Where's the Writing Analeigh?

In 2022 I dropped the name for Whisper's Isle on my Instagram and thought I'd be able to write, edit, and self publish within that year.

I was highly mistaken.

My first mistake was assuming the process would be similar to my experience with Amazon's publishing service. I'd previously published a good, but very rushed poetry book on Amazon in 2017 and assumed the process of self publishing was as simple as that. Mind you, I used a cheap cover template that Amazon provided. The name of my book is also different than the name it's listed under on Amazon. Talk about a mess. Despite those hiccups, I am very proud of the poems written and at some point in life, I will put out a second edition that's properly edited and designed. However, that very rushed project had me under the assumption that I'd successfully self published a book, when in reality, I hadn't even scratched the surface of what it means to be a publisher and a writer.

My second mistake was once again using Amazon as a source of publishing for my first novel, however, this time I was signed to a publisher. She was very inexperienced and didn't execute the rollout of my book the way I imagined. In hindsight, there were glaring signs that the young woman wasn't ready or qualified to take on multiple authors, or that she really knew the industry outside of self publishing her own books through Amazon. 2020 came and went quickly during this time and I was disappointed once again that my attempts at being an author were postponed.

My third mistake was thinking I could push myself to write fast releases like the great indie authors I follow. Although I took on my persona as Analeigh in 2021 with the notion that I would work at my own pace and time, the pressure to write and publish something quickly seemed heavy. I watched others celebrate writing multiple books within a year, so I felt like I had to do the same with Whisper's Isle. One thing I didn't account for was that these authors were and are able to publish their books so quickly because this isn't their first time! They'd probably made the same mistakes I'd made at one point or another. I had to tell myself not to rush my beginning for the sake of producing content. Not to mention the fact that life was happening in some very big ways for me and I still had to focus on my health.

All in all, I know that I am a strong writer. I'm an excellent story teller. But I am not a fast writer. I like for my characters to speak to me as I tell their story. If my characters are quiet, the writing typically stops. And during those moments when my characters are quiet, I have taken to learning something new about the writing industry so I can do things the right way this time around. I didn't think time would slip out of my grasp when it came to writing. 2022/2023 were both hard years mentally, emotionally, and physically for me. Which made it even harder to focus on writing. I was too deep in depression to follow through on my dreams. My world was on fire and writing was no longer the comfortable escape I'd grown use to.

Now here we are in 2024 and the goal is still the same. Write an amazing book that will knock the boots off my readers and solidify my stance in the writing community as an amazing independent Black author. I have started over multiple times. This is my year to see things through. And I will do it.

So no worries, the writing is coming. But I do need more time to really flesh out my ideas in a cohesive way. I don't have a team. It's just me behind the pen and posts. And I'm okay with taking my time, because slow and steady always wins the race.