The Madness:
What do you see when you first find an author on social media? Probably a lot of crisp, clean colors on well-thought out covers, with maybe a few effortless blurbs that catch your attention, at least enough for you to maybe click on the Amazon link. You might imagine they’ve got strict writing schedules, publicists, editors, formatters, and fans up the wazoo. That might be true for superstars like John Green or Suzanne Collins, but it’s definitely not true for little indie authors like me.
My life is a lot more chaotic and messy – I’m in my last senior semester of college, I play in a guitar ensemble twice a week, music lessons once a week, and run a crochet business in addition to all the author stuff. Needless to say, I really haven’t had much time (let’s be real – any time) to write since this current semester of school started. Writing is an all-consuming process that takes everything you have (trust me, it’s the most energy you’ll ever expel while sitting completely still). A good story needs focus, and the best story needs your own life-force injected into every single paragraph on every single page. Anything half-assed gets cut, so you gotta give it your all.
Of course, this probably sounds overwhelming (and it is), but I also absolutely love it. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, or just have a bizarre love affair with literature, but this is what I was meant to do. The only tough thing, then, is balancing that with so many other interests and talents that I want to pursue. So how do I do that? Well, I’m still figuring that out.
The Method:
Currently, I’ve just been hoping that spring break will allow me both the logistic (and mental / emotional) space to add on to the two chapters I wrote for my work-in-progress: a young adult time travel story. Of course, that time will be split with capstone paper research and brainstorming (senior year, am I right?) but I’m still really psyched to dig in. I’ve also been hoping to take the plunge and try an Instagram live at some point, so that will probably happen during that same first week in March when I’m off of school.
And in the meantime? I’m trying to be nice to myself (which, is surprisingly hard). I’m definitely a type-A personality who will work myself half to death before calling it quits for the evening (or the week), but I know that’s a dangerous habit that will lead to me feeling over-stressed and cranky. So basically, I’m forcing myself to take time to get around to the latest Netflix binge that I’ve been holding off on (Umbrella Academy, anyone?) and just live in the moment.
I’m hoping that watching cool shows, reading fun books (that I didn’t write), and just learning to be a human being instead of a human doing will allow me to be more productive once I sit down to my next long-awaited writing session.
I’ll keep you posted on my projects per usual, and hopefully you can help me keep my inner workaholic in check ❤
If you’re looking for a fun time to wind down after a long day of doing all the things, maybe check out my stories? If you liked The Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars, I think you might be into my novels. They can be found on Amazon HERE.
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Angelina Singer Author Updates 