Remember how I mentioned back at the end of May that I had burned out badly? Well, friends, it’s taken me all of June to recover.
Take that as your friendly reminder to look after yourselves <3
I’m not quite there yet, but it’s getting there, and I’ve made self-care a priority. The moment I sense burnout winking at me from the shadows, I take a break – no questions asked, no arguments.
As you can probably imagine, I didn’t get as much done this month as I might have liked, but I’m proud of what I did manage, and I remind myself that burnout is a bitch whenever I feel like it’s not enough.
Brightened Shadows
I’ve gone over all critique partner feedback and have made a note of things to adjust when I read over it again, which I’ll start doing today. I’ve also sent the chapter headings to my editor ahead of the book since some of my critique partners felt they were repetitive. I split opinions there – half thought they were repetitive, half thought they weren’t.
The Rise of the Sparrows Audiobook
I’ve booked my narrator, we’ve signed the contract, and she’s currently reading the book to take notes and prepare herself.
For all other updates and details, please check out The Audiobook Diaries.
The Silence of Magic
Honestly, this was a pleasant surprise to me. Camp NaNo begins tomorrow, and I was in the uncomfortable position of not wanting to work on any of my WIPs. (#burnoutisabitch)
Now, I really like NaNo, and since I’m unlikely to have time for the big event in November, I wanted to at least do both camps. But what to work on? All my WIPs made me feel like I was slipping back into burnout, and that’s the last thing I want!
That’s when I wondered about this idea I’ve had for years. I’ve mentioned it here and there, but I wasn’t expecting to start work on it any time soon.
And yet, the moment I considered it I felt excited.
Friends, I haven’t felt excited in months!
It feels beyond indulgent to work on THE SILENCE OF MAGIC when BLOOD WISP needs so much work and when BRIGHTENED SHADOWS still isn’t with my editor, but I feel good about this. It’ll be nice to work on a book and actually enjoy myself! I’ve been missing this feeling for months, so TSoM will be my NaNo project.
I’ve spend the last few days preparing for it, naming characters and sorting out the backstory that’s responsible for the main plot. I don’t have as many details worked out as I usually would, but that’ll be part of the joy! I’m excited to discover this vast lore-rich world alongside my characters.
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