Resilience. The ability to recover from or adapt to misfortune or change. It’s been a buzzword for years, but especially gained traction in the initial weeks and months of the pandemic. As authors, we’ve been living resilience for years! Few other careers take so much of an individual, send it out, only to have to sent back with “not right for us” or worse yet, no word at all. Add in the rapid changes since the mid-2000s, including the changes which increased in speed in the early 2010s, and there’s one thing that I can say.
Most authors ARE resilient. We have to be. Otherwise we won’t stay in this business very long.
So first, pat yourself on the back and give yourself credit. You deserve it.
Then, start thinking about how we can change our writing, our careers, whatever it is so we can move beyond resilience. What’s beyond resilience?
Moving beyond resilience means reshaping your life or certain aspects of it so that it works better for you and you don’t need to be resilient or struggle. This may mean changing how many words a day you write, or looking at ways to slow down and allow some well-needed breathing room into your writing life.
It may mean rethinking your goals or perhaps shifting into a new genre. Whatever it means for you, it’s always a good step. I look forward to helping you on your journey.
