Lately I’ve seen so many writers on social media fretting about sales, wondering when they’ll be able to write full time and make a living from it. They may have written one book, or several, but they seem tormented by the fact that they aren’t seeing “success” like they envisioned.

This mostly is true of indie writers, but a fair number of trad-pubbed or wanna-be trad-pubbed writers seem to think that earning a full time living from your writing is a norm, or at least a strong possibliity.

Let’s have a reality check for a moment: earning a living as a full-time writer has always been rare. Even more so if you write fiction (I’m really talking about book writers here, not freelance writers).

That’s not a bad thing, in my view.

Is anyone else feeling post-holiday fatigue? I know I am. By this time, I’m usually focused on setting goals for the New Year. I have my planner, and clear descriptions of goals in different areas of my life – including writing, of course!

This year, not so much. This year, instead of planning a million things, I’m going to simplify.

I can’t be the only one whose productivity has plummeted in these final days of August. This week, I thought I’d write a quick post for all of who need a little jump start to stay creative even as the summer runs out.

Let’s face it, the blank page can be daunting. Once we settle on a schedule for writing, we still have to show up and do the work. In that moment of decision, it’s easy to defer our writing until later, until tomorrow, until we feel like it...

News flash: you may not ever “feel like it.” You’re not going to come to the page super-motivated every day. If you only write when you feel like it, you probably won’t get much writing done.

Having a starting ritual can help.

Last week we talked about how our vision is always ahead of our creative execution, and how that can be a good thing. The vision can pull us forward toward realizing our dreams.

But there may come moments when The Gap feels insurmountable. Or we may get discouraging feedback that makes us wonder if it’s worth it to continue.

Google “What percentage of people give up their new year resolutions by February” and you get a consistent statistic: 80%. I have no idea how accurate that is, but it seems pretty consistent with the fact that for most people I know, myself included, commitment starts to flag right around this time.

Many of us have made writing goals in the New Year. In these first heady days of possibility and excitement, we may find it easy to stick to our commitment – to write every day, to write a certain number of words per day or week, to finally finish that book that’s been dragging on (and on...).

It’s that time of year when thoughts turn to setting goals for the next year. Even if you’re not a “New Year’s Resolutions” person, you may be thinking about what you accomplished this year, and what you want to accomplish in 2023.

Recently on Twitter someone asked: “What do I do when I run out of ideas for writing? I finished my last book and I don’t know what to write next.”

First of all, as a writer, let me acknowledge that this is a scary one. To think you might be tapped out, done... this is all there is... calls into question whether you can call yourself a writer in the first place.