Diary Of An Indie Author | Reading Fiction

An Indie Author's Journey Into The World Of Contemporary Fantasy

Indie Author's Diary is a space to catalogue my journey to publishing as an indie author. It took a long time for me to be ready to write in the public eye, but it's time to break out of my comfort zone and share my writing, and my writing experience with the world.

What I'm Working On

Currently, I'm working on an urban/contemporary fantasy about a witch with a unique power. She's being hunted by

a creature thought only to exist in legend. Things aren't always what they seem in a town founded by witches.

Who This Is For

If you like all things witch, vampire, werewolf, or hybrid mixed with moral greyness, stick around.

Join The Tribe

Any story worth telling involves conflict. I'm currently setting up that conflict and it's getting hard to write because I know what's going to happen. I feel a little bad for my FMC.
#fantasywriting #indieauthors #darkfantasy

As authors, we know our manuscripts front back nd sideways. By the 4th or 5th draft, do you loose passion for your curret work? How dp you fall back in love with your writing?
#indieauthorsupport #indiewriters #fallinlovewithyourwriting

Mental flexibility teaches us to go with the flow. Both in creating and in life. Nothing flows in a straight line. Learn to flow with life and creativity instead of struggling against it.

#MentalFlexability #Creativity #GoWithTheFlow

Welcome March!
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. How are you going to spend it?

#NewBeginnings #WelcomeMarch #StartFresh

I read a lot of craft books and one of the biggest questions I have is where does creativity come from? The answers I find range from divine downloads and the energy flowing through chakras, to the more scientific answers such as the brain symbolizing life experience. Creativity is poweful, exciting, and meraculous. Stay tuned to the blog to learn more about the energy and psychology of creativity and what you can do to access it.
#Creativity #Psychology #Writing #Stories

Sometimes, as crazy as it sounds, falling sounds like the safer option. We self sabatoge becahse the devil we know is safer than the one we don't
#selfSabagoge #DevilYouKnow #DiaryOfAnIndieAuthor #WriteYourOwnLife

One of the biggest lessons I'm still learning is not to run from everything in my life that isn't quite the way I want. I was resisting the job, the lack of sleep, the time constraints. Resistance creates stress. Life as it is isn't the problem, resistance to life is the problem.

How do we move forward without resisting? We use our life the way it is as the building blocks to build the life we want. Focus on what you can use and move forward with it.

#BuildTheLifeYouWant #DreamLife #ChangeYourLifeWithWhatYouHave

I wanted to become a writer for so long. Honestly, I viewed writing as my ticket to financial freedom. To finally getting off third shift. Viewing writing that way put so much pressure on getting the book finished and getting it out that it was hard to even write.

Finally, I took the pressure off. Instead of worrying about getting it done so life could move on, I decided to trust the process. In trusting the process, the pressure turned off and writing finally started to feel enjoyable again. Writing is so much easier and it seems like the book is writing itself.

#writinglife #progress #writingtips #tipsforanindieauthor

In nearly every pursuit I've taken, I've had to learn not to rush. I'm a Capricorn, I want results, I want them now, and I don't want excuses thank you. This is going to be one of those life long lessons for me, I'm sure. So I'm sharing it with you in hopes that maybe some of you can learn along side me; enjoy the process. Focusing on the end result only causes impatience and paralysis. When I envission my goal, and then think about how far I have to go, it looks like a mountain unclimbable. Like I'll never reach the goal (nevermind the fact that the goal post never stays put). The progress is the only constant. Continuous progress is Continuous happiness because its measurable. It's achievement and it will maintain beyond the goal post. Don't focus on the end result, focus on all the progress you're making.
#ShiftedFocus #progress=perfection #neverstop

You only have so much energy in a day and where you direct your energy matters. If you're so busy spending your energy on stressing about controling every situation in which you find yourself, how are you going to have energy for your creative persuits?
#Energywork #CreativeMindset #Control

I don't know about yall but I have a tendency to overthink everything. For us overthinkers, a bad day can be a trigger for us to re-evaluate our entire lives. But sometimes a bad day is just a bad day. A time to slow down, live moment by moment, and honor what we're feeling.
#mindfulness #healingjournry #WritingJourney #Indieauthorsdiary

Happy Friday the 13! I recenty read a book by Will Packer called 'Who Better Than You'. It was basically a peptalk in a book. Highly recomend.

#Peptalk #WhyNot? #Motivation

Question everything. Including your own thoughts, but especially negative thoughts. Look for reasons why you believe that, contradictory evidence. Learn to think deeply so your inner world works with you instead of against you. This is the first step I took when I decided to seriously work on my career as an indie author. Those limiting beliefs need to be questioned, rooted out, and let go.

