Stay The Course and Stay Happy
Block out the noise and do your thing
Back in the day, I wrote and sold a good number of books, all while having a writing process that would make the so-called experts seethe. There were no multiple drafts or allowing my characters to take over and write the piece for me. What I had was a process that worked for me, as well as a publisher who never once questioned what I was up to. I made deadlines, delivered relatively clean drafts, and wrote in my own voice, for better or worse.
Now, I will say that I was fortunate to be in that position. I have heard authors talk about their nightmare situations with indie authors, none of which ever touched me. In fact, my publisher told me to write whatever I wanted, trends be damned, and they would put it out there without question. It worked like a charm until my mental health demons did me in.
Upon return, I found Substack to the perfect place to get back to regular writing. In the early days, I tried to find algorithm hacks and bad advice to grow my Stack. It wasn’t until I ditched it all and took the same approach to growth as I did to my writing that things started taking a turn for the better.
Each and every one of us has our own way of working, of delivering whatever it is we wish to share with the world. Some will strike lightning in a bottle and take off, while other will have a slow, steady climb. As long as you are doing what makes you happy, there is no wrong way of doing things. Forget about the path of others and focus on your own.
Case in point, the AI cover image used here will make people skip past, assuming I used AI to write this. I probably talk too much about my mental health struggles, but I also think it’s important to get out there. I also probably overdeliver and annoy people who see my name pop up in their email inbox…AGAIN!! I need to stay busy, need to stay on my own course, and while my imperfect path is not the same as yours and never will be, I encourage you all to stomp along your own course as slowly or as quickly as makes you happy.
STAY THE COURSE!!
Yes! You do YOU. Nobody else will, and what you have to offer will be valuable to someone, somewhere at some point--even if you never know it.
For what it's worth, I never thought you used AI to write and I love seeing your publication name appear in my inbox. And I thank you for being so open about your challenges because it helps others (like myself, who has also had long-standing and difficult mental health issues) know we are not alone and not weirdos. Love you, Mr Watson!!!