Hello, readers!

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I got a full-time contract job for the rest of this summer! During my best attempts to balance this with the rest of my writing work and writing-related work (like writing these newsletters, scheduling socials, etc.), I realized early last week that something had to change.

I’ve been struggling with these feelings of “needing” to “keep up” with the rest of the professional writing community for a while now.

I’m happy for my fellow authors (both indie and traditionally published) getting book deals, making multiple sales at book fairs and having fans line up to get their autographs, detailing how much money and sales they made during their writing journeys so far, etc. and then…I compare them to myself and my own journey. The feelings from this comparison boil down to me feeling like “if I’m not running Kickstarters and other elaborate campaigns for my books and making tons of money from them, I’m not serious enough about the work I do.”

This constant state of comparison is now badly affecting myself personally and professionally.

I also realize that I was trying to act like a “full-time author” while still having a full-time contract job, a permanent part-time job, and other IRL commitments. That is also not sustainable for my well-being long-term (or even short-term, as I discovered in the past few weeks).

If I continue on this road, I will run the risk of going through burnout. That will not be good for me at all.

Some authors write full-time because that’s their sole occupation. Some authors balance their writing with something else that helps keep them afloat financially and/or otherwise. I’m in the latter situation. I need to find a way to balance all of this in a way that works best for me, and not trying to do things in a certain way just because others are doing it in that way. I recognize that a lot of the current struggles I have is because I have a terrible habit of comparing myself to other writers.

Given this, I’m taking a step back to reassess how to continue my writing work in a way that is genuinely sustainable for me. It also means pausing or slowing down on several things for August, including:

1. Youtube videos.

I posted a WriteHive Conference recap video on my Youtube channel in late July as my most recent video! However, I will not be posting or filming any new videos during August. I do hope to be back to this in October at latest, if not late September. However it could be a bit longer before videos continue.

2. Email newsletters.

Yes, I’m taking a break from this as well. You may still see some book sale-related emails during August, but don’t expect any main “writing progress” Newsletters like this one for August.

3. Social Media.

I will try to post daily for socials, but there may be some times where I don’t post anything that day. I’ll still be lurking on socials, however (most likely Bluesky) - I’m not cutting it off entirely!

What Am I Writing Lately? ✍️

I got nothing done during the past two weeks, writing-wise. It’s awkward for me to admit this, but I realized that with a full-time job comes a LOT of energy that goes into that job.

There have been some days where I am, energy-wise, completely wiped out and just need to rest. I’d rather rest than spend whatever lack of energy I have after work trying to write another book chapter. If I didn’t do this, I’d probably end up in a burnout state. I do not want to repeat what happened to me in Summer 2023, even if it did result in me writing and publishing a poetry chapbook out of the experience.

Other Writing-Related Activities I Did Include:

• Exploring platforms to distribute ARC copies through 😱

What Have I Read Lately? 📚

Despite the lack of writing, I got quite a bit of reading done so far! I re-read the novelization of the Jim Henson film Labyrinth, which I actually reviewed several years back and gave it a great 5 out of 5 stars. I love the prose in this book as well as the extra details that the film itself glossed over, but went into more detail in the book.

Other books I read recently include:

• The Guncle by Steven Rowley

• In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip

TLDR; I will not be sending any main writing progress newsletters during August 2026. You may see some book sale promos during the month, but “main writing progress” newsletters are stalled for August since my main focus is on my full-time contract job right now. However, I hope to be back in September with regular main newsletters coming back to you!

I thank all of you for your patience as I work through all of this, and I also wish all of you a peaceful rest of the summer. Expect some updates from me in September about how things will go moving forward!