Life is complicated.  We all know it.  At times, we all live it.  One thing I’ve found to be true is that we don’t really realize we’re in a “fallow” time–meaning, nine hundred people aren’t all needing something at once and things are sailing pretty smoothly–until we have a not-so-fallow time.  Then, we look back at the fallow time and recognize it for what it was–and long for a little of it now.

Two weeks ago, I was sailing along, writing hard and fast on a project that will be out this fall.  Then I needed to do something on my website and couldn’t because the theme didn’t allow it.

I should have recognized that as a signal.  I should have; I’ve been through this before many times.  But I really didn’t think much about it.  I juggled my schedule for a week to permit for the makeover and got the gurus to handle the new theme and moving things from the old one to it.

I got a note from the gurus that their part was done and to be ready for a long day of customization.  I should have recognized that as a signal, too.  A long day for a couple of great gurus is a whole lot different than a long day for a non-guru author.

Because I’ve been down this road before, I was prepared and lectured myself that I would exercise patience, I would not get frustrated, and if I ran into something I couldn’t do, I’d ask the gurus to do it.  With that, I considered myself armed and ready to tackle the project.

That was two weeks ago.  Today, other than a few tiny tweaks, it’s done.

Miracle of miracles, I didn’t lose patience–though I came close twice–and I didn’t get too frustrated.  Well, okay, once I did.  Because I knew I should be able to figure out the problem but no matter what I tried, nothing worked.  Turned out, it was a rare server problem.  That, believe it or not, made me much happier.  They’re by far better equipped to deal with those issues.

The little bit frustrated was with myself for recreating an entire page four–yes, four; I’m stubborn–times before even checking to see if it could be an issue beyond my site.

I learned a lot during this process.  Elegant Themes has a wonderful video tutorial program and I watched them all at least once.  A couple, I watched multiple times.  I love the theme, which is capable of much more than I’ve done with it but I do love simple, and I only had to bug the gurus once.  (Thanks, Craig and Alysan for answering my SOS.)

It’s good to tackle the unfamiliar now and then.  To push yourself outside your boundaries and expand your knowledge and your thinking.  Today, I have a much greater appreciation for the work I rely upon the gurus to do.  I know now what it takes–a lot on a lot of fronts.

I’d built four or so sites with this theme before, but that’s a whole lot different–the starting fresh–than putting an existing jigsaw puzzle back together.  Especially when it’s a 2,000 page jigsaw.

Is it perfect?  No.  But neither am I.  My goal was to do what I could do  to make the site information intensive and easy to navigate.  In other words, to be able to find what you’re after with no pain.

I’ll have to wait for your comments to see if I succeeded.

A lot has gone on in life these past two weeks, too.  Isn’t that always the way it goes?  Some of those things were as bad as bad gets.  But some were as good as good gets also, which has me quaking in my shoes.

What if this time has been half-fallow and half not-fallow?

Oh, I can’t even think that.  Not one more thing.  Please!   Not today.  Today, I need the rest of locking myself in the office and just writing a book!

Well, I just checked the clock.  You know I usually avoid them.  It’s Mid-afternoon already!

I will be patient.  I will not be frustrated.  

Okay, tomorrow.  Tomorrow I’m going to lock myself in the office and just write and write . . . and write.  I would say, I need the calm, but considering I’m writing heavy suspense, well, that wouldn’t be a good thing, would it?  LOL!

Instead, I’ll share what I hope is worthy advice.  Plan twice as long as projections for completion, invest in a GREAT theme–it’ll save your sanity, and start during a fallow stretch, if you’ve got one.

You’ll enjoy all the learning more and spend a lot less time anxious.

Blessings,

Vicki