Recently, a non-writing friend asked, “Do you ever look back and think, ‘Wow, I wrote XX number of books last year?’” Hmmm… honestly, I don’t.

But I should.

Because when I did stop to think about it, it totally blew my mind! Just in my published works, I have 3 contemporary romances written and released, 1 written and scheduled for fall, and 3 in some stage of production. That doesn’t include the 6 additional stories I wrote before I published.

It’s pretty astounding to realize I’ve completed that many stories. Most aspiring authors finish 1 book, maybe 2. I have a lot of accomplishments under my belt for a new author.  🙂

Why don’t I savor these milestones more? I think, when you are a published author working on a publishing deadline, your focus is always ahead to the next book, the next deadline, the tasks on the list left to be done. There’s little time for looking back.

But we should.

This reminds me of when my kids were babies. There was so much that needed to be done in any given day, that savoring the wonder of having these children in my life was virtually impossible—unless I reminded myself to STOP and look for it. But when I did then…and I do now…what incredible beauty I see!

I have a group of friends who have been tight knit since long before we published. Now we are ALL published authors. Between us we have numerous novels and novellas. It’s incredible to think about what we’ve accomplished in the 10 years we’ve known each other. Throughout this post are pictures of our books. Looking at them makes me smile. For the record, that’s a good thing when you’re on deadline!

Dani

Takeaway: What accomplishments should you stop and savor? What memories make you smile in the midst of your current hard work?