My Answer.

"How's the writing going?"This question is a new normal for my life. As is having no idea how to answer it. Mainly because I feel like everyone is hoping I'll say I have a new book coming out any day now. But I don't. I probably won't have a new novel to release for a while, but I feel like I'm letting people down when I say that.I talked to a friend this week who works in publishing, and it was one of the most encouraging conversations I've ever had because she gave me permission to struggle. She told me it's normal for the second book to take longer to write. She told me it's okay to write something that's close to my heart and not be ready to share it with the world. She told me writing a book is hard. Most importantly though, she told me I wasn't alone.Writing is a solitary profession. So it's easy for me to feel completely alone in this endeavor of mine, but I'm not. I need to remember that.Often times I think of the public version of my favorite authors--interviews, social media posts, final versions of their book--without taking into consideration the hours upon hours they spend alone behind a computer screen to get to that point. I forget that my favorite authors also toil and struggle for months or sometimes years to tell a story that seems effortless when I read it. The important thing though is that they kept going, kept working, kept wrestling with the story until it was ready.So, to everyone who has asked me how my writing is going, here is my answer:It's hard.It's frustrating.I feel like I'm failing more than succeeding.But I'm still working.I'm still trying to find the right story.And, I promise that I will post all about it when I have something new to share because I love, love, love being able to share it will all of you, and I'm so incredibly grateful for all your support thus far!