The Calm Before (and After!) the Storm

With Asa James coming out in a few months, people keep asking what I’m doing to promote it. And yes, there are things to do. Also, though, there is a reserve of strength and resilience to build, for books have long lives. I see promotion as a marathon for which I will need to pace myself. Right now, ahead of having an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) to share, there isn’t much to build upon except my own excitement. A year from now, in contrast, I intend to have a solid foundation on which to build out, leveraging whichever kinds words we can garner to further reach our readership.

Quietly, now and a year from now, after the storm abates, I will still be writing. Every day, butt in chair, working on whichever manuscript I can either write or revise. This is the source of my own personal calm, because I love the work. As long as I’m making progress on a manuscript, I’m happy. Which isn’t to say that I’m satisfied, because I can always find spots needing improvement, but I’m happy if I’m moving the work forward. It’s like air and food for me. There are times I can’t write because a commitment conflicts with my designated writing time, but I’ve learned not to panic. I can trust myself to pick up my pen as soon as possible. I know I will, because I need to—writing isn’t optional. I’ve hated this fact at times, but now, increasingly, I am grateful for it.

In many ways life feels short, but if I’m writing every day, then it feels long. I take this as a gift!