Today, I’m stating the obvious…
I’m an author. I think about author-related stuff several times over the course of a day. Sometimes it’s about the menial tasks any business owner needs to do (because being an author is a business) like accounting and other admin. Other times, it’s about the stories swirling in my head. Right now, I’m sort of in-between books. Seaside Valleria 3 is with my editor, and I’m not starting Seaside Valleria 4 until next month. That means there’s not one story my brain needs to focus on, so I can muse about other characters I’d like to write about in the future. Sometimes a royal pops into my head, sometimes a character from the seaside, other times it’s a character you haven’t met yet from a future Vallerian spin-off series I’m thinking about for next year.
Before I overcame my fear and started putting words on the page, I wouldn’t think about writing at all. I refused to think about it. Every time my brain veered in that direction, I’d force it somewhere else. Eventually, when I did start writing, it slowly began to take more of my days. It was an escape from the troubling times and people around me, and I found a relief in writing that I hadn’t experienced before. Before I knew it, I’d be thinking about stories more and more each day, and imagining what it’d be like to publish a book.
Now, here I am, nearly five years later – five years! – and I’ve published 14 books, with another 3 on the way this year. “You become what you think about all day long.” I think this Emerson quote is spot on. I think about – dream about – being a full-time author every day, and I’m slowly becoming that.
I think this also quote applies to how you feel about yourself. I didn’t feel very worthy for a long time, because others had made me feel that way. Now, I’m working hard to change that perception about myself, to become more confident. If I tell myself I’m worthy, then I’ll start to believe it about myself, too.
I wake up in the morning and think ‘I’m an author’. I may be on the way to the day job that pays the bills, but I’m an author and I do author-related stuff before I go to that day job.
I am an author. I am worthy.
Neither of those is hard to say. I might have thought they were, but they’re really not.
What do you think about all day long? Comment on this post and let me know (if you’re receiving the blog by email, just click “Read More” to navigate to the blog page to comment).
~xoxo Marianne
This is Post 72 of 100 as part of the #100DaysofMKAuthorLife.