For more information on the inner work you can do as a writer, click the link in the bio.

#InnerWork #Indieauthor #Writingjourney #Followyourdreams

People project their opinions on us based on their life experience. If someone doesn't like your work it largely has nothing to do with you. Write for you and your audience will come.

To learn more about what could be blocking your cretivity and what you can do about it, click the link in the bio

#Perspective #Mindfulness #SelfConfidence

This week I wrote about imposter syndrome. Affirmations and Gratitude have a surprising connection. To learn more, click the link in the bio and scroll down till you see "Imposter syndrome is an identity habit"
#impostersyndrom #overcomingimpostersyndrom #writer #creative

What part of your identity is stopping you?

#neuroscience #selfimprovement #change #wellnessjourney

When our own language fails, it's okay #healingjourney #writingtoheal #changeyourlife #speakkindly #Indieauthor #mindfulness to borrow from someone else's.

We go through our lives working hard to be accepted by the group. Are you hiding from perceived potential judgement? How far would you go if you didn't allow the fear of judgement hold you back?
#writingtoheal #healingjourney #changeyourlife

What words do you use when you talk to yourself? Do you speak kindly? Do you use affirming language? If you spoke to your friends the way you speak to/about yourself, would they stick around?
#speakkindly #Indieauthor #healingjourney #writingtoheal

For more overcoming common blocks as an indie author, click the link in the bio

#Indieauthor #trusttheprocess #writing

What we're avoiding usually holds the key to what we need to work on. Silance the inner critic and don't be afraid to do the work. Click the link in the bio for more information

#writingprompts #journalinspiration #writingtoheal #healingjourney #changeyourlife #mindfulness #mindfulnessmatters

I learned how to change toxic thought patterns from Dr. Caroline Leaf. This concept has been life altering for me. If you want to understand how to do this for yourself, click the link in the bio

#mindfulness #journaling #changeyourthoughts #changeyourmindset #changeyourlife #healingjourney

Outside is cold and the snow is falling steady. Its a terrible day to drive but a perfect day to watch out the window and get some writing done.

#winterwonderland #winterstorm #writing #novelwriting #urbanfantasy

January 6 writing prompt: "Moral of the story, never trust a sprite."

#WritingPrompt
#FantasyWriting
#WritersOfInstagram
#AmWriting

2026 isn't about finding my voice. I already have one. It's about discipline, momentum, and trusting my readers to meet me halfway. If you're a writer, what are you refinning instead of reinventing?

#WritingInspiration #FictionWriting #CreativeWriting #IndieAuthor

The next bit of flash is all about waking up from the numbness of life. Stay tuned!
Link in the bio for more!#supportindieauthors⭐ #sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛɪɴᴅɪᴇᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀs
#FlashFiction #shortstory #shortstories #relatablestories #diaryofanindieauthor #indieauthorsdiary #supportindieauthors

#FlashFiction #GaslampFantasy #ShortStory #SpeculativeFiction #DarkFantasy #WomenWhoWrite #IndieAuthor #MicroFiction #FantasyWriting

A lesson in writing. I've come to the realization that I give many different examples to say the exact same thing and it takes away the power of my words. The power of my scenes. The impact on you as my readers. This is going to be my focus for my next flash piece, how can I evoke as much emotion as possible within my scene?

#flashfiction #gaslampfantasy #thewritingcraft #writingpractace #thewritingcommunity #diaryofanindieauthor #indieauthorsdiary

Routine is hard for me. At least when it comes to sleeping and writing. My morning pages might not be right when I wake up, I might write with distractions, but it brings a clarity to the mind, an awakeness and awareness that I don't find easily without the writing.
From my pages today; the stress of always having to write, having to continuously produce words, seems to burn through the fluff of who we think we should be leaving now choice but for our authentic selves to shine through.

