Author life ✨

It's a common misconception that being an author is all about quiet contemplation and eloquent prose. The truth about an author's current life situation is often far messier, more emotional, and surprisingly chaotic. When I first started, I envisioned myself serenely typing away, but my actual 'DAY IN THE LIFE AS AN AUTHOR' often looks more like a frantic scramble to keep all the creative plates spinning. Let's talk about the content creation treadmill. I'm guilty of trying to 'Film too many content videos that you'll never use.' The pressure to constantly engage, to show up visually on social media, sometimes overshadows the actual writing itself. You spend hours filming, editing, setting up shots, only to review it later and think, 'Is this even good enough?' or 'Does this truly represent my work?' It’s a huge time sink and a source of silent stress for many of us trying to build an author platform. It adds another layer of self-doubt to an already challenging profession. Then there's the writing itself. Oh, the beautiful, torturous writing. How many times have I sat down, poured my heart out onto the page, only to 'Write and think it's all trash and debate deleting it and starting over'? It's a constant battle against imposter syndrome. Every draft feels like a monumental failure until, somehow, through sheer perseverance and countless revisions, it clicks into place. That internal critic is louder for authors than for almost anyone else, I swear. It's a core part of an author's current life situation, this ongoing fight for words that feel right. And after all that, you have to be a marketer, too. 'Posting on all platforms' isn't just a suggestion; it feels like a mandatory second job. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, your blog... each one demands a different type of content, a different voice, a different strategy. It's exhilarating to connect with readers and build a community, but it's also utterly exhausting trying to keep up. My energy often feels completely depleted by the end of the day just from this constant cycle of creation and promotion. Which, of course, brings me to the glorious 'crying nap.' Yes, it's a thing. Sometimes, after a particularly brutal writing session, or a day filled with content creation woes and social media anxiety, the only logical conclusion is to simply collapse. It's not always sadness; sometimes it's just sheer overwhelm. A moment to reset, to let out the pent-up emotions, and then, hopefully, wake up ready to tackle it all again. It's part of the raw reality of an author's life situation, an essential, albeit slightly dramatic, form of self-care. If you're an aspiring author or just curious about our world, know that this messy, emotional journey is often the norm. It’s okay to have days where you feel like you're failing, where your words feel inadequate, and where a good cry is the best form of self-care. It's all part of the unique and challenging experience of bringing stories to life. Remember, every published author has likely had more than a few 'crying naps' on their journey to sharing their art with the world.