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How Much Patience Do I Have?
Patience is a larger part of the creative process when you turn pro.
I started self-publishing in 2013. Since then, I have published the first 2 books of my fantasy series (that I’m not sure will ever be finished), three different sci-fi series that include 13 books with 3 more on the way, and 2 standalones. That means I’ve put 17 books out into the ethers. All of them are available as eBooks and in paperback; many are also out there as audiobooks.
Patience is a large part of the process. When I wrote as a pantser, it took patience on my part to sit at my computer and do the work. Now, writing as a planner, patience is part of the outline before I even get started writing the book itself.
The actual writing practice takes time. Work goes into it. When you move past that to all the elements that go into the production and publishing, it takes patience to get all the pieces assembled and properly paced.
Okay, great. The writing is done. The formatting is complete. The book is out in the world. Now comes the part that requires the greatest patience of all.
Selling books.
The fine line between observation and obsession
I know some people who watch the news really, really closely. They get all into the business of the world in places far, far removed from there being anything at all they can do for them. They make themselves crazy watching the world lose its mind, and the commentators and various pundits telling you how this, that, or the other thing is troubling.
That’s a perfect example of obsession. Gotta have all the data, all the info, because then you can do…well, frankly, not a damned thing about it. I know what’s happening in the NYC mayoral race, for example, but since I don’t live in NYC, this has ZERO impact on me or my life.
As a published author, I pay attention to my book sales. Via Amazon or the other platforms I have access to through Draft2Digital, I can see how my books are doing. Or, as happens more often than I like, how they’re not doing.
I recognize that getting to anywhere near best-seller status, as an indie-author, is not a realistic goal for me to aim at. Maybe I’ll get lucky, but you can’t count on luck. Selling a few hundred copies of any of my titles doesn’t seem unreasonable, right? Likewise, would selling a couple thousand copies of any of my titles be unreasonable? I don’t think so.
As of this writing, these numbers are not what I am achieving. And without patience, this could go from disheartening to making me second-guess if this is what I am truly meant to do with my life.
Where is the end of my patience?
This is a multi-tiered question, of course. Different things differently impact my patience. For example, I apply patience as I keep seeking new marketing ideas and options to do what I can to raise those sales to the not-unreasonable levels I desire.
I’ve worked with Meta (Facebook and Instagram) advertising and feel that the ROI might not be there. So, I get to choose to seek another option, like advertising on Amazon, via BookBub, with Google, or something else.
When it comes to sitting in a waiting room, with rude people listening to their phone at high volume and oblivious to how that might impact other people, my patience is super-short. Only slightly removed, when it comes to traffic jams due to people who can’t drive in the sun, rain, or traffic lights not coming with engraved invitations, my patience is slightly better, but still low.
When it comes to helping other people, I can always find or create more patience to give. But I also recognize, no matter the topic at hand, that my patience is ultimately finite.
Recharging patience
It’s imperative to recharge my patience. I must pause, take time to clear my mind, or do things that make me feel better or keep me balanced.
I go out for walks, pause to play with one of my cats, meditate, and/or do some deep breathing. I take time for myself daily to read, which I find helps my overall patience grow.
Like any battery, people need to recharge. When you don’t take the time and energy to recharge, you will reach whatever limits you have. Patience is not infinite. At least, not for me.
When it comes to the time and effort that goes into writing and publishing, I find that I have a fairly decent amount of patience. But that, too, needs to be reset from time to time.
Why is this important, and why am I exploring this topic today? Because running out of patience might dissuade me from this course that I believe I am meant to be on in this life. Patience keeps me on this path, which is where I’m fairly certain I’m meant to be.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: How are you inspired and empowered to be your own authentic creator, whatever form that takes?
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