Over the last couple of months I’ve been trying to find my place in the writing community, and something that I’ve noticed is how many incredible, hardworking people are able to churn out book after book like it’s nothing. I’m constantly impressed by young authors who already have a large quantity of books for their potential readers to choose from, and even more impressed at how many of these same people have written full series. On the flip side though, seeing their impressive work left me feeling inadequate—like I haven’t been working hard enough. My inner voice kept telling me that I could’ve had a similarly large selection of novels too if I had just worked harder, smarter, and sooner.
The problem with this kind of thinking is that I cannot change the past. Could I have planned everything out better in the past to be more accomplished today? Probably, but what’s done is done. The only thing I can control is my actions in the present. With that in mind, I found myself vigorously planning my future books, hoping to “catch up” with everyone else. But now I’ve come to realize…it’s not a race. It might feel that way as I compare myself to others when I shouldn’t be, but it’s not a race. We all have a different starting point, different skill level, and perhaps most notably we all have a different pace. What might take one person three months to complete could take another person a year or even two, and that’s OK!
I’m trying to let myself breathe a little bit. Although I’m very excited for what the future holds for my novels I’ve yet to write, it does not matter a great deal what the authors around me are doing. I do learn from my fellow authors every day and admire their work ethic, but how I tackle my own workload is up to me. I shouldn’t feel intimidated by the way others manage their projects, because their projects are not my projects. I should only worry about what I’m doing and not on anyone else.
I hope to give all of my novels the time and attention that they need, and however long that takes does not determine how successful I am as an author. The writing process looks different for everyone. If you’re an author, how long does it take you to write a book? Have you found yourself comparing your process to others? Let me know in the comments.
B. L. Allen Books 