By Hannah Currie, @hannah_currie_author
Whether you’re traditionally published, indie published, not yet published, or not even thinking about publishing for a very long time, there’s one thing we authors all have in common: a never-ending to-do list.
It doesn’t seem to matter how many things we cross off it, there’s always more. More to write, more to edit, more to market, more… more… more.
Posted to social media today? You’ll need another post tomorrow.
Met your deadline? Take a breath, because here come the edits.
Released a book yesterday? Your readers are already asking when the next one will be available. The one you’re still writing. And editing. And marketing. While also plotting out the one after that.
Pulled in your courage and aced that pitch at a conference? Congratulations! That’s awesome! Now make those changes suggested. And polish that manuscript one last time. And send it as requested. And get to work on that next book while you wait. And that website/platform. And, oh wait, when was the last time you ate? You should probably eat some lunch. Even though it’s now closer to dinner. And, uh oh. Dinner. What’s for dinner???
The truth is, there is always going to be more. More things to do. More things you could be doing. More things you probably should be doing. A writer’s to-do list is a never ending thing.
Which is why we need to learn to celebrate. Even when the list isn’t done.
Am I good at this? Ha! No. Absolutely not. I struggle with this constantly. The idea of celebrating before everything is done just seems wrong. You should have heard how many times I’ve had to remind myself of this recently. (Actually, no, you shouldn’t. Because that would be really embarrassing!)
The list is long. But the reasons to celebrate are too.
Learn to celebrate the little things. The unfinished things. The times you were brave. The times you stuck with it.
Celebrate writing ‘The End’. Your book isn’t published yet. It might even be the biggest mess of dangling and forgotten plotlines that you’ve ever written, but you made it to the end. You wrote a book. YOU WROTE A BOOK! Do you know how many people have never done that? Wish they had? That’s huge!
Celebrate the rejections. Every single one of them is a badge of courage. Proof that you were brave enough to put your work out into the world and have someone judge it. Maybe it wasn’t right for their company, maybe the timing was all off, maybe you have a lot more work to do, but you had a go. You put yourself and your heart out there. And that courage is definitely worth celebrating.
Celebrate your book’s launch. This may seem pretty obvious—I mean, it’s a book launch, people! What every author works toward! But, again, it’s easy to let it just become another thing on your to-do list. Especially when you’re neck-deep in edits or writing your next book.
Celebrate that round of edits you completed.
Celebrate finishing that scene that’s been bugging you for weeks and you finally figured it out.
Celebrate that sentence you wrote that’s (not even a little bit biased here) a work of GENIUS.
I want to encourage you today to put the list down and look back on your journey. Celebrate how far you’ve come, even if you’re not yet where you’d like to be. Celebrate the friends you’ve made along the way. The people you’ve met. The skills you’ve learnt.
Maybe it’s only for a minute. Maybe for a day or a week or longer. But learn to celebrate.
Because, seriously? You, my writer friend, are doing amazing.
To all bar a few, the Guardian of Raedonleith is a mystery. To Lady Mykah, second daughter of King Lior, it’s her calling. For the past four years, the mask has given Mykah a way to care for her people in her father’s stead while she hides from them how distant their king has become. Never once has she questioned her mission nor thought the cost too high—until the night an arrow finds her. Though she has the courage of a knight and the calling of the Almighty, Mykah admits she would have died if not for the man who carried her to safety. A man who is as determined to keep his identity hidden as she is.
Six years ago, Sir Finnian lost his heart to a mysterious young archer. Though he searched, he never learned her name until the night he shot her…on his brother’s orders. Wracked with guilt, Finnian makes protecting Lady Mykah his new mission, never guessing how difficult it will prove to be. The Guardian has more enemies than she knows, and they’re closer than she realizes.
The longer Finnian stays, the clearer the price of his vow becomes. Because the only way to win Mykah’s heart will be to break his own. And the only way to keep hers beating will be to break it altogether.
Hannah Currie has loved royals—both real and fictional—for as long as she can remember and has always been fascinated by their lives. They started making their way into her writing somewhere around first grade, and never stopped. While she never dreamed of being a princess for real (way too many expectations and people watching), she certainly wouldn’t say no to the gorgeous gowns, endless wardrobes, chefs and cleaners that come with the job. A crown or two wouldn’t go astray either. Or Belle’s library. Where she’d just sit and stare at the books with a giddy smile on her face for hours.
Hannah lives with her husband and three kids in Australia, where they proudly claim the royal family as their own. She is very honored to be one of the launching authors for the new WhiteCrown Publishing line with her Crown of Promise series full of faith, romance and—of course—royals.