It’s been a while, hasn’t it? But I did need that time off. I’m not sure I would have been able to meet any of my deadlines for July or August if I’d been concentrating on the blog, too.
We moved the last weekend of July; not far, but if you saw my Twitter feed you know it went sideways, fast. I’m still trying to get an appointment to have my back looked at; it was not a fun time.
Even less fun, I found out the following week that I’m being laid off. After only a week of pretending to be a full time author and designer, I found a new position, which I’ll be starting this week. While I really would have loved to make a go at freelancing, my bank account demands something more stable.
I am going to stick with a weekly schedule for the time being. I’m also making a few small tweaks to my Patreon, and revising my editing and publishing schedule. I’m re-evaluating some other behind-the-scenes stuff as well to try to make this more sustainable, and that means making it more profitable. I hate that I’m having to sacrifice things I love (like writing) because of my health, and other things I enjoy (like blogging) for money. Some people with Hashimoto’s go back to “normal” with treatment. Others don’t. After three years, I think I just need to accept the fact that three books a year is impossible and two is a challenge. There might be times when I have to release only one book a year, and I can tell there will be times in the future where even that might be too much. I’m doing my best, but I can’t keep comparing myself to what I was able to do in 2016. I’m a better writer; I know more about the industry, about writing and editing and how to do this job. But I just don’t have the stamina I used to, and that balancing act is very hard to manage. I have to utilize that experience to compensate for the times when I just can’t work, or can’t work as efficiently as I used to. I also want to try new things. I’ve been dabbling in youtube for a few months, and it’s a lot of fun to design and produce videos. When your hobbies (writing and knitting) become monetized, then a different outlet for creativity is sometimes needed. That’s one platform where I’m not giving myself a schedule or deadlines; I make videos as the spirit moves me and on the subjects I’m interested in.
I also want to step into non fiction, but that’s something I can’t do without taking time away from my fiction. So there will probably be more changes coming. I hope you’ll be patient as I figure out the new rules my body and my brain have set for me, and as always I look forward to any constructive feedback.
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