Monday Malaise & the Indie Author

ma·laise

noun

1. a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease.

2. a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lethargy, or discomfort.

I woke this morning to my phone ringing rather insistently. I answered and found my youngest on the other end. She was bubbling with happiness and news about the baby's room, the wedding, the in-laws and a long host of other subjects. I'm still hungover from the wedding two days ago. So this became the topic of today's blog. Yes, it feels like I've been put through a meat grinder.

I find it hard to snap out of it. Just moments ago I received another call to perform a wedding today. This is in between two others.

I opened up by email accounts and found sixty emails (40 in one and 20 in the other) which had to be dealt with. I know, I know it's Monday. I took most of yesterday off. Everyone needs some down time, right? And now, it has snowballed and this blog is late. Oh well, I'm only human.

One of the emails had character sketches, outline, and synopsis for a novel I'm ghosting. My mind is working like it is full of molasses. You know that thick sludgy stuff. Words are caught and desperately trying to work their way to the surface of the thinking creative side.

I know! I can blame it on my age. Oh wait even better! I can blame it on the wedding. I must be coming down with something. No, maybe I can blame it on the day off I had. Those are only excuses and put offs.  Excuses are always easier to find than answers.

I hear excuses all day long for this or that. I couldn't write today because of __________. You fill in the blank. Think about it for a minute. We all make excuses. Find the root and stomp it. We all know if you just cut dandelions off at the head, the root remains and will grow again...this time bigger. The same goes for excuses.

Excuses are an easy out for all of us. So what's your excuse? Look at it analyse it and remove it. I guarantee tomorrow another excuse will crop up...just like dandelions in your yard. It takes a stubborn will to churn out a 100K word manuscript. If you let it get in your way, it will. What is your dream? Keep focused on it. Fight malaise when it strikes. Accomplish your dreams or at least take a step towards fulfilling it. One step at a time.

For me, it's back to the story...
Keep writing and loving the Lord.