Relax, don't push so hard.

It's not writers block if you miss a day or so of writing. Life comes first.

It's ok to work on different projects when you are feeling a bit drained with your main WIP. Sometimes creativity is sparked by doing something else.

It's not a crime to relax and read. We write because we want to, it's our passion, not our master. Taking a day off is ok. Reading is also a great way to spark your creativity.

When you try too hard and you push your muse too far, she sometimes pushes back, and it's like running into a brick wall.



What ends up happening, is you stare blankly at your screen with nothing to write and a nagging feeling in your gut - that's self imposed guilt - because you aren't writing.

I've been doing that to myself lately. I want so badly to get my main WIP finished (Hunters & Prey - Book two of my Immortalis series), but I am stuck and it's making me cranky (and that's a bit of an understatement). My husband keeps telling me to relax, to do something else, but do I listen?

No.
LoL.

The other day I told him I wanted 30k words by the end of the month. It was my goal.

"I'm gonna finish this thing!"

His response... "Do they all have to be different words? We could start a word drive. Get people to donate their old words."

Bless his silly little heart. At that point I was rolling my eyes, but his humor was his way to tell me to lighten up.

He then asked me if I was on a deadline? If there a publisher breathing down my neck? Did I have a contract threatening to be broken by not having my WIP finished by the end of the month?

Of course my reply was no. (I'm still unpublished.)

"Then Relax. You have plenty of time to make it perfect."

He's right of course. I hate it when that happens.

I'm not published yet. I have time to make it shine. And it needs to. If my first works aren't stunning, I have no hope for future work.

So the moral of the story is, "Don't push so hard. Perfection takes time. You have to let the muse work for you. If you are unpublished, you have all the time in the world to make things perfect."

Save the worry for later when you are a multi-published author and working on a deadline.

Remember the reason we write is because we love it. Don't change that with unnecessary pressure.

11 comments:

Susan R. Mills said...

Great post, and one I really needed to hear today.

Tana said...

Thank you. I really, really, need to relax and read!!!!!!

Deb said...

Well said quixotic! I couldn't agree more. And don't worry, you'll get there!

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

So true, quixotic! Thanks for giving me permission not to freak out!

Sounds like you have a really supportive husband, which is awesome!

Robyn Campbell said...

Uh, NOW you tell me! :) Thanks for the HUGE reminder that WE CAN relax and just read for fun, Katie. :)

Jessica Nelson said...

Hahaa! Great pic and sweet hubby. :-)

Roni Loren said...

Great advice and i love the pic. Patience is not my strength so I often find myself setting crazy time goals.

Jody Hedlund said...

What a great pep talk! It's easy to be too hard on ourselves! Thanks for the reminder to lighten up!

JAlexander said...

I know - it's so hard to relax and not feeling guilty. Why do I feel guilty? Is some little old lady wagging her finger at me saying "shame on you..."

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

Oh, we are sooo on the same page today! :0 I love the picture! lol...it sure gave me a smile! That was a great word for the day....RELAX! :)

Okie said...

great post and great advice. Thanks to your husband for helping me smile at the fact that I haven't "buckled down and done my writing" for a while.

*aaaaahhh*

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.