Goodness! Firstly I need to say thank you for the huge selection of books to choose from. But also thank you so much for writing this. Loss of sleep, overworrying about life in general, pushing myself to do more, bad habits, bad eating habits, no bounderies (never being able to say no - a hang over from childhood when it was easier, made me be liked more, I thought.). I've had talk therapy/counselling - have been trying meditation over the last year. But reading all your post is a reminder to determine to keep trying for life/ work balance. I love writing, been published by a small press for twenty years, but never really 'getting out there' (too many "celebrity" books?) Knowing that the writing is a really great part of my life, I need to protect that even more. Lots to think about here. Thanks again to you and your wife.
Thank you for this timely (for me) piece. I woke from a much needed afternoon nap and you had just published it when I popped on Substack as I readied myself to get up. I have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia following ptsd. Everything you say resonates and I am grateful for all the resources you have shared here. My issue is I am time poor. I run a micro food business and I am trying to steer it away from catering towards product and writing as I age and my symptoms don’t improve. Time poverty is my number one sticking point. I can’t cut one income stream to focus on the next and so currently juggle them all. But reading this has reinforced my niggling thoughts that this is folly and ultimately unsustainable. I long to press pause and focus more steadily on getting well, but you are right, we can fit in a glass of water before coffee and 3 stretches. Thank you for the inspiration.
It's built on my course 10x your productivity which is available to paid members, but that article is free.
It's very hard to build leverage, and it took years for me to get there, but I do think it's possible, over time, to get where you want to go. I'm sorry your symptoms aren't improving.
Been there done that. I don’t know if this tip will help other aspiring authors write, but here we go. I started writing an outline of the first five chapters of my story. A short sentence or paragraph or summary. It opens your brain with some direction where you might want to go and numerous opportunities for an intriguing story.
That's a good tip. What have you been there and done? I mean every article doesn't have to resonate with each person, but to be really blase about a thing like this I don't understand. Then, to write a comment that has absolutely nothing to do with bodywork, what am I missing here? If you have done all 15 of these things, you should know how important they are, and how hard a body fights you. I'm at a loss here.
I hope you see this message ....Just read Bodywork, and wow your storytelling is sharp, vulnerable, and honest in a way that quietly grips you. It’s like emotional weightlifting without warning.
That line "We grow up in other people’s trauma, and we grow old in ours” hit especially hard. And the whole sequence of how unprocessed pain lives in our body was so precisely illustrated. It’s rare to see someone tackle grief, burnout, and embodiment through comics with this level of directness but without heaviness.
I recently wrote a small piece that strangely carries a similar emotional undercurrent half-driven, half-dissociating. It wasn’t inspired by this, but reading Bodywork gave me that eerie feeling of “oh, someone else is mapping the same ache differently.” Sharing it here in case it resonates.
I’d love to know how long you’ve been layering comics with this kind of narrative depth and what led you to blend storytelling and somatic themes so masterfully. Really appreciate your work, Russell.
Glad it resonated. I’ve been writing comics since 2010, and novels since 2011. I’ve released over 1,000 pages of comics in that time, and 40+ novels, along with 16 non-fiction books, with some being unpublished after Writer MBA was dissolved. I’m not sure if that answers your question. I’ll check out your post if I have a minute.
Goodness! Firstly I need to say thank you for the huge selection of books to choose from. But also thank you so much for writing this. Loss of sleep, overworrying about life in general, pushing myself to do more, bad habits, bad eating habits, no bounderies (never being able to say no - a hang over from childhood when it was easier, made me be liked more, I thought.). I've had talk therapy/counselling - have been trying meditation over the last year. But reading all your post is a reminder to determine to keep trying for life/ work balance. I love writing, been published by a small press for twenty years, but never really 'getting out there' (too many "celebrity" books?) Knowing that the writing is a really great part of my life, I need to protect that even more. Lots to think about here. Thanks again to you and your wife.
You're welcome! I really do think it's possible, so I hope you find it.
Thank you.
Thank you for this timely (for me) piece. I woke from a much needed afternoon nap and you had just published it when I popped on Substack as I readied myself to get up. I have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia following ptsd. Everything you say resonates and I am grateful for all the resources you have shared here. My issue is I am time poor. I run a micro food business and I am trying to steer it away from catering towards product and writing as I age and my symptoms don’t improve. Time poverty is my number one sticking point. I can’t cut one income stream to focus on the next and so currently juggle them all. But reading this has reinforced my niggling thoughts that this is folly and ultimately unsustainable. I long to press pause and focus more steadily on getting well, but you are right, we can fit in a glass of water before coffee and 3 stretches. Thank you for the inspiration.
This is very relatable. Did you happen to read last week's article about sustainable productivity and how to reduce things without reducing impact? https://www.theauthorstack.com/p/sustainableproductivity
It's built on my course 10x your productivity which is available to paid members, but that article is free.
It's very hard to build leverage, and it took years for me to get there, but I do think it's possible, over time, to get where you want to go. I'm sorry your symptoms aren't improving.
Fantastic informative post 🫶🏻
I started exercising for real when I was at one of my most stressed / survival mode times and I'm annoyed how much it helped 😂
So annoying how taking care of yourself helps. Exhausting.
Been there done that. I don’t know if this tip will help other aspiring authors write, but here we go. I started writing an outline of the first five chapters of my story. A short sentence or paragraph or summary. It opens your brain with some direction where you might want to go and numerous opportunities for an intriguing story.
That's a good tip. What have you been there and done? I mean every article doesn't have to resonate with each person, but to be really blase about a thing like this I don't understand. Then, to write a comment that has absolutely nothing to do with bodywork, what am I missing here? If you have done all 15 of these things, you should know how important they are, and how hard a body fights you. I'm at a loss here.
Hey Russell
I hope you see this message ....Just read Bodywork, and wow your storytelling is sharp, vulnerable, and honest in a way that quietly grips you. It’s like emotional weightlifting without warning.
That line "We grow up in other people’s trauma, and we grow old in ours” hit especially hard. And the whole sequence of how unprocessed pain lives in our body was so precisely illustrated. It’s rare to see someone tackle grief, burnout, and embodiment through comics with this level of directness but without heaviness.
I recently wrote a small piece that strangely carries a similar emotional undercurrent half-driven, half-dissociating. It wasn’t inspired by this, but reading Bodywork gave me that eerie feeling of “oh, someone else is mapping the same ache differently.” Sharing it here in case it resonates.
https://lessonsunfolding.substack.com/p/half-driven-half-drowning-fully-alive
I’d love to know how long you’ve been layering comics with this kind of narrative depth and what led you to blend storytelling and somatic themes so masterfully. Really appreciate your work, Russell.
Glad it resonated. I’ve been writing comics since 2010, and novels since 2011. I’ve released over 1,000 pages of comics in that time, and 40+ novels, along with 16 non-fiction books, with some being unpublished after Writer MBA was dissolved. I’m not sure if that answers your question. I’ll check out your post if I have a minute.