Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Or a plan is useless if you aren’t making progress with it.

I have reconciled myself to the fact that my book will not be launched this week.

I could list a dozen reasons and excuses but the truth boils down to the simple fact that I have not progressed the tasks needed to launch the book on time.

On the one hand, I am deeply disappointed in my inability to move forward to get the launch done. I won’t make excuses for not doing the work.

Yes, I’ve been busy with the contracted work. Yes, I’ve been exhausted outside of that to the extent that I have progressed very little else. Yes, it’s not just the writing which is getting impacted.

On the other, I know I’m a big believer in the notion that everything happens for a reason and that the universe has its own plan which tends to override mine.

I remember last year when I was searching for contract work and lost three different opportunities in the space of a day. It was hugely disappointing and terrible.

Yet, sometimes, it is just not the right time for something to happen.

My plans for the past couple of months have not been realistic. I’ve prioritised committed contracted work which pays and been too optimistic about my bandwidth to do much else beyond that.

As I look to the future, I know I need to rejig my planning again.

What does this mean for the novel? Well, I’m aiming for the Christmas market which I think is a much more realistic goal. I’ll likely launch around November now. However, what I have determined is that as soon as I have the next story done in my Harry Potter A Step to the Right series, I will be writing the second novel in the series. Maybe I can get that published soon after and that would be a positive. I think if people like an author they appreciate not having to wait too long for the follow-up.

Of course, if the novel hasn’t made progress, neither really has that Harry Potter story.

I had thought to write the bulk of it while I was away on holiday. Unfortunately I was too exhausted and when I wasn’t exhausted I was spending time with family doing activities or eating a meal with them. For instance, I ended up having to spend a day wandering round a town with my Dad since he wanted to have a day off the caravan park. While I appreciate the time with him, equally I am a little frustrated at losing the writing time.

Still, tomorrow is a new day and a new week.

Clean slate. Sometimes you just pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and try again.

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