If you’re like me, you’ve probably read books on writing and listened to the advice from long time authors. If so, then you also know that the prevailing wisdom is to let your baby go and write another book. Even after finishing the last book in the My Body Trilogy, My Body-Mine, I couldn’t let my three book baby go.

To really release your baby, you must start another project and I recently have. It has worked wonders for my psyche. Since starting my latest story, I no longer worry about the reviews for the trilogy or stress over the sales (all which have been going remarkable well). As soon as I adopted my new baby called Stuck In-Between, the first novel in the Bound by Your Love Series, I have a new love … a new obsession. Damn is it freeing!

Juggling the promoting of the trilogy blog tour, writing for my blog, editing, hosting author interviews (please email me if you’re interested) and keeping up with the demands of social media, I became a marketeer and lost touch with the joyful parts of being an author. For me that’s getting lost in a new story that literally flows through me to the computer page.

I had an epiphany that if I’m not creating, or balancing all that needs to be done with the parts of being a writer that I love, then I could be back in corporate American because the stress was feeling eerily familiar.

So now I bow to the wisdom of the sages in our industry and make sure to be working my art at least as much as promoting.

There is still so much knowledge to be absorbed, like the most effective way to use twitter and other social media outlets. I want the time spent to really count, but that means making time to read and investigate. Fortunately, my husband has been reading through the Naked Truth (about self-publishing) and reading lots of it out loud to me, which is expanding my thinking about how to approach being in business for myself.

Other advice I have read is that an author must also be an avid reader. You hone your craft by being inspired by other great writers. I’ve been making more time to read as well as write. I’m still old school and love to hold the book in my hands. Maybe someday I will graduate to the eBook world of reading but so far, let me hear the rustling of the pages.

It’s not quite ten months since I’ve been able to call myself a published author. It’s been a whirlwind when I look back on it. My Body-His came out November 15, 2012, My Body-His (Marcello) came out March 15, 2013 and My Body-Mine, July 15, 2013. Every day the dream comes more into focus and I’m learning so much in the process.

I was chatting with a new friend on Facebook and I shared my own sage advice. You are never too old to chase your dream. I’m sure glad I never gave up on mine.

Have you moved on? Are you working your new project right now? Share your realizations with us. That’s the support and the wisdom all writers cherish.

Warm hugs,

Blakely

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