Got my manuscript back the other day. Actually, I should probably switch over to saying I got my book in all its individualized pieces the other day. And once I tweak a few items, I’ll be officially publishing my completely-assembled e-book with front cover and paperback book with front and back matter and inside content. It’s been a long three weeks or so since I picked up my book baby to read it and I missed it . . . even went through a period of separation anxiety that made it difficult to function in a content creative mode. Yes, I temporarily fell into that “inactivity rut” that I’ve spoken of in times past. And, separation anxiety looks a lot like . . .
- the emotions a toddler experiences when his “binkie” and “blankie” are taken away from him
- the emotions a family experiences when man’s best friend runs away from home and leaves that family to mourn its disappearance
- the emotions of an addicted unhealthy food junkie who has been forced to refrain from eating her favorite edible indulgence
I know I went a little to the extreme with these examples, but I wanted to give you somewhat of a visual of how important my book baby has been to me and how much of a struggle it can be when you’re separated from something or someone who has hugely impacted your life (even if that time of impact has only been a small fraction of your life). Undoubtedly, I’m truly thankful that this time of loss (separation anxiety) didn’t last any longer than it did. I think writing about my struggles with productivity, during this time frame, allowed me to become more sensitive to its debilitating pull from the onset. This ability to quickly recognize when I might be falling prey to a “lack of motivation” is a newly acquired skill set that I’ve been fortunate to pick up. It allows me to immediately identify when I’m slipping into an “inactivity rut” and to abruptly wake myself up from the deep sleep that can set in when you’re in a non-active funk.
When I found myself idly drifting between the self-publishing of my first book and the writing of my second book, I decided to stop pacifying myself with entertainment and opted to work on SOMETHING purpose-driven. This self-rehabilitation led me to:
- read How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn to get prepared for all the post-publishing tasks that will preoccupy my attention once the book is out on KDP.
- rev up the content provided on the Degrees of Maternity blog.
- develop a Goal-Setting Process that works for me and one in which I can slowly roll out to others to help in their pursuit of goal achievement efforts.
- determine the three major goals that will take me to the end of 2019.
- creating an audio book version of my first book
- creating a formal presentation to deliver in public speaking engagements (based on book #1) and looking into public speaking opportunities
- writing and publishing book #2
Sounds like a lot, I know. But, as I’ve stated before, a girl has to start with a vision, and I’m just ecstatic that I was able to do something productive during my period of separation from my written work. But first things first. Now that I have my book baby in all its imperfect yet exciting glory, I’m busying myself in preparation for presenting it to the world in the best possible form I can. There will be more information about its release date in next week’s posts. So, stay tuned for all the particulars. Things are heating up!
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