*Titled as such even though I prefer tea because saying “if we were having tea” sounds so high brow for a Midwestern American.
Hello! Happy Sunday afternoon. It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog, and I thought I’d gather ’round here and have a little chat about life. Grab your favorite hot beverage and let’s swap updates…
If we were having coffee… I would tell you that I recently purchased a brand new laptop for work, which meant giving up all of my Adobe Creative Suite software. I’m now without my favorite Photoshop and InDesign programs, and relying on Canva until I decide which of the two I’m willing to subscribe to for the year. Y’all, seriously, I understand the cloud is great and everything, but do we really need to do subscription services each year for all of these programs, and therefore boatloads of money down the drain? I’d rather go back to disc downloads…*sigh* I used InDesign for my blog (though it’s not as if I’m designing a whole lot), and I used Photoshop for social media (and again, it’s not as if I was using it a lot), though the thought of going without one of the programs is daunting. Especially when I’m not a huge fan of what Canva can offer so far, at least on the free platform. What do you use?
If we were having coffee… I would tell you that January was a very difficult month for my family. Without going into detail, let’s just say it made work life, personal life, and me-time a dark and stormy place. Thankfully we’re out of the woods and everything is much better and looking to only get better from here, but man! It really was scary, the beginning of this year.
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that wedding planning is going well and on track. We have the hotel and attendants’ clothing locked in, we’ve narrowed down the florals, we’re going to have linen discussions in March, and all the marriage counseling and church-related elements are underway. We’re even thinking about our honeymoon in spring 2020! Whenever I tell people this they seem impressed and shocked — I guess that means we’re ahead of the game? What else would you expect when bride, groom, mother-of-the-bride, and mother-of-the-groom are all Type A? Spreadsheets are our friends.
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that I’ve had a rough time of it with my reading for 2019. I’ve DNF’d as many books as I’ve actually completed reading so far this year (if not more than). I knew going into this year that my challenge would be to read books I genuinely enjoy and to set aside books that just aren’t hitting the right notes for me — to focus on quality over quantity. However, on the flip side, I’m carving out time for myself in the mornings to read for pleasure, and that’s been very rewarding. Instead of hitting snooze several times and racing out of bed to start my day in a rush, I’m getting up with the alarm, taking my time, easing into the day before 8am and feeling refreshed for work by 9am. It’s fantastic! What are your morning routines? In what ways do you carve out time for yourself?
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that I’m debating about doing some sort of social media detox. At least on FB and Twitter. (Perhaps it’ll be my thing to give up for Lent.) It feels so toxic, especially Twitter, with its echo chamber and voices shouting into the void and repetitive drama. At this point I’m here to help my clients promote their books, and that’s it. I’m rarely on there for anything else. Have you had issues with social media? Have you tried going on a detox before (and if so, how’d that turn out for you)?
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that agenting is going so well. I’m super proud of all my clients and what they’re accomplishing, and I can’t wait to share all sorts of good news! I’m also incredibly thankful for the encouragement and advice from other agents in the industry. It takes five to seven years (years) to really get your career off the ground, to start reaping the rewards of all the hard work and hours you put into this job, all for a tiny slice of commission. The first two years were very hard, the third year I started to get more clients, more deals, and year four was the best to date. I’m only partially in my fifth year and I can actually see myself living on this income. I can’t tell you how thrilling that is, especially because I’m in a field that’s entirely a game of luck and chance. I’m sure other self-employed / entrepreneurs out there get what I’m saying. 2019 is a catch-22 year for me, though, in terms of time and human ability to get All The Things Done, and I’m already falling behind on reading requested submissions. Cross fingers success continues, and perhaps I’ll be able to step away from my part-time work and truly enter agenting wholly, completely full-time.
If we were having coffee… I’d confess that I really miss Greece right now. Spring can hurry up and get here, but only if it includes the bluest of blues Aegean Sea and cloudless skies and endless cooling breeze on hot, sunny days. I’m such a fall/winter girl, but Syros really spoiled me for good summer weather.
