Robin Gianna & Keeping the Muse Alive

Please welcome Robin Gianna to the blog today!
***

When Life gets Rough, how can you Keep the Muse Alive?

First, thank you, Jemi, for having me here today!  I’m going to share a bit about my recent life

challenges, in the hope some of you may find what I’ve learned in the process helpful to your own writing life.

Everyone handles life’s challenges differently.  I know people who find solace in their writing.  When life is otherwise full of problems, they retreat into their imaginary world of story to replenish and heal.

Unfortunately, I’ve found myself to be the opposite of that, which has proven to be a not-good thing!  About five years ago, before I was published, my parents had one health crisis after another before my father passed away.  I was responsible for taking care of everything—getting them in and out of the hospital and rehab, doing their grocery shopping, and you-name-it.  It was challenging,  especially since I had all three of my children still at home then.  My writing was the first thing I threw aside, because it seemed the most expendable.  And what that really shows, I now realize, is that my own needs and wants are always the first to go, which isn’t the best way to keep myself healthy and able to care for everyone.

This year, my mother’s health has dramatically declined, and again, it’s been up to me to manage all that entails - doctors, hospitals, caregivers, bills, hospice.  I have only one child home now, but even college kids need  help moving into new apartments, and obviously being with them is something I love to do.  I feel guilt when I don’t spend time with my dying mother, and guilt when I don’t spend enough time with my children or my husband.  And now that I’m a published author, I feel guilt that I’m falling short there, too.

Believe me, there’s more guilt than you can imagine that my current manuscript is quite late!

I’ve been beating myself up about all of this, because I think that’s what women do.  We try to be everything to everyone, and eventually it takes its toll.  So I’ve finally learned a few things about handling crises while still somehow keeping our muse alive:

1.   Ask for support and accountability from writer friends.  Agree on some kind of daily word count you will be accountable for.  Even if it’s something very small, it will keep you in the story, give you a positive feeling that you’re still making progress on your wip, and you’ll have the emotional support of your friend/s as well.

2.   Find a place in your wip where you can use some of the emotions you’re feeling.  If you’re going through a divorce, think about how that pain can apply to a character’s past or present.  If you’re losing or have lost a loved one, is there a character who has had to deal with that in their past?  Mine those emotions.  You may find it enriches your manuscript at the same time it’s an outlet for the feelings you may otherwise be keeping bottled up.

3.  Don’t compare yourself to others.  I have a tendency to say to myself, “But Author X writes 5,000 words a day!  Why can’t I do better, get more done, since I’m so behind?”  The answer is, because I’m not Author X.  There are some days I can crank out that kind of word-count.  But on a consistent basis, I just can’t.  And that’s okay.  I have to find what works for me, especially when I have so many other demands on my time.  But do sit down and write, even if it’s only for half an hour.  You’ll be happier knowing you haven’t thrown your writing completely aside, which never feels good.

4.  Ask for help.  I don’t know about you, but I think that, when times get tough, we tend to put our heads down, grit our teeth, and GO, taking everything upon our own shoulders.  A couple months ago, I felt like I was drowning in all I had to do while feeling emotionally drained as well.  Something happened that showed my husband how really on the edge I was, and he said in surprise, “Are you feeling stressed?”  At first I stared in disbelief, then felt angry.  How could he not know I was beyond stressed?  Then I realized it was my fault.  It was because I was doing that head-down and go thing, not sharing how I was feeling, and not asking for help.  That was eye-opening to me, and I began to open up more and ask for help from him and from my kids. 

5.  If you’re published, be honest with your agent and/or editor.  While I was trying to convince myself I really could finish the book in time, I was reluctant to be honest with my agent and editor about what was going on with me.  When I finally did, it was a tremendous relief.  Both were sweet, understanding and helpful.  Knowing they were supporting me instead of frowning, and learning it wasn’t a problem for me to have a little more time, went such a long way to my feeling better.  Consequently, I was able to relax enough to get the juices flowing and make my muse smile again.

6.  Be kind to yourself.  Give yourself credit for doing the best you can, even if it feels like you’re falling short.  Take that long walk, or hot bath, or get that haircut you’ve been needing but felt you didn’t have time for.  Know that others understand.  And if that book takes longer to write than you wanted it to?  The sun will still come up in the morning, and soon, the days will look brighter.  They will.

After completing a degree in journalism, working in the advertising industry, then becoming a stay-at-home mom, Robin Gianna had what she likes to call her ‘awakening’. While on vacation, lying in the sun with a beach read, she realized she wanted to write the romance novels she'd loved since her teens.

Robin loves pushing her characters toward their own happily-ever-afters! When she's not writing, Robin's life is filled with a happily messy kitchen, a needy garden, a wonderful husband, three great kids, a drooling bulldog and one grouchy Siamese cat.

Robin Gianna on the web:

Website             Facebook         Twitter

FLIRTING WITH DR. OFF-LIMITS

Flirting with the forbidden… 

For intern Dr. Katy Pappas, seeing delectable surgeon Alec Armstrong again is sweet torture! He might have rejected her after their sinfully delicious kiss years before, but he still sets her pulse racing!
Alec is captivated by gorgeous, grown-up Katy. But as his best friend's sister, a colleague and his student, Katy is definitely off-limits! He's made the mistake of mixing business with pleasure before, and he won't risk Katy's career. Yet can he resist the oh-so-wrong when it feels oh-so-right…?

Read Reader Reviews

Read an Excerpt

Buy Links:

Amazon         Amazon Aus               Amazon UK

Mills & Boon UK         Mills & Boon Aust

Harlequin US                 B&N

Enter this Goodreads Giveaway to win signed copies!

Enter this to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***

Wow. Timely post for me. We lost someone very special in our lives just last week and the stress for the last several months has been beyond believable (still is). You've expressed it so well here. I also tend to do that head-down thing. Time to lift up my chin! Thanks!!

How about you, any of Robin's pointers helping you out as well!