A couple years ago, I found myself awake in the middle of the night googling “adult women onset ADD symptoms.” I was struggling to read novels—maybe I was part of the cohort of millennial women who were all diagnosed with ADD during the pandemic?
Stepping back right now from ALL my dopamine apps — it’s a kind of coming down. A soft NB: this is an unavoidable & reoccurring theme in small town Southern Italy where at the end of festival season, a week from now, after the entire summer of competitively-locked villages outdo each other for the best festa with the brightest baddest fireworks with hundreds if not thousands of people partying in the streets — the whole town, the whole region, goes quiet. Like dead quiet. And we can go back to reading books! by the light of the moon & a balcony streetlamp. Quindi, I have some practice 🇮🇹 but what a great post with nudges & links. Making a list of pleasure & pain app / action addictions immediately
Chiming in because I started my second novel while querying my first! Which majorly worked in my favor because once I got an agent, we went out on sub with my first — and that was 5 months ago. Having to the second novel to fall back on feels like a nice safety net!
I love this concept and will think of it constantly. 🩵
WHEW I needed this. I’m hard at work on my first novel, and I know it needs to be my #1 priority (after my family, job, necessary life things) until it’s ready to query. But I feel a lot of pressure/guilt to also be constantly creating content (I work in social so I know it’s important) but who has the creative bandwidth to do both at once??
I’m honestly surprised that more people aren’t following the query -> start your next book advice!
I took it very much to heart. An idea had been percolating for two years while I was writing my first novel. As soon as the first novel was query ready, I started fleshing out the shiny idea. Five months later, the first draft is done.
For me, writing another book sounds more fun than starting a Substack or Stepping Way Up on my Instagram account 😅
Having been in my writing cave for a while, with a week to go until my book goes to the editor, I feel this! It takes discipline to step back and do the deep work. Thanks for this.
This is such good advice. I find that right how i'm doing neithter - writing but also doing social media and doing neither very well. What do you think of people actually announcing that they're stepping back for a while? Do they do this to keep themselves on track or are they asking for permission from their community?
I think some people want that external accountability, so they make an announcement. It also might feel good to hear people say "good for you! take care of yourself/have fun writing/etc." I can't leave Instagram COMPLETELY because I still need it for work so I'm just deleting it off my phone and checking in when I need to, and popping back out. What if you took a one-week vacation from Instagram?
Such a great post! I'm moving into a Step Back phase for this next book, but the hardest thing is stepping back from my Substack readers. I'm wildly attached to the community and feel a real responsibility to them and so it's an exercise of paring down to the funniest stories and the most salient pieces that will mean the most to them--while leaving 90% of my time for the book. It's tricky work.
Feeling this, too! Especially now that my Substack is paid, I'm committed to engaging here (and I love the community, too) but I'm going to be less active on Notes/on my phone.
Same. I've removed the app on my phone and almost completely pulled back on notes because it such an addictive dopamine hit. The imagination wilderness is every thing right now.
I love this!! And in some stages I can manage to do step up and step back in one day (sometimes). I've started keeping social media deleted from my phone except for about half an hour or an hour a day when I redownload it, then delete the apps again. I get my writing done in the morning before I move to the social media/promo stuff. At least this is the theoretical goal, and it's been mostly working out ok!
Stepping back right now from ALL my dopamine apps — it’s a kind of coming down. A soft NB: this is an unavoidable & reoccurring theme in small town Southern Italy where at the end of festival season, a week from now, after the entire summer of competitively-locked villages outdo each other for the best festa with the brightest baddest fireworks with hundreds if not thousands of people partying in the streets — the whole town, the whole region, goes quiet. Like dead quiet. And we can go back to reading books! by the light of the moon & a balcony streetlamp. Quindi, I have some practice 🇮🇹 but what a great post with nudges & links. Making a list of pleasure & pain app / action addictions immediately
perfect analogy!
Excellent advice, as always. Enjoy your withdrawing, friend. Looking forward to the novel.
I’m definitely in my Step Back Era. Love this step up/step back framework. Thanks for sharing my class! 🤘🏽
This is great, thanks, Leigh, I’m going into a brief step back period shortly, love the “one woman show in a wig” 😂
Chiming in because I started my second novel while querying my first! Which majorly worked in my favor because once I got an agent, we went out on sub with my first — and that was 5 months ago. Having to the second novel to fall back on feels like a nice safety net!
I love this concept and will think of it constantly. 🩵
good for you!
🥴🥴🥴
This was so, so helpful. Thank you!!
This is such a helpful framework for determining where to focus your attention as a creative. I'll definitely be using it in the future!
WHEW I needed this. I’m hard at work on my first novel, and I know it needs to be my #1 priority (after my family, job, necessary life things) until it’s ready to query. But I feel a lot of pressure/guilt to also be constantly creating content (I work in social so I know it’s important) but who has the creative bandwidth to do both at once??
I’m honestly surprised that more people aren’t following the query -> start your next book advice!
I took it very much to heart. An idea had been percolating for two years while I was writing my first novel. As soon as the first novel was query ready, I started fleshing out the shiny idea. Five months later, the first draft is done.
For me, writing another book sounds more fun than starting a Substack or Stepping Way Up on my Instagram account 😅
good for you!
Having been in my writing cave for a while, with a week to go until my book goes to the editor, I feel this! It takes discipline to step back and do the deep work. Thanks for this.
This is such good advice. I find that right how i'm doing neithter - writing but also doing social media and doing neither very well. What do you think of people actually announcing that they're stepping back for a while? Do they do this to keep themselves on track or are they asking for permission from their community?
I think some people want that external accountability, so they make an announcement. It also might feel good to hear people say "good for you! take care of yourself/have fun writing/etc." I can't leave Instagram COMPLETELY because I still need it for work so I'm just deleting it off my phone and checking in when I need to, and popping back out. What if you took a one-week vacation from Instagram?
I'm 100% sure no one would notice if i did! My deadline for my new book is Sept 13 so it might be a life saving idea
I think by the end of Oct I'll be heading into my step back era. Thanks for putting into words what I was trying to work out for myself. As usual.
you've been stepping up for YEARS
and I am feeling every second of those years 🥴
Such a great post! I'm moving into a Step Back phase for this next book, but the hardest thing is stepping back from my Substack readers. I'm wildly attached to the community and feel a real responsibility to them and so it's an exercise of paring down to the funniest stories and the most salient pieces that will mean the most to them--while leaving 90% of my time for the book. It's tricky work.
Feeling this, too! Especially now that my Substack is paid, I'm committed to engaging here (and I love the community, too) but I'm going to be less active on Notes/on my phone.
Same. I've removed the app on my phone and almost completely pulled back on notes because it such an addictive dopamine hit. The imagination wilderness is every thing right now.
I love this!! And in some stages I can manage to do step up and step back in one day (sometimes). I've started keeping social media deleted from my phone except for about half an hour or an hour a day when I redownload it, then delete the apps again. I get my writing done in the morning before I move to the social media/promo stuff. At least this is the theoretical goal, and it's been mostly working out ok!
Great idea—I've done this in the past, too! Make social media my reward after I've hit my writing goal in the morning
Hearing your voice in my head. Happy revising!
I’m now a subscriber. The sad part is you’ve made me want to internet less, so you might not see me on notes ;)