SPA Girls Podcast – EP23 – Dealing with Author Overwhelm
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Welcome to episode 23 of the SPA Girls podcast (there is some confusion about this while we’re recording, thought I’d set the record straight… 🙂 ) This episode we’re talking about Author Overwhelm, one of those insidious blockages sent to distract us as authors. When you’ve got so much on, and so many things that you’re trying to do, and it’s making you feel panicky and frustrated – to the point where you’re not actually doing anything useful at all… that’s author overwhelm. We’ve focused on giving practical tips on what we do when author overwhelm hits, how we keep going through the tough times, and what we do to try and avoid author overwhelm in the first place! I hope you enjoy it, it’s a great episode!
What causes Author Overwhelm?
It’s a solitary job with seemingly no outlet to bounce your ideas/worries/insecurities off.
There are deadlines personal or otherwise.
You want to be successful and achieve money or rewards but there is always someone telling you how you should do things.
You want to do it all at once.
Pressure to succeed – internally and externally. Working for yourself you want to push yourself to be successful, but burning yourself out is counterproductive.
Worried about forgetting to do or write something.
How do you deal with overwhelm?
What should you do first?
Which way is right for you?
How do you avoid it?
We all deal with it differently but first you must curb your impatience. It’s a long race and you need to last the distance. You can’t do that if the overwhelm cripples you. Be aware when things are getting out of hand and take steps to stop it.
Calm down and keep writing.
Competing with other people or ourselves should be motivating not stressful.
It’s important to listen and learn but don’t oversubscribe to everything.
If you do a certain amount of writing every day you will have accomplished and you will fill good about it.
Address the issue. What do you need to do? What can you do now?
Ideas
Different authors use different methods and get different degrees of success. There is a spectrum and no one right answer for all.
Take a moment and some deep breaths.
Write a list if that works for you, or use a diary. (Post it notes if you’re Wendy or Shar!)
Take one thing at a time that needs doing and, if possible, break that down so you make small steps to reach the finish.
Walk away and do something else if necessary. (Walk/research/stretches/exercise)
Try other ways and find what works for you.
What is your definition of success? Write down what that definition is. When you get there celebrate each small step.
Focus
Get the writing done above all else.
What is the most important thing for you now? (Getting the manuscript finished, edited, polished. Finding a cover. FB/Tweet/Mailing list. Learning how to format etc.) Choose one at a time.
Do that one thing.
Don’t do a particular social media if you really don’t like it.
Do the tasks that must be done. Business needs especially e.g. taxes.
Find other like-minded people to push you and to help you deal with being an author.
The beauty of self-pubbing is setting your own timelines.
Filter out or recognize that one deal success is rare.
Everyone feels this way at times. You are not alone. (The Spa Girls are here)
Here’s a couple of interesting books to help:
Write Mind by Eric Maisel (299 things writers should never say to themselves – and what they should say instead)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
* As a side note, during the recording, Shar mentioned there were cicadas in the background of my house, and I denied it at the time, because I couldn’t hear them… Well, I realised as soon as I took off my headphones that I was an idiot, and she was right – those damn little insects were singing away in their annoying little voices outside my office window like there was no tomorrow. So, my apologies. 🙂