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So, how are you doing? What’s new with you? Let’s chat!
Scribbles & Wanderlust 
14 thoughts on “If We Were Having Coffee…*”
Amanda Foster-Moudy
I feel the same way about the mountains of Colorado – it was heavenly and I constantly have little flashbacks to our time on that ranch!
Laura
Colorado (heck, anywhere West with those mountains!) is so stunning. If your family can go back when the little ones are older that would be awesome!
Nora Pace
Well, if we were having coffee (which I actually am, at the moment), I’d tell you that I feel some good writing momentum. And that I am exploring the possibilities of second and third jobs in my related fields (English education and writing). So glad to hear that your self-made career is going well. You’ve got a lot going on!
Laura
There’s definitely a lot going on, but I still count myself as one of the lucky ones: it’s in a field I enjoy. Glad to hear about your writing momentum — I hope whatever pans out in your second (and possibly third) job is rewarding and fulfilling!
Nora Pace
Thank you! And yes, we are lucky to do what we love!
tasya @ the literary huntress
This is a really lovely post ❤ Greece sounds fantastic! One of my goal this year is actually wake up earlier, like 5 or 10 minutes, so I don't really rushed myself to class. I usually just wake up, eat breakfast and bathe, and then just spend the rest of the time trying to think of the things I need to do or read a couple of pages. It's been great so far!
Laura
So glad you’ve found something that works for you! There’s something about those few extra minutes, cutting out the rush, that helps eliminate stress and anxiety.
The Aimless Cartographer
I’m so glad you’re starting to feel stability in your career! That feeling is a big deal. I seriously have Buddy the Elf style “I KNOW HER!” moments every time I see a book you agented. 😛
I just came inching back from a Facebook time-out and I think I want to leave again. Everything is advertisement and anger and it was amazing how less anxious I was when not checking it every day. Plus there’s so much brainspace/time to reclaim from scrolling.
Waking up earlier is a goal of mine as well. The results thus far have been…sporadic.
Laura
AHHH haha I love it. It still blows my mind to see my name in print whenever announcements are made, or acknowledgements in books. It doesn’t feel real. (btw have you been writing?)
YES EXACTLY. There’s just this huge amount of time devoted to scrolling, meaningless updates, anger, political agendas, anxiety, constantly comparing yourself to others, and I just can’t. There’s so much more to life than that. A detox is ideal…
Sporadic haha. I hope the results become more steadily stable soon 😉
The Aimless Cartographer
Indeed I have! I’m about to start chapter 5 of the outline/summary draft of a fantasy with plans to start the full first draft in May.
Lisa DeSelm
Thanks for sharing how you’ve been doing, I’m so sorry the year started off with a tough season for you, sending you a hug and a big, warm cup of tea! (Because we’d be having a cup of tea together, instead of coffee, if it was up to me, ha ha!) So thrilled for all your success, Laura and that I get to be in on this journey with you! I have no doubt 2019 will be a special year for you and everything that needs to, will get done. We’ll just take it one day at a time, one page at a time.
Laura
Lisa, you’re a gem!! Truly, it is one day at a time. I’m so glad you’re part of this journey too and I can’t wait to post on this very blog your own future deal announcement 😉 Thank you for the hug and tea!! (Oh my gosh, we live so close to one another this better happen soon haha!)
Morgan @ The Bookish Beagle
I will never get over your completely mesmerizing coffee & tea gifs. I love them so!! I’m so glad you made it through hellish January and it sounds like you are really enjoying wedding planning, which is the best thing! I know it must be insane amounts of work this year in particular but I am SO PROUD OF YOU, you badass agent!!! Really happy for you that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as living off of doing something you love. It sucks about all the DNFs but time is finite and there’s no point reading something you don’t enjoy. I wish we could have coffee (teaaaa) in real life! ❤
Laura
I wish we could too! That one time we did was AWESOME. ❤