By A.C. Williams by @acw_author

I’ve made a habit of hair-on-fire living. I hate to admit it, but there comes a time in all our lives when the truth becomes so obvious that we can’t pretend it’s anything else.

If you are a high-capacity performer, you probably understand. I learned, from a young age, how to juggle an unreasonable number of projects in a way that was somehow miraculously still acceptable in quality. My brain learned not to be content unless it was thinking about twelve things at once. I grew accustomed to the constant flurry of activity, the never-ending task lists, and the adrenaline rush of an impending deadline that was no longer looming in the future but bearing down on me like an elephant in full charge.

I never stopped to reflect. I never paused to consider I could live another way. I just never stopped. I think I figured that when I ran out of steam, I would. When I hit my capacity, I would stop. But I hadn’t hit capacity yet.

Oh, that’s not true. I hit capacity 20 years ago, but my stubborn Scottish streak kept me pressing forward in spite of it. (Can you say burn-out?)

Well, 2023 has been a wake-up call. A lot of my priorities changed in 2023, and at the beginning of the year I knew I’d need to slow down. But I didn’t think I’d have to stop anything. I could adjust. I always had.

Like I said, a wake-up call.

Can we get really honest for a moment here?

Successful authors are some of the hardest working people I know. They have to be. It’s really not possible to make a living just from your novels anymore. You need a side gig. If you’re very blessed, your side gig can be writing adjacent. But that still means you aren’t writing all the time.

Authors have to write. Authors have to market what they write. Authors have to rewrite what they’ve written. Authors have to speak. Authors have to advertise. Authors have to revise their rewritten writing. They have to network with publishers and other authors. They have to build a platform for readers to discover. Authors have to record videos and audio and develop social media strategies and email strategies and website content and blog posts. And then they have to do all of that and write another book and repeat the whole process all over again. On top of that, they have to work a job usually, not to mention that there’s the normal upkeep of daily life, family connection, personal health, hygiene, and a myriad of other things.

That’s the “glamorous” author life.

Does it ever make you tired? Do you ever feel exhausted and wonder if it’s worth it? Are you ever tempted to throw in the towel and go get a “real” job?

My hand is raised. I’ve been there many times.

In moments like that, it’s important to remember why we write. It’s important to remember who we’re writing for. It’s important to focus on our purpose. Blah blah blah.

When I’m at the end of my rope, none of those things make me feel better. They just make me feel guilty for not doing a better job in the first place. And I don’t believe God ever motivates us through guilt. That’s not how He operates. So that’s not how I want to train my brain to operate either.

I love what I do, don’t I? Don’t you love what you do on good days? Isn’t storytelling where your heart is? Isn’t it that missing piece of your personal puzzle that satisfies your soul?

Okay. Then let’s talk about a strategy that has worked for me, and maybe it will work for you too.

Authors balance a lot of spinning plates, and that part isn’t going to change. So the question is, if we want to be successful authors and we know we have to accomplish all of those things, how do we do it in a way that doesn’t constantly burn us out?

For me, I’ve discovered sustainability in my author career through regular reflection time.

Reflection. Review. Assessment. Intentional moments set aside every day, every week, every month, every quarter, every year—to assess what worked in my plans and what didn’t. Because you can’t fix something if you don’t know what’s broken.

Simple, yes, but effective.

Reflection time isn’t just going to appear on your calendar. You have to make space for it. It’s just like Sabbath Rest. It’s a choice, not an accident.

Keep track of what you accomplish throughout a day. Then, at the end of the day, go back over it. How much did you get done? How does that compare to what you planned to get done?

Don’t let yourself feel guilty or judged. That’s not the point. This is for data, for learning, for decision making.

Repeat it the next day. And the next. And the next. And at the end of the week, review what you got done on all the days you logged. You’ll learn something about your work habits, your daily rhythms, your capacity, and your priorities. Use this reflection process for a month or two, and you’ll learn how to set realistic goals for yourself.

Before you decide to give up on your author career, make space to evaluate your choices and learn to be honest with yourself. Next month, we’ll talk about how to change what isn’t working, but actually making time to reflect is the first step. Actually being honest about what isn’t working will help you more than you realize.

Award-winning author A.C. Williams is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. She’d rather be barefoot, and if she isn’t, her socks won’t match. She has authored eight novels, three novellas, three devotional books, and more flash fiction than you can shake a stick at. A senior partner at Uncommon Universes Press, she is passionate about stories and the authors who write them. Learn more about her book coaching and follow her adventures online at www.amycwilliams.com.