Over a year ago, I published some blogs outlining the issues I encountered releasing my novel Raw Meat. Shortly after those setbacks, I started writing my novella The Mermaid.
Once the first draft of The Mermaid was complete, I decided to take a break from writing. I was in the middle of moving house, and it didn’t leave much time for sitting around and thinking about stories. Every author faces these kinds of challenges sometimes.
My fiancée and I were still settling in to our new home when she was diagnosed with cancer. She was unwell for a long time, and all of my energy and attention was dedicated to looking after her.
Fortunately over the last few months we have had more good news than bad, and she has slowly started to get better. I can’t put into words how grateful I am for her recovery. Even for writers, language simply falls short, sometimes. Especially when it comes to matters of courage, hope, and love.
My fiancée’s gradual recovery means that I have more time on my hands again. It’s funny: before we went through all of this, I’m not sure I understood just how much you can pack into each day.
With all that extra time, I was able to redraft and edit The Mermaid pretty quickly, and I’ve now released it as an ebook on Amazon. It’s my first successful release, and it feels great to finally have my writing out there for people to read. After all these years, I can finally call myself an author.
I want to share a lesson these last couple of years have taught me about writing. I’m not pretending I suddenly have some grand insight into the meaning of life, but there is something I think I’ve learned.
We live in a time when, for most people, money is tight. Just getting by can feel like a struggle, and there is pressure to turn every hour of the day into productive, profitable activity.
In my opinion, that mindset of relentless grind is poisonous. Life is about more than making money, and you will do yourself (and your writing) a huge favour if you step back every now and again to enjoy it. Remind yourself why you do the things you are passionate about, and what you started doing them for. I can almost guarantee, it wasn’t for money.
I’ve worked myself to the bone writing novels, and I’ve taken my time. Both ways, I ended up completing the stories. But one way felt like a punishment, and the other felt like a reward.
I know which one I prefer.
Edmund Axton 