The hardest thing for me to do

has to be done, multiple times 😵‍💫

Thank you to all subscribers and a deep bow of gratitude to paid subscribers. It means a lot to me that you take the time to read what I share. I hope you benefit from these posts.

In keeping with the original impulse of Stumbling Toward Genius, these posts are more like journal entries. Short, fragmented bits reflect the work I do each week to help readers connect with Her Lisbon Colors.

There was a moment last week when it dawned on me - I wrote a novel! Popping my head up from the tasks of it all, I realized, OMG this thing came off my ‘to-write’ list and into the world. Seems odd, but sometimes things come to me much later.

In this week’s update, I’ll share the bold move I made plus a disheartening development that has me questioning a lot about my novel.

You’ll also read my list of actions I took this week. I enjoy making these lists; they help me see that progress is being made even if invisible. It was a short week due to camping on Thursday and Friday, but I headed to the mountains feeling I had done a lot.

Yes, the hammock, the book, but look at the trees! The light! This spot is my happy place, with a new hammock-side table.

Planning and working for fall

Summer’s over—summer hours, at least. There’s been a surge of creativity and productivity here in the studio. I’ve got two months before I leave for Lisbon and Paris. A focused period of time like this galvanizes me.

I’m preparing for Write ON, a coaching group where each member focuses on one project for four months. I’ve been working through various possibilities¹ and think I’ve chosen one.

A lot of my bandwidth has been consumed by considering the audiobook of Her Lisbon Colors. There are many ways to do this, and I am toggling the Rubik’s Cube of considerations to find the right path forward.

My goal for the audiobook is to release it for the holiday season.

The week’s focus: GULP!

I decided that last week was going to be taking plunge after plunge into the deep painful waters of follow-up.

With a lot going on - Paris Sketchbook, Write ON, Sketchbook Chillenge™², a trip to Lisbon - it would be easy to let the book marketing fall to the wayside. But no! I will persist and do my best to make sure readers find my novel.

So, how to dig in and stay on track? If you’re Cynthia Morris, you go for the hard stuff.