It’s been a busy year for me. On top of releasing my first Norwegian novel – a Young Adult fantasy adventure called Fjordbeist at the end of May – prepping for a release concert with my band Maryon for our second album, For What, at the end of June – my wife and I also decided to quit our jobs, rent out our house, and move to Svalbard(!) – which is basically the North Pole.

Well, the book is done, the album is out, and the move is all over with – and we’re slowly starting to settle in. And with things finally slowing down (at least a little bit, kinda, almost), it suddenly struck me how I’ve neglected my writing.

Thing is, I already started writing the sequel for Fjordbeist, about six months ago. In the beginning it was going well. I was excited about the book coming out, and I was getting really into developing the rest of the story and taking it further, beyond where book 1 ends. However, as the weeks and months rolled by, and as my wife and I got busier and busier, I wrote less and less.

I keep a spreadsheet for every book I write. I keep daily tallies, write little notes to myself about things to fix, edits I have to remember to make, and where to take the story next. Well, I opened the spreadsheet for book 2 this morning, and man, it had been much longer than I thought since I’d written anything at all.

At first, it made me really down. Made me feel like shit, really. How had I neglected my writing this much? How had I just… forgotten about the book I was supposed to be writing?

Then I remembered something. A little piece of writing advice I got when I first started out – and probably the best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten about anything.

“It’s all part of the process.“

It’s such a simple phrase, at first it doesn’t really sound like it means anything profound at all. And it probably doesn’t, not really. But it makes so much sense, when you really understand what it means.

It’s all part of the process. It doesn’t just apply to writing, it applies to everything, every endeavor you might find yourself undertaking, be it creative or otherwise, but I was told this at a point in time when I was struggling particularly with writing.

I was complaining to a friend that I wasn’t getting anywhere. That it was taking too long, that I was stuck in a rut, and that I felt overwhelmed. They very nonchalantly told me: “Yeah, well that’s all part of the process.”

I don’t think they realize what an impact that little sentence had on me, but it helped, a lot, and to this day it’s probably the best advice I’ve ever got. Whenever I feel like I’m underachieving, if I feel like I’m stuck, or if I feel like I’m not doing enough, I remind myself of that little nugget of wisdom.

And what it means – sorry, I know I’ve been rambling on for a while now – is just that those times when you’re stuck, those times when you’re not doing enough, those are also part of it. They are part of the sum of it all! Being a writer isn’t just about writing, it’s also about those times you’re not writing. It’s about those times you’re having experiences, coming up with ideas, and being stuck – so that you can become unstuck and develop your story further! No one ever got to the top of a mountain by walking downhill. At the same time, there’s definitely going to be some dips and bends that make it feel like they’re not taking you closer to the top.

So, the next time you’re struggling, the next time you feel like you’ve failed, haven’t worked hard enough, achieved enough, or accomplished the things you set out to – remember that all of that’s part of it. It’s all part of the process.

And that’s alright.

As always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! If you do end up checking them out, please, let me know what you think! Alright, bye for now.

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

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