up.

When was I going to stop blaming everyone and everything else for my lack of sales?

After sitting for a few moments doing an Emmy award worthy impression of a goldfish, I blinked, and sat back in the chair and stared at her.  Her question was a difficult one, but one I needed to answer for a couple of reasons.  One, I didn't necessarily want to accept I wasn't carrying my share of the burden of promotion. I wasn't, by the way. And two, to see the results I want to see, I needed to have the blinders taken off.

I could sit around and complain about how my sales suck, or I'm not getting anywhere, I want to make more money.

In truth, I discovered the reality of there is an endless supply of "I'm spending money on ads on social media, I hired a PA to do my scheduling for promotion etc.

Excuses are plentiful, I found, like juicy apples on a tree.

Full disclosure: I've offered my fair share of excuses, of paying the blame forward. Its not my fault the books are selling it must be someone elses. In truth, I've spoken of them numerous times, until I got the wakeup call.

Sitting at my desk, bemoaning the lack of sales, and search engine placement, I drafted an email. I could almost feel the ulcers forming as I hit send on my message and wondered if it was the right thing to do.

That email was the first smart action I took. The answer I got was a wake-up call, and one I'd tried very hard to pretend wasn't what I needed.  My correspondence was met with a hard truth, one which lifted the wool from my eyes. If I wanted to succeed I had to take a cold, hard look at what I was doing...and cut away the dead weight of repetitive action I was hampering myself with. I had to acknowledge being accountable for my own mistakes meant I needed to push aside the excuses, the laziness, the sheer lethargy I had managed to convince myself was working.

I failed to see how my actions of epeatedly, trying to gain ground by doing the same thing over and over again was in its own way insanity. Believe me, I tried the basics until it was nearly muscle memory. But, I wasn't gaining, by all accounts I was holding steady with a decline in sales as my books were superseded by new releases by other authors.

I had to do some thinking, what did I want to do? Get a head or spend my time spinning my wheels in quicksand. With every post, every missed chance, I was making the choice to walk along the path of denial.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, what does this have to do with the title of this blog?

Well, its a prime example of my experience with the insanity of inaction. I was determined to unmine myself, to make my own projects second, while I wallowed in the woe is me of lack of sales.

Taking the advice and critism from others was hard. It was shocking and bold, and what was needed. For me to succeed - for any of us to succeed, I believe we need to take a solid look at what have and what we don't have. What we know and what we don't want to know.

If I want to be sure I'm making sales, I have to accept my part in the process and step up to the plate. I need to step off the revolving door of complacency and jump into the deep end of promoting and marketing my brand, my books, and engage with my readers.

Is this going to be easy? Probably not, but then the things we want aren't always easy to obtain. When we have to work for what we desire, we appreciate it much more than if its handed to us. So, it begs the question, my fellow authors, where do you fit in the cogs of this wonderfully crazy world of publishing?

Setting unrealistic goals and the painful consequences thereof

I'd be the first to admit I've put a lot of effort into building my career under my pen name, focusing on the genres I was exploring. But, my love of historical romance has been calling to me, with increased volume in recent months. After some time off, I'm jumping back into writing. A little over a year ago I started a new Celtic romance I found myself loving...but have since benched until I can rewrite it.

Currently, I'm working on a Roman era romance which is a lot of fun to write. I had a goal for it - which I think was unobtainable. I figured, 2500-3000 words per day, I'd have it up to 75k in no time. Real life, however, slipped my mind.

How can I truly reach those word counts without sacrificing something else? What would I give up to ensure my goals were reached and I felt successful?

Should I ignore my family? My obligations such as housework, appointments? Promotion and networking with friends? Imagine my horror as I realized not only were my goals beyond my reach, but to get them I was doing the one thing I never wanted to do. So, I sat back, did some serious thinking - and it was painful.

Knowing I wouldn't make the deadlines I set for myself, the word count, was discouraging. Took the wind out of my sails so to speak. Being honest with myself, I can admit I forgot to take the right steps. To know my limits and to push the boundaries only within the realm I could accept is a fact I ignored in the hope I reach the ending I wanted and submit to the publisher I wanted to - without realizing if I rushed myself, the work would have been mediocre at best, and probably would not have been accepted.

How did I overcome this emotionally draining challenge? I took a look at what I wanted vs what I needed.

What I needed outweighed what I wanted in the long run. I need to finish my book, need to be happy with it, need to be confident in it. Wanting to get it done before September 15 and submitted to a publisher - was a great idea, if the word count hadn't been so high. If I hadn't set myself up for the painful and crushing defeat of failure...which ultimately isn't failure.

Did I complete the project and get it in by September 15? No.

Am I happy with myself for missing that deadline? No, but I am not blaming myself, or shaming myself for not being able to do it. Instead, I'm looking at it as a learning experience. I've stepped back and decided I need to focus on what's important to me.

1. Getting a new title finished and ready for publication.

2. Finding a publisher the story and I fit with.

3. Reconnecting with the love of writing and knowing goals are the stepping stones to the dreams we hold.

As an author, there will always be a measure of panic when it comes to writing. It should not be because you've set yourself up to fail. If I have taken anything from this its simple, reaching for the stars is great...but not if you're willing to burn the very earth you stand on.