I’ve sat at my desk with a similar expression, except my hair is piled on top of my head in the messiest of buns, my eyes are red and swollen from crying, and instead of raising my hands in frustration, I’m flipping off my computer screen for punishing me with a blank page and zero motivation.
Can you relate?
My word of the year for 2026 is: BALANCE. I hope to avoid the vicious cycle of getting behind on deadlines, banging my head against the wall as I rush to finish my book, and then spiraling about all the other things I need to do to grow my author business. So far, January has been a bust 😅 but I’m on the right track for February.
After sitting down, taking a breath, and re-centering, I’ve come up with three things I’m NOT doing in 2026:
1. Letting FOMO dictate business decisions
I struggled with this more when I was just starting out, but it’s a constant battle even to this day! Typically, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) shows itself when signing up for collaborations (I say this as someone who runs multiple collabs a year 😅). It’s exciting to see the spike in sales and to work with “bigger” authors.
However, if you only have collab books and no series of your own, it will be harder to do the one thing guaranteed to make you money long term – growing your backlist! Yes, having standalone books still goes toward your backlist, and yes, hopefully you’re able to connect your books still via common characters. BUT without your own series to point others to, those collab books can often be a flash in the pan.
Series sell. Reoccurring characters sell. Quality covers that reflect your Brand sell. These things are often hard to do when jumping from one collab to the next.
I’ll even broaden this point to not just FOMO, but fear in general. I’ve often told my coaching clients not to make business decisions out of fear, whether it’s fear of missing an opportunity, fear that no one will read your book, fear of disappointing yourself or others, or anything in between. Let 2026 be the year you make smart business decisions based on research, realistic expectations, and passion!
2. Burning out
Speaking of unrealistic expectations… that’s what’s at the heart of how to avoid burnout. It can manifest in many different ways, from writer’s block to apathy, procrastination to crippling self-doubt, and everything in between.
Oftentimes, this stems from unrealistic expectations of ourselves and/or others. When I first starting writing romance, that’s all I was doing; writing. As my business grew, I spent more and more time on newsletters, social media, networking with other authors, finding free & paid promo opportunities, and the litany of other tasks that come with being an indie author.
I was still operating under the idea that I spend 4-5 hours a day writing, when in reality, that time was cut in half with all the other tasks added to my plate. Sound familiar?
Here are a few things we can do to avoid burnout (this is a reminder for ME as much as you!):
- Keep reading romance books for fun (bonus points for reading something completely out of your normal genre). This helps keep you inspired!
- Plus, you can start reading books like a writer – notice how they did dialogue or built a character arc, and keep those things in your writer’s toolbox.
- Take a critical look at how you’re spending your time and make hard decisions on what’s worth it and what isn’t. *Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good*
- Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need to finish a book/project. Plan for an emergency! It’s easier to move a pre-order up closer than it is to delay it.
- Be kind to yourself. You can’t do it all. Take a step back, take a breath, and focus on the most important thing first. One of my fave anecdotes on writing is from Anne Lamott:
- “Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
3. Giving up
Anyone paying attention to the news has had this thought about giving up at least once in the last year.
As I’m typing this newsletter (that unintentionally turned into an essay), I keep spacing out and thinking about all the horrors going on in my country and state. It’s taken me HOURS to even get this far. I’m struggling with panic attacks, brain fog, apathy, and what feels like inevitable, impending doom.
I have to remind myself that I matter. Other people matter. My voice matters. My books provide an escape, and, hopefully, a safe place where my readers feel seen and understood.
If you’re struggling to function while the world collapses around you, you’re not alone. None of this is normal. Try to avoid burnout. If you need to, clock out for a little bit. Turn off the news. Binge watch your favorite show. Curl up in your softest blanket and take a nap. And when you’re ready, clock back in.
While you’re recharging, amplify the actions of others when and where you can. And when you’re rested and able, take action yourself. Sometimes that action might be protesting and marching for yours and others’ rights. Other times, it might be writing a kick-ass heroine who knows her worth, punches the bad guy in the dick, and triumphs over the patriarchy. As writers, we get to control the narrative, and that in and of itself, is freeing.
Keep writing. The world needs your stories, fluffy or not. Don’t give up, don’t give in. Clock out if you need, but remember to clock back in.
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