No more excuses.
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How has it already been a month since I last meandered with you?

Time is a slippery beastie, isn't she? As we deal with heavy issues surrounding memory in our "real world lives" (as opposed to the fictional ones we like to drop into) I'm thinking a lot about writing in general.

No, there was no real correlation there. But that's par for the course right now. (I don't golf. I should find a better cliché.)

The truth is, I haven't been writing. For at least half a year now, I've been in a writing funk. I've been bemoaning the loss of my mojo. It has fled the coop as surely as a chicken with an understanding of what's about to happen in that big room none of its friends have come back from.

"Is anyone even reading?" "I can't get any social media book people to pay attention." "I feel like I'm screaming into a void with a million other people, and none of us are actually being heard." "I'm out of ideas." "I don't feel it."

And so on.

Know what? I need to stop whinging. I need to do exactly what I've told other writers: Get your ass in the chair. It was only yesterday when I grew tired of my excuses and reasons and Eeyoreness.

But I also had a tiny epiphany: it isn't about the reader.

I need to reframe my mindset. I need to remember that I love to write, and I always have. I love other worlds, other characters, other ways of thinking. I love the creation. And damn, have I been proud of some of those creations. Yes, of course I want people to read the books. But if that's my focus, if I allow the marketing and sales side of it to overtake me, my creativity is nothing more than roadkill, splattered words painting the pavement.

I have to write for the joy of it. I have to write because adding queer stories to the world can only be a good thing. I have to write because even reaching a few readers who like what I'm doing is better than not reaching anyone at all. I have to keep going because I don't want to quit.

We go away next week, and I'm ready to get back to it. And maybe when I let you know that something is finally ready, you'll want to see what I've come up with. That would be nice.

Don't miss out...

We're doing our first ever Black Friday sale over at Butterworth Books. And it's a BIG one. More than 30 books will be on sale for a crazy low price. If you haven't read all our authors, this is your chance, and you don't want to miss it. Make sure you've followed us on social media too, so you get to see all the great books on offer. (It includes a few of mine, too.) You might get a couple extra emails from me as we get closer; I know how easy it is to forget about stuff and miss out.

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Thanks for sticking with me. I'm looking forward to a full year of stories, travels, coaching, and adventures.
Also, I'd love to hear from you. So much of writing is solitary, and hearing from readers reminds me that I'm not alone at my keyboard.

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Brey Willows

BlueSky

Brey Willows – Sci-fi/Fantasy Author, Sarcasm Expert, Introvert, Nerd