#indieauthorsdiary #diaryofanindieauthor #morningpages #authenticwriting #writingauthentically #poetry #mentalwellbeing #diaryofapoet #writing #creativewriting

#poetry #diaryofapoet #diaryofanindieauthor #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #comingupforair #mentalgrowth🌱 #mentalshift

With whome did Tessa make this deal? What kind of deal did she make? Where is her brother? Why can't she remember?
#UrbanFantasy #creativewriting #writing #diaryofanindieauthor #DarkFantasy #TheDarkForestOfRavenHollow

Introducing The Dark Forest Of Raven Hollow. A short dark fantasy where Tessa Heys enters the Dark Forest every year on the anniversary of her brother's death to understand what happened to him. Once she enters the Forest, she rediscovers her memories. It isn't a coincidence that she makes this annual pilgrimage. Tessa made a deal. Stick around to find out what deal Tessa made and what she needs to do in order to keep it.
#indieauthor #writing #diaryofanindieauthor #creativewriting #UrbanFantasy #tellingstories #DarkFantasy

This has been one of those weeks where creativity had to take a pause. I have not touched my manuscript until today. It would have stressed me out before but I no longer feel like rage quitting when it gets tough. Yay progresses!
#progressnotperfection #writing #diaryofanindieauthor #indieauthorsdiary #creativewriting #indieauthor

The history and etymology of Grocery per etyonline
Origin and history of grocery
grocery(n.)
mid-15c., "goods sold by a grocer;" earlier the name of the Grocer's Hall in London (early 15c.), from Old French grosserie, from grossier "wholesale merchant" (see grocer). Meaning "a grocer's shop" is by 1803, especially in American English, where its use in that sense restricted the "goods sold by a grocer" meaning to the plural, groceries, by mid-19c.
#etemology #groceries #wherewordscomefrom

For the last week or so I've been reading The Moor Witch by Jessica Khoury. I'm about 70% through the book and it seems to have everything. It has the fae, witches, secrets, and a slow burn is it going to turn into a romance? As of yet, we don't know yet.
The story follows Rose Pryor, a young witch who gets caught in a deal with the fae. That deal brings her to Ravens Gate, the home of a young Laird who seems to be the one person on the earth who understands the pain of her past.
Rose and Conrad may have more in common than meets the eye, due to a deal made to the fae queen by one of Conrad's ancesters, Conrad holds the key to Roses salvation. Or does he stand in the way of it.
Adding to the plot, there's been some growing tension between Rose and the Laird. Will they fall in love? Will Conrad break his deal to the fae queen to help Rose? Usually I find books fairly predictable as far as the resolution goes, but this one has me stumped. I have no idea what's going to happen and it has me at the edge of my seat.
The Moor Witch has over 3,000 ratings on goodreads giving it a total of 4.31 stars that In my opinion are well deserved.
#CurrentReads #themoorwitch #RomanticFantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurnRomance

Writing was a little slow this morning, but I hit above my word count for the week. I know I can write a chapter per week, which for me right now a chapter is hovering around 1,700 words. My natural inclination to push myself says "I can do two chapters per week, it's not that hard" but I also need to recognise the rest of my responsibilities in life. Goals are great, but let's be realistic about them.

I choose to remain still

To remain sleeping inside myself

While the world continues on

To stay in the place

I have created within my mind

A place of contemplation

A place of quiet reflection

Watching the world continue on the way it does

The way it always will

I choose to stay here so that

While the world is in chaos

I can watch and remain

Still

#writing #writingBlog #enjoythesmallthings #poetry #diaryofanindieauthor #selfcare #writingblog #tellingstories #busyworld #stillness #indieauthorsdiary

After some issues with my website that made me want to pull my hair out, I'm happy to report that we will be back to our regular posting schedule by Friday!! Photo of the local beach for attention, have a good day!!

My Day Dream Job
My job is a dream.
A day dream
A dream where I get to write
And that pays my bills
My job is a dream
A day dream
It comes from my imagination
Anything that I can dream up
And if it’s good, it goes down on paper
My job is a dream
A day dream
What happens when it becomes a nightmare?
What happens when my dreams don’t come true
When they don’t make for good writing?
I wait for more dreams
For the good dreams always come back
My job is a dream
Sometimes it’s a nightmare
But mostly a dream
Even better
It’s a dream that I get to live.

#thewritingprocess #writings #writingblog #poetry #writinginspiration #indieauthor #tellingstories #WritingBlog #selfcare #writer #DiaryOfAnIndieAuthor #dayjob #diaryofanindieauthor

I'm waiting to go into work. The rain is pitter pattering on the roof, my car is cozy, and I'm reading 'The Winter King' by Bernard Cornwell. Yes, I think I'm quite content.
#dayjob #nightjob #factorylife #enjoythesmallthings #diaryofanindieauthor #thewinterking

How easy it is to disappear into the wilds as a shifter. How easy it is not to be found. Crews combed the area, dogs catching my scent and then losing it again. I was playing with them. I’d always wondered if my scent changed with my form.

No one knew what I was. No one knew I could change form. If they had known, maybe they would have given up the search before it even began. I knew what awaited me if they ever found out the truth.

