Last week, I posted about how I’d lost nine weeks worth of creative work due to a computer issue. It was a raw, emotional time, and I deeply appreciate the kindness and grace I was given by friends and fans as I processed my loss. Now that I’ve had a few days to process my grief, I’ve started to think about how to use this loss as an opportunity to pivot toward something I had been avoiding without realizing it.
The truth is, I hadn’t gotten a whole lot done creatively in the last couple of months. That’s not to say that I wasn’t working, but it wasn’t coming easily. Part of that was due to a couple of large-scale events I attended as well as some major family milestones I chose to be fully present for. But looking back objectively, I think I was trying to force myself to draw ideas from a dry well.
I’d been spending most of my time working on several stories for a planned anthology of spin-off short stories in the Keltin Moore series. While one of them would have featured Keltin as the protagonist, the rest of the stories were going to feature other characters from the series taking center stage. It’s a fun project, but for some reason I was struggling to finish it. To be clear, the project isn’t gone. While I did lose all the edits I’d made in the last two months, I still have all of my completed first drafts, so I can resume work on the anthology whenever I feel like it. The thing is, I just don’t feel like it right now.
Now that I’ve had a chance to take a step back and reflect a little, I’ve realized that I may have been prioritizing the wrong projects both creatively and professionally. I’d been so caught up in the need to produce a new book by the holiday season that I was ignoring the fact that I just wasn’t enjoying working on the anthology. Besides, it’s really more of a deep-cut bonus for existing fans rather than something that will help new readers discover my work.
With that in mind, I’m shifting my focus. I’ve already got two completed first drafts I’ve had on the back burner: an epic fantasy and a cyberpunk adventure. I announced both last year but shelved them while trying to finish the anthology. But after just five days, I’ve already made major progress on plotting and structure with both of them.
So, where does that leave me? Bad news, I probably won’t have another release ready in time for the Christmas season. Good news, my writing is taking off again, I’m expanding myself professionally and creatively, and I’m happy to write again. And that’s the best news of all.
That really sucks. I lost a chapter once when I wrote my memoir, so I back up everything, often, on two different drives. The problem really is Microsoft, because it keeps trying to get me to default their cloud. Nope. Not doing that. Don’t get discouraged. Hang in there.
Thank you. I appreciate the encouragement.
I felt this article in my soul. If I don’t work on something that I am really excited about, it’s like banging my head against a wall. Not to say that I won’t be excited about it again, but my brain just isn’t in to it at that moment. And when I shift gears, it’s like I’m allowing my brain to relax and that’s when my creativity flows. It’s so awesome that you learned you something so valuable out of something that could have crushed your creativity.
I’m really glad this spoke to you. Thank you for sharing.
So sorry that you lost so much work, but a refreshed focus is a silver lining, at least
Thank you, C.