JOURNAL OF A DEBUT AUTHOR - CHAPTER FIVE: Apparently being published doesn’t stop you madly refreshing your email inbox.

​It is interesting to me, because in a lot of ways you expect that when you finally achieve a goal you've held dear for years, you will suddenly feel very different, very fulfilled and very satisfied.
I don't think it's really the case.

Basically, your goals just immediately shift to something new (published one book? Now you can't stop thinking about publishing another one!). This means I still spend every waking moment refreshing my inbox to see if the status of my ongoing projects has changed... anything new? What's happening?

I guess it is good in some ways, because that feeling does keep driving me onwards, which can only be a good thing. But it was definitely a surprise, and not something I expected.

This has made me think about reflecting, and how important and healthy that can be, no matter what stage you are at in a career.

So I think this is quite an important topic, for both published authors, self-published authors and aspiring authors and writers in general. Or maybe just for everyone.

I am pretty sure all of us want something.

And then if we work really hard and go for every opportunity we might get it (with a little luck).
And then we immediately begin looking forward to that next thing we want, feeling anxious about that next thing we don’t think we’ll ever manage to get, stressing out!
 
I guess this is just a reminder, no matter where you are during your writing career, to look backwards and be proud of your achievements too. Take the time to reflect on what you’ve improved on, what you’ve gained, how well you have done.
It is so important.
 
Otherwise you will literally spend your entire life chasing something that will morph into that next thing, into the next thing.
And you will never achieve your dreams.
​
 
So stop. Reflect. And be proud of yourself.
 

And yes, that goes for unpublished authors and your large pile of rejection letters. That is maybe the hardest stage of being a writer because you genuinely feel there is no tangible achievements coming your way, no contracts, no competition wins.

But still stop and reflect.

Have you been working hard? For how long? What are your skills like from when you first started? You have improved, I bet you have. There is no way you are as stagnant as you may feel. I know this from my past experience. It is an excruciating stage to be in, but the long as you are trying hard and your skills are improving then you are making progress... and in my opinion, progress for a writer is fulfillment. Every tiny little step. Just keep progressing.

And don't forget to reflect on how far you have come!


Stop. Reflect. And be proud of yourself.

:)