Exorcisms, an endless parade of people telling me I was wrong for existing, that I was a monster. Who knows, they might even try to kill me when they discovered I couldn’t be cured. So here I was, watching them conduct a search that they would never complete. Watching them walk right over me and they would never know. Watching their dogs shy away from my serpent body and rattling tail.

They were looking for me, and I was following them.
#diaryofanindieauthor #WritingBlog #indieauthor #writinginspiration #tellingstories #flashfiction #Urbanfantasy #urbanfantasyflashfiction

"Its been a long time since I've been back here." I said, taking in the scenery around me.
"How does it feel?"
"Like I can breathe again"

#nature #writer #writingBlog #selfcare #mentalhealthwalk #DiaryOfAnIndieAuthor

With each breath that I draw

I draw in the wilderness

Basking in the rays of the sun

Talking with the winds

Breathing through

The leaves on the Trees

My feet caked in dirt

Grounded in my roots

For the woman in me is wild

The daughter I am is Feral

I run through the trees on a moonlight night

I Bathe in the rivers and streams

I do not fear the wolf or the bear

For they are mine

Wild like my soul

#diaryofanindieauthor #writingblog #indieauthor #tellingstories #WritingBlog #poetry #writinginspiration #WildLikeMe

It’s been hard to get a post out on time this Friday, and I think anxiety and pressure are the problem. I’m putting too much pressure on myself about the time that I don’t believe I have, and it’s giving me anxiety, which is stopping my productivity.
As my blogging schedule stands right now, I have a backlog of Monday and Wednesday content to get me through the end of the year. For my novel, I want to get 500 words out per day, and then my housekeeping posts on Fridays. On top of that, I work full time on third shift; I have a four year old at home with no child care, and a home to take care of. Plus, my relationship with my husband and daughter. It’s a good thing I thrive when I’m busy.
To maintain a good balance of all these things, I am constantly doing time management audits and this week just happened to be one of those weeks where I couldn’t quite make my time work for me, which is bound to happen and it’s absolutely not the end of the world, but in the midst of it, can be disheartening. It’s weeks like these that I need to remember to breathe. To take it day by day, moment by moment, in order to not allow anxiety to get the best of me.
I need to take a breath, step back, and remember that everything in life follows a cycle. It’s weeks like these, weeks that look out of control, that we need to remember to lean away from fear and lean into desire. Desire to write, desire to be a good mom, desire to be a good wife. Desire to protect my peace and to trust that I can and will get done what I need to get done. Everything will work out in the end so long as we lean away from forcing our will and lean into the want and need of what we’re doing.
Writing i my air, my escape, my flow, and my expression. What we need will come to us when we need it.
I am intentionally keeping this post short so that I’m not tempted to over explain for the sake of length. To honor writing for writing’s sake by putting down what is on my heart as authentically as possible.
So this weekend, I would like to challenge you, reader, to do an audit of your time. What are you trying to force where you could take the pressure off and allow the flow of what needs to be?
#diaryofanindieauthor

All hail the conquering heros, I thought watching the ridiculous parade of Warriors marching through the city on horseback. I sat atop my own Mount at the back of the crowd of

on lookers. Leaning forward over the pomel on my saddle, chin resting on my hand watching the procession. A bunch of self important men parading through the city.

the warriors sat tall and proud, blood splattered across their faces and armor as if they hadn't dained to bathe at all after their battles on the Western front. Gross.

Disgusted, I reigned my Mount over to the side and rode back through the empty city streets. My own sword, hanging over the side of the saddle was bumping against my knee as I rode.' Bow slung across my back. Normally, weapons weren't permitted in the city but today everyone was distracted so I didn't feel the need to hide them the way that I normally would.

I was feeling petty, therefore brazen. I dared any ofthe provosts guard to srop me for brandishing weapons when those fool men were doing the exact same thing as hordes of people lined the streetschanting their names. The hypocrecy had me itching for a fight.

I got through the city unbothered, and made my way back into the woods. I prepared the turban that I use to hide my face during battle. If the men seen me, a woman, on the battle field, they'd just as soon attack me as if I were their enemy as well. Even if we fought on the same side. Their egos wouldn't allow a woman to share their glory. So I fought with my face covered.

I traveled west. There was still work to be done.

#FlashFiction #tellingstories #trusttheprocess #WritingBlog #indieauthor #DiaryOfAnIndieAuthor #writings #writing #thewritingprocess #writingblog #writinginspiration

#poetry #diaryofanindieauthor #writingblog #writinginspiration #thewritingprocess #writing #writings

First off, imposter syndrome is a liar. It's your fear whispering insecurities in your ear to keep you 'safe'. Safely wrapped in the devil you know to keep you from the devil you don't. In keeping you from the devil you don't know though, it keeps you from growth and new experiences, and that's not something we tolerate.

