The Long Road Home

All relationships have their ups and downs. There are moments you feel incredibly close to someone, and others when you wish they’d just go away and leave you alone. Other things in our lives offer bumpy roads too. Those jobs that we love, until we have a frantic deadline and then we don’t love them so much. The house that’s ideal, except while going through a tough renovation. The baby we tried so hard to conceive, only to endure 2 months of colic.

Just like all things in our lives, authors’ connections to our writing also waxes and wanes. Sometimes because we don’t know where we’re going. Sometimes because we neglect it. Sometimes because circumstances in our lives push it to the side until they are resolved. That’s what happened to me.

I had to step away from my writing for a while – not without guilt, not without grief – but eventually, as always happens, life settled down. My creativity returned. First in drips and drops, then a trickle, then a stream. But that stream has to be nurtured.

So I worked through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, read other creativity recovery books, became involved in an accountability group, and above all, wrote. Edited. Wrote some more. And slowly found my way back to my writing.

I learned one very important thing on this journey: nurturing my creativity means I must honor it. I honor it by making my writing a priority in my daily life, by listening when my characters speak, and by behaving as if the seven years I’ve invested into this dream have a purpose.

To that end, in addition to my writing, I started working on my author website. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed it! It reminded me of my scrapbooking endeavors. I had a lot of fun, and it was rewarding to celebrate all I’ve accomplished over those seven years and the purpose I had for doing so. Acknowledging the successes I’ve had, no matter that they aren’t recognized by others.

So in a way, my author website isn’t about “making a web presence” or “preparing to be a published author” or “establishing a brand”. It’s a way for me to celebrate my own journey, to remind myself that there is beauty and happiness in the act of creation.

So celebrate with me! Tell me the most important dream you’ve pursued in your lifetime to date. And where do you want it to go from here?

Check out my new website, under my brand spanking new pseudonym: http://www.daniwade.com/

Angel writing as Dani Wade

Coming Soon!

Join us on Wednesday when we welcome Harlequin Presents author Kate Walker, who will be celebrating her newest release!