On one of my previous monthly posts I talked about being kind to ourselves. I talked about making sure we’re only doing what really is important, not giving in to peer pressure or comparing ourselves with others, and mostly feeling okay with saying no. That is especially important when the thing we’re saying no isn’t as important to our goals as the real thing we need/want to be doing.

Do you know what I didn’t talk about? When we put the pressure on ourselves to achieve something, and let me tell you, we can be right ol’ meanies when it comes to number one.

I hate to over promise and under deliver so I normally talk about my plans for new releases in loose terms because I know all too well that life can get in the way. Having said that, I also know how well I can do under pressure so let me tell you how the proverbial rug was pulled from under my feet.

Recently I announced I am writing under a new pen name, Ana Ashley. As Ana Ashley I am planning to release a new series in the new year. Book one is written but it needs some adjustments so I’m on a comfortable deadline for books two and three.

I decided recently to revamp my website and finally create a newsletter. I also wanted to write what we call a reader magnet, a free short story that readers receive free when they sign up for a newsletter. And this is where everything went wrong.

I’ve written 50k words in a week before. I’ve written 10k words in a day before. Could I write a 10k short story in a week while on holiday? Hell to the no and I will tell you why. 

My holiday wasn’t quite a holiday. I bought a house with my boyfriend so we spent the whole 10 days of our holiday doing one thing after another. Admin, bills, fixing stuff, you name it. We didn’t have much time to rest at all. 

My muse? Well, she had a jolly old time. While I panicked because I couldn’t write a single word when I was able to sneak a couple of hours to myself, my muse was lounging by the pool holding a drink with an umbrella.  

You see, writing isn’t like a tap. You can’t turn it on and expect words to come out. I had the story in my head, I knew the characters really well and I knew exactly what was going to happen in that story, but I couldn’t get out the words to match what was inside my brain. 

I’d just given myself too much to do and not enough rest time. I work full time and I still manage to achieve a load of other stuff, so why couldn’t I write at the end of my day when I was off work? One of the reasons is that as an introvert I had to do a lot of extroverting on this holiday. 

We were out in Portugal where I’m from and while I’m fluent in the language, I’m not confident with it anymore, especially when it comes to official stuff. Spending the week speaking a lot more Portuguese than normal and translating everything was far more exhausting that doing my day job followed by two solid hours of working.

It wasn’t until I understood how my surroundings and activities were affecting me that I decided to review my plan of action. I am now working on book 1 in the new series because it needs to be with the editor in a few weeks. After that I will go back to the short story with a fresh pair of eyes. I’m going to give myself the time to do that, update my website and create the newsletter. 

Has the world ended because I changed my plan? No.

Is anyone disappointed that I changed my plan? No one more than me, but I’ve accepted it is what it is.

Moral of the story is:

Authors, don’t forget to give yourselves a break. Sometimes we push and the brain works with us, sometimes it doesn’t. Be prepared to re-evaluate and accept the change of plans.

Readers, I hope this post has given some insight on the challenges authors face with moody/absent muses. Be kind to your authors. We want to deliver your stories as much as you want to read them.

If you want to know when the elusive newsletter and freebie are available join my reader group here. 

Till next month… hugs.

Ana