L.S. Engler

Gonna Brush the Dust off my Soul.

L.S. Engler

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If I recall correctly, I was making a post rather similar to this more than a month ago, but here I am, back from another strange, unintended break. The crux of the problem this time was the roommate with the cable bill moving out and canceling it, needing to get a new service, and just a really weird, general ennui about the whole Intrawebz thing. Really, I am my own worst enemy: I wasn’t able to keep up my goals for Heartless, and so I just kept spiraling down, down, down and had absolutely no motivation for anything. But yesterday, I finally broke through the funk, finished transcribing the draft, and now I plan to forge ahead and edit the crap out of it before I seek out some beta readers for June.

There’s definitely plenty to do ahead, too, so at least I won’t have a lack of things to post about. I’m waaaay behind on my reviews (including one for Lauralynn Elliott‘s latest Fire Wizard), I’ve got a few more recipes to share, and a boatload of other stuff intended. I think my biggest downfall has been my process; I’ve realized that if I don’t get my blog post up first thing, then it usually doesn’t get done at all. So blog post first, then I’ll focus on all my lovely writing and editing, and hopefully that leads to a more productive blog again.

Somehow, May sneaked up on me pretty effectively, so I hope to have a new Featured Story from World Unknown Review up soon (so check out Shan Jeniah Burton‘s “A Splash of Red” before it’s gone!), and it’s also time to promote my books to get in my goal of ONE SALE per month. Of course, it’s only ONE SALE, so if anyone hasn’t jumped into a Bowlful of Bunnies yet or want to dive into The Slayer Saga before Book II comes out in August, help me out and do so now! The digital books are only 99 cents and the paperbacks are pretty reasonable, too.

On a separate note entirely, it looks like I’ve accumulated 555 follows, and I have a thing with neat numbers like that, so that’s pretty cool.

How’s everyone else been doing while I’ve been out in la-la land?

9 responses to “Gonna Brush the Dust off my Soul.”

  1. utahrob Avatar
    utahrob

    Strange, I was thinking about you this morning and wondering how the review was doing.

    It’s hard to stay motivated; I try to do at least one thing that makes me feel good about myself each day. Hang tough.

    Reply
    1. L.S. Engler Avatar
      L.S. Engler

      Sales have definitely slowed on the review, but that’s nobody’s fault but my own. I haven’t been marketing it or discussing it as much as I should be, but, hopefully, once Heartless is out and my attention turns to WUR Vol. II, there might be a renewed interest in it as I prepare for the next installment.

      I definitely try to do one good thing for myself every day, too. The only problem is that, lately, those things haven’t been writing-related. Time to change that a little, methinks.

      Reply
      1. utahrob Avatar
        utahrob

        Indeed. It’s hard to stay motivated. I think I was slipping into a slump myself, but I sold a story yesterday to Fly Fisherman Magazine and that sparked me up. The editor said he was getting an unusual amount of mail from people who liked my last piece–that’s always good for motivation. No matter how isolated the whole thing seems, we’re still needy.

        Reply
  2. miq Avatar
    miq

    I have honestly been checking EVERY DAY for a new post. I almost didn’t today. And then I did, and I almost clicked because I was like, oh, no new post. Then I blinked and got really excited! I already can’t wait to be a beta reader. Ask me, ask me!!

    Reply
    1. L.S. Engler Avatar
      L.S. Engler

      Aww, thank you for this, Miq! Sometimes, with the big wide world of the Intrawebz, it can feel like we’re just talking to ourselves out here, like we’re throwing all this stuff at nothing but a blank space. So it’s incredibly encouraging to hear that, hey, people are listening and they are interested, so I need to get my butt in gear and give those particularly awesome people what they deserve. Thanks for being so supportive.

      And, believe me, you’ll be the first to know when the beta draft is ready! I cannot wait to get your feedback!

      Reply
      1. miq Avatar
        miq

        I’m super excited for it!

        Reply
  3. Lauralynn Elliott Avatar
    Lauralynn Elliott

    Glad to see you back! I know there are times when we, as writers, lose motivation. Right now, I’m highly motivated, and I’m writing nearly every day and are way ahead of my monthly writing goals. But I looked back at March and realized I barely wrote ANYTHING that month. It comes and goes, and we just do the best we can, right?

    Reply
    1. L.S. Engler Avatar
      L.S. Engler

      Motivation is dumb like that, isn’t it? I think we put so much pressure on ourselves, too, and that our business as indie writers demands so much from us, that we sometimes seem to forget that we can’t be full-octane at all times. There’s no one else to pick up the slack for us, so when we allow a little slack, we feel like we’ve failed. And I know that when I feel like I fail, things spiral downward into more failure. So I’ve just got to embrace that, hey, we can’t be on point at all times, it’s okay to need a break sometimes, and the world is still turning and you can still get back on track with the right focus, and it’s not like everyone’s abandoned me because I’ve disappeared for a wee bit.

      That’s awesome that you’ve got a great streak going for you at the moment, Lauralynn. I’m hoping this is me on the cusp of my own next awesome streak, too.

      Reply
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