Lately, imposter syndrome has been rearing its ugly head when I've been working on my novel. It's telling me that my writing is crap, the storyline is boring, it's repetitive and no one is going to want to read it. Imposter syndrome is feeding my ego that doesn't want to see me fail, and I can't fail if I don't try.

Giving up would be a failure. Quitting would be a failure. Even if everything I'm doing now is crap, practice makes progress, and we'll never grow and develop if we listen to imposter syndrome.

It reminds me of the idea that sparked my interest in The Way Of The Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton. The idea is to 'write in the service of writing'. In other words, I took it to mean, write what your heart tells you to write. Write to get better at writing. Write because you love it. And that could go for anything else we do in life.

If our aim is to improve and to do the things we do for the love of doing them, the ego has no place in that. It can't whisper in our ears that we suck or that people are going to judge us, because our aim is to learn and not to be perfect at it on the first go. Everything in life is a journey, and it's okay to have slow spots. It's okay to work for improvement and to be honest about where we're at.

Thanks for reading this week’s 'Lessons From The Page'. If you enjoyed it, please leave a like or a comment. Have you had any success in facing down imposter syndrome? I'd love to hear your stories. Have a great weekend. I'll see you back here on Monday for some poetry.

#indieauthor #trusttheprocess #DiaryOfAnIndieAuthor #WritingBlog #thewritingprocess #tellingstories #writinginspiration

Walking into the stone cell, I expected to see terror in my victim. I had a reputation that no creature to date hadn't heard of me; none entered my chamber that didn't aware my arrival with some amount of trepidation. The longer I practiced my craft, the farther my reputation spread, the more the fear in my victims grew, so the slow blinking confidence bordering on boredom threw me.

She sat in the stone chair, clad brilliantly in sexy black. She was confident and at ease in the situation, even though she was chained to a stone chair with every kind of torture equipment hanging behind her. As if the chair she found herself in was her throne rather than my altar.

Her easygoing, almost demure demeanor did nothing to thaw my heart, though the longer I gazed into her doe eyes, the harder the damn thing pounded. The more I could hear my own blood roaring in my ears as I prepared to spill hers.

Her small red smile peeled into a grin, exposing her canines. The reason she was here, her fangs. And though I've faced many a vampire and kept myself under complete control the whole time, something about the points on her exposed teeth made y mouth dry out.

My heart thundered. Both fear and desire mixed. Instinct told me to run away from her and toward her at the same time.

I broke eye contact and smirked, finally understanding the situation. What she was doing to me. I grabbed a blindfold off the wall closest to me and smirked.

"If that's how you want to play it, fine," I said, putting every ounce of smoothness into my voice that I could muster. "Have it your way. Let’s begin, shall we?"

There was no tension in her. Still no sense of fear that I could discern. "I can hardly wait," she purred.

"With the blindfold secured, the vampire sat back and waited for me to begin.

#writing #FlashFiction #Vampire #vampireflashfiction #WritingBlog #DiaryOfAnIndieAuthor

I noticed the leaves changing today
I noticed it as I was driving in my car
For the first time this year, I noticed the leaves.
I noticed the yellows mixed with the greens.
I noticed reds and oranges on some of the trees.
I was caught off guard by how early it's all happening
And it made me sad.
It made me sad because of how fast the change was coming
And until now, by me at least, it had largely gone unnoticed.
My own ignorance in my surroundings, the beauty of the nature around me
How caught up I had become in my daily life
It made me think of how I need to slow down and take notice
Time is slipping by, and it's slipping by way too fast. #autumnpoetryclub #autumnpoetry🍁 #autumnpoetrylove

#diaryofanindieauthor #tellingstories #trusttheprocess #writinginspiration #indieauthor #writingblog #thewritingprocess #poetry #autumnpoetry

Hello Friends and Neighbors, this week has been super exciting and I can't wait to share it with you guys. My book is almost writing itself, and I feel like I've unlocked the secret to my creativity and overcoming writers block!Writing the book has taken up a lot of my creative energy, which has left very little time or creativity for Flash or Poetry, but I think that's just part of my process. I'm going to cover that revilation later.

#writinginspiration #tellingstories #indieauthor #writingblog #trusttheprocess #thewritingprocess #diaryofanindieauthor

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An Indie Author's Journey Into The World Of Contemporary Fantasy

What I'm Working On

Who This Is For

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