Dance the Night Away

There’s no denying I’ve been in a funk the last few weeks. March always drags me into a bad place, yet knowing something is coming doesn’t make it easier to deal. This month, I dealt with grief over Tigger. I gained friends and lost others. I felt both thrilled and overwhelmed by the unexpected success of Junkyard Dog.

I have a few tools I use to deal with my funks (or depression if we’re getting technical).

Music is an obvious one. When moody, I crave Mazzy Starr and Christina Perri. Of course, those are terrible choices when I’m in a down mood. I might as well turn on The Smiths like when I was a teenager and cry in the closet.

So I listen to the Fratellis and the Mavericks. Fun music that’ll force me to tap my feet and sing along.

Particular shows are good to watch when I'm in a down mood. For me, Parks and Rec, American Dad, Happy Endings, and Arrested Development help.

The biggest tool is my journal. I can rage, whine and/or babble without judgment. Sometimes, I just want to get something out of my system without any feedback. A journal is a great way to express myself without causing harm too. If I’m annoyed with my family or friends, I tell my journal rather than get cranky with the people upsetting me. Finally, I use my journal to problem-solve.

So I used all these tools in March. When I still couldn’t write, I gave myself a vacation. I focused on other work-related tasks but no writing.

Ranked at one point at 155, Junkyard Dog turned out to be my biggest success. I had respected authors telling me they loved the book, and new readers discovered my Bijou books because of JD. The strong sales and pages read came simply from word of mouth. It’s impossible to know what book will catch on and what books will get the cold shoulder from readers.

As much as I loved the positive feedback, I felt overwhelmed. Would the new readers try my other books and feel disappointed? Would my future books seem lame in comparison to Junkyard Dog? I have a rule about avoiding reader feedback when I’m writing. Otherwise, I focus too much on the end product rather than letting the characters tell their stories. With the attention from JD, I struggled with not thinking of readers’ reactions to my next books. This worry gunked up my creative mojo. After many a journal pep talk, I’m regaining my focus.

March is nearly over. Here’s hoping April is all happy-happy, joy-joy, rainbows and kittens.