10 Ways to Return to Normality

So, I did a thing, you might have noticed. Small Forgotten Moments is a week old – they grow up so fast!

If you’re an author, you’ll know that everything stops when you’re launching a book.

For everyone else, it’s a bit like when you have a new baby – the world revolves around feeding the baby and rocking them to sleep and very little else. Suddenly, it’s all you can think about.

And then, just as quickly, it’s over. The blog tour ends, the tweets stop coming at you thick and fast, people start talking about the next new book that someone else has published. And you’re left a little deflated, trying to remember what life was like before.

Well, for me, before Small Forgotten Moments snatched August away from me, I was writing a new novel, had ideas for another, and plans to enter a couple of short story competitions (which quickly went by the wayside). And they’re all still there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to get my act together.

So, I thought I’d share some ways to return to earth without the big bump.

1. Well, firstly… YOU WROTE A BOOK (or did something else which completely stole your time)!! Enjoy it. Embrace it. Allow people to congratulate you. Celebrate. Have a couple of days off.
2. Pack up all the drafts, marketing notes etc that you’ve accumulated. Store it somewhere safe. If you developed a useful spreadsheet, save it as a template. I recently designed a sheet where I can note the people who’ve helped with research, the beta readers I’ve used, the friends who’ve done something awesome, and the places I’ve visited for inspiration, so when I’m asked to write the acknowledgements for that book, all the details are right there.
3. Re-read the project you were working on. Not with a view to editing or writing, just read it to absorb the flavour of it and remind yourself of the characters and plot.
4. What’s that? You weren’t in the middle of anything? Grab a new notebook and doodle some ideas, or look through old notebooks for things you’ve previously considered.
5. Read a book. I’m sure you’ve got one or two hanging around the house.
6. Sit at your desk, or kitchen table, or in the coffee shop – anywhere you consider to be your work space. Hold a pen, open Word, write nonsense. It doesn’t have to be for long. You could tidy up while your there, perhaps.
7. Do all the bits of housework you had to put off when you were busy with the launch (or other thing).
8. Do all the other things you’ve not had time for – that relaxing massage you’ve been promising yourself, the new cafe you want to try, the regular workouts you want to resume.
9. Talk to your writer friends. Let their enthusiasm for their projects inspire you.
10. Don’t force it. If this is your first book, you might wonder if you have any ideas left. YOU HAVE, I promise – you’re teeming with them. If you’ve been here before, you know you’ll get back to it – sometimes it takes a little longer than others.

How do you cope when that big new shiny thing is done? How do you return to real life?