Book Update #6 – You Can Only Try

I posted the last update about my book on March 12. I was so happy then because I’ve passed the 10k words mark and felt like my writing was flowing really well. It just goes to show how fast things can change. Not only when it comes to my writing, but in life. The two are inevitably linked.

When I’m sad I write angst when I’m falling in love I write more romantic stuff, and sometimes, like right now, it’s hard to have the energy to write at all. 

The point of these book updates was not to celebrate my every accomplishment. No. I started publishing them to share the journey of writing my first book. And I always knew that journey wouldn’t be pretty all the time. And that it wouldn’t look like a straight line to success.

On March 12 I had written 10k words and was writing from 200 to 500 words a day. On March 17 I started working from home because of Covid-19. On March 20 my country issued its first Stay at Home order, currently in place until June 1. On April 16 I got a 20% salary cut that also meant 2 fewer hours of work a day. Today, May 21, 2020. I have 13k words of my book written. That means in two months I have barely written anything.

It’s not ideal. And it wasn’t the plan. But I’ve made my peace with it. We all are dealing with a lot of stress, changes in our routine, and lives. It’s natural to not be able to write in the same way I was doing before. 

At the same time, I’ve also been trying to start writing again. To keep my book as one of my priorities. Even if I don’t make much progress, this project means a lot to me and I feel like the least I can do is give it a little attention.  I’ve read what I have done so far and done small corrections. I’ve written when I find the inspiration to do so, even if just 100 words a day. 

Every day, I do the best I can. Sometimes my best it’s just changing a word or two. Writing one sentence or none. But I’m putting in the effort. The key to succeed is to never stop trying. So that’s what I will do. Try and try again.