I have had many plans in my writing life. Or at least I thought they were plans at the time, when in truth they were more like wish lists. Either way, the imagined path has often gone awry.

This blog was originally going to be about dealing with when your writing process gets derailed, or when stories don’t work out, or life interrupts and you have to set writing aside for a time to deal with more pressing issues. However, recent events have switched its focus, because once again, a plan hasn’t exactly followed its expected course.

I am moving my release date back to October 5^th. I did not want to, and I tried to stay on target, but I cannot (did not!) make October 1^st. I decided that it’s better to push my launch back so I can be sure that when any potential reader goes looking, they find my book waiting for them, first time, every time. I don’t want to risk someone looking, not finding it, and then not coming back.

Nothing terrible happened: if there is any reason for the delay it is down to me. I thought I knew that things always take longer than anticipated. I forgot that things really do take longer than anticipated!

There is always something else you did not expect, and that really needs to be done. So a day or two slips by. A few of these and the days add up fast! Another lesson learned – build in a bit more wiggle room in the future. Stuff happens. I can’t change it, so I’m rolling with it. To use the old saw, this is an opportunity – I have more time to work on my checklist, to research and learn more about the inner workings of FB, to create more content for my online platforms, to say hello to my friends.

I had a plan, and now I’m changing it. On the bright side, that lines up some more material for another post in the future! I think it is important to realize that when plans change, it doesn’t have to mean abandoning the original idea. If the idea still has merit, it can be used later, not thrown away in frustration. That’s a lesson it took me a while to learn.

Change is not the enemy. Being paralyzed by it is. I think that if you keep moving forward, keep checking boxes and hitting other targets, even smaller ones, you can maintain your momentum. That is my goal.

See you on October 5^th!