Hello friend, 👋🏾
I have resembled a whirlwind for the past few weeks. I took part in an author reading in Brooklyn, a group author signing in Pennsylvania, followed by a refreshing and productive few days on a writing retreat with friends at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center. Then I was the keynote speaker at a conference this past weekend in Newport News, VA. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of fall events.
Take a peek at my calendar if you dare. (Seriously, it scares me.) Somehow I managed to book myself for a staggeringly voluminous quantity of events. A workshop, a panel discussion, a book club appearance all in one weekend. Followed by two different book events the next weekend. Then Niagara Falls. Nashville. Las Vegas. Seriously, my cats will forget who I am.
If you will be at any of these events in any of these places, please come and say hi. I like to joke that I’m a violent introvert, which is true, but that just means that I’ll require a period of cocooning and self-repair after each event, not that I won’t enjoy them.
But I’m telling you right now, 2025 is going to be a year of “no.” While I feel confident in my ability to get through my self-imposed insane schedule with my hair still attached to my follicles, I’m also very grateful there’s an end in sight.
Burnout is a state of exhaustion that many creative people face. It comes in multiple forms and has a variety of causes. In the past, my writing and publishing schedule has caused periods of burnout for me. Also, high expectations, disappointments, lack of self care, the list of potential reasons goes on and on, and for me, burnout can best be solved by purposeful rest.
I’m still crafting my goals for 2025. They’ll definitely include plenty of writing, but I’m quite certain that true rest will need to be a significant part of the plan. However, I predict that my year of “no” will be incredibly difficult to stick to. I like saying yes to things, probably because I’m still quite chuffed to be invited at all. This particular introvert enjoys meeting new people, having interesting conversations, learning about new books, and traveling to different places.
But I also recognize that I’m a creature of routine, and while the new and different can feed my creativity, my productivity really enjoys the pull of sameness. Quiet, uninterrupted time to focus, think through problems, imagine, daydream, and invent.
In the latest episode of my podcast interview series, Imagining Success, I spoke with author Daniel José Older about a variety of topics, including burnout. For writers, our products are our stories, but on some level, the product is really ourselves. In order to protect that product, we need to take great care of our bodies, our souls, and our time. I can admit that I don’t always do a great job of that.
However much I complain, I have no regrets. I’m confident that I’ll have a blast at every single event I attend. And I did make a conscious choice to focus my marketing on in-person experiences and connections, instead of online and social media based promotion. It’s more aligned with interests and how I want to show up in the world. And it’s part of the reason why, though I expect I’ll be worn out, I’ll also be invigorated and inspired and will return with tons of new ideas. Some of which will need to be enacted directly from bed, where I just might stay until the new year.
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📝 Could you be suffering from screen apnea?
When we think of technologically related ailments, complaints such as carpal tunnel, eye strain, myopia, or “tech neck” come to mind. But as it turns out, something as basic as breathing can be affected by our addictions to our devices. As this article from NPR’s Body Electric says:
…over the course of hundreds of years, humans have lost touch with natural breathing patterns as our posture has declined and we spend much of the day hunched over our screens and devices.
Mouth breathing, shallow breathing, asthma, sleep apnea, snoring more are evidence of our less than optimal breathing habits, and technology does us no favors. However, research shows that breathing slowly and deeply has a number health benefits.
Breathing properly has an immense positive impact on our health and well-being. Slow breathing lowers our stress levels, increases focus, regulates our emotions and even helps us make better decisions.
The article has tips on how to improve your breathing, offering suggestions like: become aware of your breath, take frequent breaks from your devices, and consider using a breathing app to remind you to breathe deeply.
That there’s a need to apply conscious and purposeful thought to something as simple as breathing, something that we supposedly do automatically, just reinforces my desire to limit my online time as much as I feasibly can.
In fact, take a moment and breathe with me right now. You were probably holding your breath at least a little while reading this.
📝 Breaking Down Success
I’m almost never on the Threads app, but in a rare moment I came across this thread from an author and marketing professional whose handle is paganalexandriacreative. It’s an interesting breakdown of fantasy juggernaut Sarah J. Maas’s path to success, with lessons that indie authors can take away.
According to Alexandria, Maas’s initial success came after she uploaded what would become her first book to a fiction community, FictionPress. Sites like that and Wattpad, along with fan fiction sites, allow writers to prove there’s a demand for their stories and provide waiting, hungry audiences.
There are other tips included that are not necessarily reproducible, like being able to corner a specific niche and be a very early adopter of a genre that is on the cusp of exploding. But the idea of focusing on your superfans, give them what they want, and using them to create hype are concepts that many authors can use to grow their careers.
🚀 Quick Bites
I’m teaching a workshop for the Free Expressions Writing Success Series. There’s a free info night coming up this week, Thursday, Sep 19 at 7:15pm ET to learn more about the series and get a preview of the workshops. Sign up at: https://free-expressions.com/writing-success-series.
MetroWest Writers’ Guild: Fantasy Worldbuilding
September 21, 2024 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Online
So you’re writing a fantasy, but you want to break out of the typical swords and sorcery scenery? This is the class for you!
Why do so many fantasy novels take place in the same, medieval, pseudo-European setting? How can writers create unique, fully-realized environments that readers will want to get lost in? Dive into techniques for architecting your own world and learn how elements such as geography, technology, economics, weather, government, culture and more are all integral to crafting a tale designed to delight. Expect to leave the seminar with the building blocks of your own fantasy world as well as a plan for fleshing out your creation while not getting lost in the details.
“The point of life is not to make the ocean of reality totally placid, still, and ever pleasant, that is not possible. Instead, the goal is to develop the inner resilience you need to not get knocked down by the inevitable waves.”
- Yung Pueblo
🎙️ My Imaginary Friends: Episode 245
Watch on YouTube | Listen to the podcast
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing, where I share insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week’s best thing.
“Imagining Success” is an interview series where I talk to authors who have achieved career milestones that others only dream about and ask them how they got there and where they go from here.
Today, I speak with New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Older. Daniel has been nominated for the Kirkus Prize, The World Fantasy Award, the Locus, and the Mythopoeic Award among others and is a winner of the International Latino Book Award. He writes novels for teens and adults, as well a monthly comic book series, and is a lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic. He and his wife Brittany N. Williams also have a podcast called Inkbottle, where they talk about writing, creativity, and parenting.
Find Daniel online at https://www.danieljoseolder.net/ and check out his Substack:
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