Counterbalance: A Guest Post and Giveaway with Author Aidan Wayne

We’re so pleased to welcome author Aidan Wayne to TNA today, on the tour for their new novella, Counterbalance.

Enjoy and be sure to check out the giveaway details below!

Not Burning Out 

It’s easy to start hating a project. Especially one that’s more long-term, that you have to keep going back to, staring at day after day. I can fall into that trap a lot, in my writing. Something in a story just isn’t working and I try to force it, and then I’m hating any way the story might possibly go.

The worst part is that then the story ends up unfinished, gathering digital dust in some corner of my documents folder. What could have been something good ends up just never seeing the light of day, because I never want to go back to it.

This is different though, from taking a well-deserved break.

I have ideas. I have so many ideas all the time. They come like floods, any little thing sparking something new. I hear a song on the radio, or glance at someone on the street, or learn a new fact about sparrows and suddenly I’ve got a burst of inspiration for a story.

Sometimes, more often than I’d like, truth be told, that burst of inspiration only gets me so far. I write up the initial idea, a few sentences of dialogue, the one scene I’ve envisioned and–that’s it. Nothing else comes out. And then I stare at what I’ve come up with at maybe try to force it and  try not to get frustrated and after a while—

Leave it alone. Move onto something else. Jump to a different scene that might some easier, or switch stories (with so many to choose from), or even take a break from writing altogether. That lets me breathe past the frustration of words that aren’t coming, of a plot that just won’t move forward, characters that refuse to tell me what they want. It allows me to step back from a story without reaching the point of hating it. And I allow myself to take that break for as long as I need to.

More often than not, I end up returning to those stories. Sometimes it’s days later. Sometimes it’s been as long as months. I have a couple that I haven’t touched in years. And all those options are okay. Better to work on something you’re excited about than try to force an idea what just won’t come.

It’s an awful feeling to hate your work. Even just mild dislike is still hard to stomach, for something you worked on and poured time and energy and effort into. And if you hate it, you’re much less likely to want to do anything with it even if you finish. After all, why bother? It’s garbage. It’s worthless. It’’s time you’ll never get back and you’re a little disgusted with yourself for spending it.

Take those breaks. Allow yourself time to remove yourself from frustration. You can always go back to it later–you will go back to it later, most likely. But there’s no point in making yourself miserable in the meantime.

~ Aidan Wayne ~

About the Book

Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: 12 September 2016
Length: 88 Pages
Category: Contemporary
Purchase Link: Riptide Publishing
Blurb: John loves his job as head rigger for Cirque Brilliance. The heavy scarring over half his face makes it a little hard to meet new people, but John’s got a good crew and a nice found family, and he’s content with his lot in life.

When Cirque hires talent for a new show, John meets Bao, a bright, ever-cheerful acrobat. Bao seems drawn to John and becomes a constant presence at his side—talking to him during downtime, spending time with him at lunch, and generally seeking out his company.

John doesn’t know what to make of this. Sure, he likes Bao—maybe a little too much, honestly—but he’s had enough experience to know that Bao couldn’t possibly like him back. Or so he thinks, anyway. Fortunately, Bao seems determined to prove him wrong.

About the Author

Aidan Wayne is a big believer in character-driven stories with happy endings. This is not to say that stories can’t contain a little (or a lot) of grief, just that at the end of it all expect there to be bandages and hugs. They particularly like to write about minority characters because damn it, they deserve happy endings too.

When not writing, Aidan enjoys practicing aerial, martial arts, and ASL, and watching reality cooking shows. They are probably in the middle of twelve projects as you read this.

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The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Counterbalance, one lucky winner will receive $20 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 17, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!