I love your perseverance so much, Alicia. Seriously, when I get the "I don't wanna's," I always think of you. 🙂 I am so rooting for you to get all the way through your series.

Thanks, Kris! I just call it like I see it. 🙂

Play time is where the magic lives!I think most writers, for whatever reason, have brains that want to play Mine actually NEEDS to play if I want to stay engaged with a story.

I feel that same way, Denise. It's really annoying, isn't it?

The barrier I deal with daily is ME/CFS, which is, for a modern reference, basically like Long Covid, which I've had for 34 years - and they're finally starting to throw medical research money at because we have this huge influx of post-viral illness world wide. It is a very real, non-fixable barrier: I go at the slow pace I can, and this is my legacy project now.

I've PRODUCED, at the cost of all I have left. But it's, as a writer friend says, as slow as continental drift (we used to say glacially slow, and then climate change removed THAT metaphor).

The ridiculous part is that I have all the rest of those things in your list under reasonable control - or I'd be even slower!

When the brain is on for a while, I block the internet and write. When it's not on, there is literally nothing I can do except take another rest period and hope.

I spend the time in the chair. I have an active and useful Fear Journal (and use it). I am HUNGRY. I have learned my craft, and I even have some little marketing (learning there, too) - and it's all NOT ENOUGH if I don't have an active brain that day.

It's always something. But I'm stubborn, and will get there. And I'm slowly also building the store of really good reviews.

Maybe it will all come together. If it doesn't, won't be for lack of trying.

I think it is beautiful that your muse gives you just enough, to float -- NOT bloat -- your story.

Ekta, here's what I think: YOU were put on this earth "to tell that specific story in that specific way. Because, indeed "If YOU don't tell this story,this way, who will?"

That is the honest truth!