Courtney Hickling, Author

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✨ Day 4 of 75: When the Plan Derails ✨

I woke up today with a plan.

A good one.

A “we are not repeating yesterday’s rushed chaos” kind of plan.

And then… the plan hit a speed bump.

Then another.

And suddenly I have to reset.

Here’s the lesson Day 4 taught me:

Sometimes consistency doesn’t mean forcing the plan.

Sometimes it means adjusting the plan so you can keep going.

That realization is why I’m shifting how I do my daily check-ins during this challenge. Instead of only reporting what I checked off a list, I want to make space for the things that actually fuel the work: books, movies, trailers, writing process, and the creative conversations that make this journey fun.

And honestly? Today still delivered some really good things:

📚 I finished Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver

✍🏽 I’m planning a reverse outline for edits on Book 2 of The Hexwood Chronicles

🎨 I found a cover designer for Book 2 and I’m genuinely excited to collaborate

The plan didn’t go the way I expected, but the story improved.

That feels like a pretty solid metaphor for writing… and life.

So now I want to hear from you:

• What should I read next?

• Would you want to hear more about reverse outlining during edits?

#Lemon8Writers #AuthorLife #WritingChallenge #CreativeProcess #IndieAuthorJourney

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