by Elaina Lyons
Some days I feel like I’m standing still. Like I’m doing a lot but accomplishing very little. I think it’s easy to feel that way as a writer, and I’m sure in many other industries, too.
The thing is, there’s so much that happens behind the scenes when it comes to the creation of anything. Whether you’ve written a book, recorded a song or come up with a recipe for the best chocolate cake on earth, the act of creating that thing is just the beginning. It is, dare I say, the easy part.
The hard part comes next: Telling people about it. And, more importantly, getting them to care.
You see, it’s easy to yell from the rooftops, “Hey, I made this thing and it’s AWESOME!” But it’s not so easy to get people to stop and listen. And it’s even harder to convince them to buy it. After all, just because you think you’ve created the next best masterpiece doesn’t mean anyone else will think so.
After all, just because you think you’ve created the next best masterpiece doesn’t mean anyone else will think so.
What everyone sees is the finished product. They don’t see the hours upon hours of work that goes into designing, marketing and advertising. They don’t see the phone calls and emails and letters and interviews that go into building awareness. That’s all the behind the scenes stuff, the things that are absolutely essential to your creation’s success, but almost never recognized.
So when those things don’t go well, it’s easy to feel like a failure. It’s easy to think you aren’t really doing anything. Sometimes I feel like that. In fact, there have been countless times I’ve said to myself or someone else, “I’m done. This is pointless and I’m just wasting time and money.”
But then I get another order or schedule a book signing or see a good review, and I realize that the work I’m doing might not have immediate returns, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working. Sometimes, the best things (and the hardest things) take time.
So don’t give up, even if you want to. Keep doing the little things. Eventually, they might just end up making all the difference.
Grab a copy of “The Love You Know” here.
If you’re an indie author and you’d like to contribute to this blog, email me!
elainalyons.com 
Leave a comment