Wielder's Fire and Writing in the Zone

At last I can announce the launch date for Wielder's Fire, the third and final book in my Wielder's Storm trilogy. 25th May! I'm super excited.

The first two books are currently available for free on Kindle Unlimited.

Wielder's Prize: Without training or discipline in the art of magic wielding, she is a danger to everyone, but there is someone worse on the high seas who wants her dead.

Wielder's Curse: Dark visions haunt her. Shadowy assassins stalk him. Together they must stop a powerful enemy from destroying their world.

Wielder's Fire: Marooned on an island, stripped of her magic, Jasmine must find a way of mending her heart and defeating the oncoming storm.


What are your rituals when you need help getting into the ZONE?

Below is my daily ritual when I'm editing. It looks different when I'm writing a first draft. With first drafts, I'm more focused, but that might be because I handwrite them while relaxed on the comfy couch. A necessary choice for less distractions.

After breakfast, I go for a morning walk.
Ready to start working, I sit down at my computer and check my sales. Because I can't help myself.
I check my emails for anything urgent.
My desk cries out to be cleaned and organized.
Nope. I have work to do!
I open the file I'm editing.
I stare at it for ten seconds then realize I need a glass of water...
and maybe some chocolate...
I settle back and check my emails again.
I do some editing...
until I come to a difficult section that requires more thought.
I stretch.
I get more water.
Facebook calls.
I ignore it.
Facebook calls again. I check it.
Fitbit tells me I need to get up and move around.
Why not? It's a good time to grab more chocolate. Don't judge. I'm editing!
I do a bunch of editing.
My stomach tells me it's time for real food.
Brain stops functioning mid-afternoon.
I try to keep working anyway.
I fail.
I give up and play a game, or read, or go for another walk.

As for "helping me get into the zone" for work? Well, it's more just a matter of deciding to stop being distracted and get on with it. Scheduling the same time each day to write/edit also helps. Deadlines are awesome too. Oh, and when the hubby is being super distracting because he is working from home due to the pandemic and we share the office, I put on headphones and listen to epic music (nothing with lyrics). That works a treat.

What are your rituals? What do you do to focus?

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

Writing when Life gets Impossible #IWSG

I wasn't going to post today, but then I noticed this month's IWSG question and I felt it was important to share my thoughts so that maybe I can help someone else.

When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

My life has been filled with rain and storms and thunder for the last two and a bit years. You see, my brother was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND). Some of you might recognise it as ALS. There is no cure. It's probably the worst disease anyone can suffer through. It was why I moved up from Sydney to Brisbane--to be with David. Ultimately I became one of his carers. My writing took a massive hit. It's too easy to focus on the chaos, on the grief. Sometimes it's impossible to focus on anything but.

Over the two years, I learned how important it is to care for yourself especially when caring for another. A powerful and insistent part of who I am is my creative self. I needed an outlet and everything got harder if I didn't nurture that creative side. So on the days I could write, I wrote outlines and the beginnings of short stories. I wrote rubbish and mess and that was ok. I wrote hope. I created something new. On the days I struggled to dredge up something new, I edited. I pulled out my old manuscripts and read through them, discovering they weren't as bad as I first thought. As David's disease advanced, writing stopped altogether. I turned to photography because it required no brain power. I even joined Instagram! If you are interested in checking out my photos, you can find me @lyndaryoung

David passed away two weeks ago today. He is no longer suffering, but sheesh I miss him an awful lot. There is still rain in my life, but I can honor his memory by getting back to writing, by moving forward, by living a good and rich life. 
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While you are checking out my photos on Instagram, also check out the IWSG on Instagram. We have an open photo prompt challenge there.