Thawing My Efforts

Hello all. As per usual, it’s been a while. I found that I fell into hibernation mode in these last weeks of winter, and I’m still waking up. But now that the sun is out later in the day and warm and welcoming, it feels like the perfect time to jump back into things.

I have and have not done a lot these last few weeks. I’ve held my breath for longer days and spring showers, letting my time now slip through my fingers. So with my anticipation for Spring, I’ve turned to writing. I plan for my next novel, The Gate’s Call to be released before the end of this summer. With the pending publication of The Gate’s Call getting closer, I’ve been revising, rewriting, and reworking a lot of the manuscript. I love the story but feel a creeping anxiety about a book in the real world rather than fantasy. Especially since part of this book takes place in a country I have never been to, though plan to visit one day. On top of navigating that, I have gone beyond my artistic efforts for my past novels and illustrated unique chapter headers. This was a new endeavor, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Yet I’m struggling with the cover art. I’ve made three different versions up until this point and still don’t know if they fit my vision. I tried using watercolor paint for two of them, thinking it fit with the whimsical theme of the book, but couldn’t achieve what I aimed for without using acrylics in the third version. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t like a challenge…

Other than readying a novel for publication, I have been working day and night on book three in The Divine Shadows Saga. Granted, working mainly entails extensive thinking and brainstorming ideas. For whatever reason, I’m having a harder time writing this third book than I did with the first two. I know the plot, I’ve had it figured out for months if not years. However, when it comes to actually writing it, my fingers are slow to type. I’m second guessing. I suppose it is normal to thoroughly check your character interactions when you’ve been writing them for nearly a decade now. I want to ensure they’re consistent, but I think my slowness spawns from something else. A desire to live up to the previous titles, maybe. Whatever it is, I won’t let it get in my way. I have stories to tell, and no fear of failure will stop me.

Speaking of fear of failure, I started running recently! So please, send thoughts or prayers…

I’ve wanted to get into running for a while, but any attempt I made over the years never stuck. I wanted faster results and milestones. And given some health issues I’ve ran into over the years, I was afraid to start running again because I didn’t know if I could manage it. But I hate being sedimentary, so I decided even if I never get better at running, I’m at least going to enjoy doing it poorly. It forces me to push myself, and frankly, I need a little pushing, especially outside of my home. I think that’s another thing this winter convinced me of. Staying indoors and on the couch is always welcome when the weather is crappy. But the mountains are still right there; the sun is still shining where I live. No matter the time of year, nature is always there to revel in. That’s a lesson I’ll need to remember next winter because I missed being outside. Even if it’s simply a drive through the forest, getting out in the peace of nature really makes a difference.

Going forward, I intend to push myself to work harder for my wellbeing. Whether it be in regard to writing, physical health, or mental health, even the slightest efforts will make a world of a difference.