Writer's Fatigue
So, most of my Indie Author friends will probably relate to how I'm feeling right now. It's a mix of exhaustion and, for lack of a better word, blah.
The blah is from a few sources, but I think the biggest cause is from constantly trying new ways to market and advertise my books. Creating blurbs and ads on PowerPoint, sharing on Facebook groups, Tweeting - all of that "fun" stuff to get my books noticed; it's all a headache.
I know I'm not alone in this feeling. It's the inevitable come down in between sales and when everything is stagnate. We check our KDP chart every other hour (those of us who use it) and we wonder if there's another route we can advertise. Which blurb or cover is better? How ELSE can we be seen?! And the worrying/longing/hoping for sales or reviews wears us down. Soon, the creativity is blah too. It's an awful cycle!
For me, the only way out from this dark tunnel is forcing myself to write... ANYTHING. Even if it's just a short story or a poem - even if it has nothing to do with my series or WIP at hand, I still make myself do something creative. The blah won't go away if I cycle in the writer's manic sadness, so I must make myself be creative!
If that doesn't work to make me feel like a real writer again, I'll watch or read something magical and fantasy oriented; a lot of times that's an anime or a fun film. It usually inspires me on some level, and I can go back to being creative again soon.
Whatever it takes, I do it (without drugs, mind you :P ) - The point is, we can't slam our heads against the wall constantly and wonder what we're doing wrong. That'll just make us nuts, and doesn't help sales. Sure, we should keep on promoting our books, but not at the cost of our sanity or creative souls.
No matter what, as Dory says, keep on swimming and don't give up!
