Good evening. I hope this post finds you well… LOL. No, but anyway, this past week was okay, I suppose. I’ve done a lot of thinking about my novel, but not a whole lot of writing. That’s just how things go sometimes with creativity (it does for me at least, maybe not for everyone). I have so many ideas and so many things that I want to happen, but when I sit down at my computer I just stare at the screen with that blinking cursor mocking me and daring me to type a word, any word. I will get around to typing those words at some point, hopefully, sooner rather than later, but who knows?

I’ve been crazy exhausted lately by the time both of my little loves are in bed, so it’s been hard to get my mind into a space to create. The funny thing about me is that no matter how exhausted I am, I still can’t sleep, but I’m also too tired for my brain to do anything creative. I just love that for me(sarcasm). So it becomes an endless cycle of staying awake for no reason, doing literally nothing, then being tired and doing it all over again the next night. However, I did clean and organize my closet and craft room, so at least one of the 4 a.m. nights I did get something productive done. It was a big task, so I’ll pat myself on the back a little for that and give myself a little grace for not getting any writing done.

I think that is something so vital that we all need to remember. We have to give ourselves grace. We are humans, we get tired, we need breaks, and we are doing the best we can. Sometimes our best is just to make it through the day, and that is completely fine. We shouldn’t have to feel like we must be doing something productive all the time. We are allowed to just exist some days. I’m talking to myself here as well because I am terrible about carrying guilt around and beating myself up for not doing anything productive. In doing that, I make being productive even harder because when I’m stressed about not being productive, I can’t get in the mindset to plan and get anything done. So don’t try to force yourself to be productive all the time. It’s not good for your mental or physical health. Take breaks. You deserve it.

On a lighter note, something I am excited about this coming week is a new spin-off book for The Ravenhood Series. On Thursday (7/27), a book called One Last Rany Day: Legacy of a Prince comes out and I cannot wait! It is from the point of view of my favorite character, Dominic. I know it’s probably going to break my heart like the series did, but I’ll gladly take the emotional beating to get inside his character’s head. The author, Kate Stewart, made a playlist for the book and I’ve been listening to it for the last few days. I’m so curious about which scenes will relate to the songs on the playlist. I’m sure I will have something to say about it in my weekly update next week, and I also plan to make a whole post about the book once I finish it, as well.

I know this is kind of all over the place, which makes sense because it’s just a bunch of random things from my last week. However, along with thinking about my novel a lot, I’ve also been thinking a lot about how much I miss crafting and creating things. I used to embroider shirts and make shirt designs with my Cricut, and I had a very small online boutique. I really enjoyed it all, but I stopped because I got too overwhelmed. I’ve been brainstorming some ideas about how I want to get back into it without it being too much for me to handle.

Along with my desire to be an author, I’ve always wanted my own business. I genuinely enjoyed finding cute items for my boutique and finding cute designs that I think people would enjoy on a shirt. Sometimes I feel like I want to do too many things. Like I have too many interests, and need to pick a niche, but why can’t I have it all? I know it may take a little more strategic planning to balance it all, but I really want to try.

I feel like this week’s update was a little more chaotic than last week, but that’s okay. My brain is chaotic, so that’s to be expected. I think one of my takeaways from the week is that we all need to give ourselves grace. We don’t have to be a productivity machine. That’s the capitalism talking (but I won’t get on that soapbox right now). A task I want you all to try is to take some time this week to do something for yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to book a spa day. It can be just taking a bit of time out for something you enjoy or that relaxes you. Something simple as sitting down to enjoy an episode of a show or youtube video, painting your nails, doing a quick facemask, doing a craft, asking your partner for a foot rub, reading a chapter of a book you’ve been wanting to get to, or getting a food or drink you’ve been craving. It can be literally anything you want to do for yourself for pure enjoyment.

Another takeaway from the week is to not allow people to discourage us from going for our dreams, even if you’re like me and have a million different ones. Also, we shouldn’t feel like we’ve failed if we get overwhelmed or need to take a break from pursuing our dreams. We’ve got time and we’re allowed to take care of our mental health and come back or change directions if we need to. I hope you all have a fabulous week, and that someone randomly gives you money for no reason.

XXXX(All Kisses),
Summer