Building an Author Business With a Spicy Brain
This is the last month of the year, which means everyone is talking about reflection and planning and “next year is going to be my year.”
Cool. Love that for us.
But I’ve been sitting here thinking about something a little messier:
How do you actually build an author business when you have ADHD (or another neurodivergency), kids, a day job, zero sense of time…and you’re pretty sure you cannot keep doing it the way you’ve been doing it?
Because that’s where I am.
Being “Ready” for What You’re Asking For
If you believe in manifestation, you know the idea: things won’t happen if you’re not ready for them to happen.
I really do believe that.
The author I was when Soul Jumper came out over five years ago was not ready for the goals I have now. Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about them. Movie deals, huge readership, a full-time author career—I wanted vague “success,” sure, but not like I want it now, and not with the same clarity.
This isn’t just about aging or changing (though both of those matter).
It’s about having the mental space for success.
And success is however you define it.
What I see as “successful” for me might not be what you want. Maybe it’s:
paying your mortgage with book money
hitting a specific sales milestone
getting an agent
or simply finishing a book you love
All of those are valid. The point is:
You have to be ready for what you’re asking for, or it won’t stick.
Not because the universe is punishing you, but because you have to believe you’re both capable and deserving.
That’s the part no one can manifest for you.
When Your Brain Doesn’t Follow the Rules
Now, let’s tie this into business and talk specifically to my fellow authors with ADHD or other neurodiversities.
As much as it irritates me to admit this out loud:
The same rules don’t always apply to us.
I hate that. I’m smart. I’m capable. I have my master’s degree. I own multiple businesses. I’ve published multiple books. On paper, I “should” be able to just plug into any productivity or business system and go.
But that’s not my reality.
My process will never be 100% organized. My brain just does not work that way, and it’s not going to suddenly decide to start.
People don’t always understand when I talk about:
writing at all hours of the night
never leaving my office chair to the point where my husband brings me food so I remember to eat
that laser-focus fixation where hours disappear
And then they also don’t understand when weeks—or months—go by and I can’t write a single line.
I can and do force myself to write. That’s how books get finished. But it never hits as hard as when I’m passionately in it, when my brain is on fire with the story.
Someone with a “quiet brain” won’t ever fully get that.
The way they build their business probably won’t work for me.
Their routines, their perfect lists, their color-coded planners are great—for them.
Me? I’d have to focus long enough just to finish filling out the list.
The Locked Drawer Brain
I started thinking about this more at Author Nation when Becca Syme shared her method for ranking the things you’re doing so you can eliminate some and find balance.
It’s brilliant.
It’s also something I would have to put SO much brain power into completing that I’d probably need a nap afterward.
My brain is more like:
“I’ll do this because it’s interesting right now, and everything else is in a locked drawer I forget exists until I suddenly need something out of it.”
Can I build a business this way?
Not sustainably. Not at the level I want.
But instead of trying to morph my brain into something it isn’t, I’m learning to build around how it actually works.
So, if your brain is a bit spicy like mine, here are some things that help.
Tips for Building Your Author Business With a Spicy Brain
1. Ride the High-Energy Seasons (On Purpose)
Is this the healthiest thing ever? Probably not. But stick with me.
When you’re in one of those passionate, high-energy seasons where the words are pouring out, use it. Lean in. Write as much as you can.
If you don’t have a spouse bringing you food, set alarms:
one to remind you to get up, eat, drink water, move your body
another for 15–20 minutes later so you go back to your desk and don’t drift into something else
Yes, I’ve eaten while writing. Yes, I’ve stayed in the chair way too long.
I know it isn’t picture-perfect “balance,” but here’s the honest truth:
Leaning into those seasons gets a LOT of words on the page,
and when you hit a couch-rot, can’t-brain season, it all starts to balance out.
You’re not lazy in the low-energy times. You’re living off the harvest from your high-energy ones.
2. Use Sound as a Brain Switch
One of the best tools I’ve ever found is linking a specific sound to work.
I always write to a single song on repeat.
Different song for each book.
It tells my brain: we’re working now.
It works the same way as rewatching the same comfort show or looping the same playlist—it becomes familiar enough to fade into the background while still signaling “this is what we do when this sound is playing.”
Examples:
Soul Jumper was written to “Lead Me Back” by San Holo on repeat.
Heart of a Killer is tied to “Carry Me” by Jeffrey James.
I have playlists for each book and I love them, but when I’m actively drafting, it’s usually one song over and over. It’s a cue, not a vibe.
3. Sprint If You Need to Be Up and Down
If you’re someone who literally cannot sit still or focus for long stretches, sprints are your friend.
Here’s a simple setup:
Set a 20-minute timer.
Write the entire time. No checking your phone, no email, no “just real quick…”
Take a short break (also timed).
Repeat until you’ve done at least an hour of total writing time.
You’ll be surprised how much you can get on the page in focused bursts, even if the rest of your day feels chaotic.
4. Get the Hell Out of Your Office
Yes, I just told you to lean into the fixation and stay in the chair.
I’m also telling you: get out of your office.
Go take a walk.
Sit on your porch.
Walk your property.
Go shopping or run errands and let your mind wander.
Some of my best ideas have come from being outside or doing something totally unrelated to work.
You need inspiration, and that comes from the real world, not just the blinking cursor.
5. Read What You Write (And What You Want to Write)
This one can be tricky because reading can also become a distraction or a procrastination tool. But it’s still important.
I read a book the other day and then turned around and wrote three chapters of Heart of a Hacker because I was so inspired. It was fun. It reminded me why I love storytelling.
Reading also helps you see the common patterns in your genre.
I don’t outline. I’ve said that a lot. But I know the structure of a story. I know what readers expect because I’ve read—a lot.
Prime example: I didn’t finish the last two dark romance books I opened on my Kindle because they weren’t following that core plot formula. Not in a “this is different” way—in a “I’m lost and disconnected” way.
I’m not saying:
plagiarize
copy beats exactly
or write cookie-cutter books
But every genre has a formula. Even loosely. Readers, often subconsciously, expect certain emotional beats, arcs, and turning points.
Those building blocks are there for a reason:
they work.
If you’re like me and have never read Save the Cat or any formal outlining book, read widely instead. Those patterns will sink into your brain, and they’ll show up in your writing because they’re already in you.
Success, But Make It Yours
Circling back to the start:
You are allowed to define success in a way that actually fits your life and your brain.
You are allowed to build a business that looks “wrong” to people with quieter minds.
You are allowed to be both wildly capable and wildly unconventional.
You don’t have to become a different person to deserve success.
But you might have to get honest about how you work and build around that instead of fighting it.
If you want a little reflection prompt as we close out the year, try this:
“In 2025, success will look like ________ for me, and here’s how I can pursue it with the brain I actually have.”
Fill in that blank. Be specific. Be honest.
You’re not broken because the traditional systems don’t work for you.
You just have a spicy brain—and that doesn’t disqualify you from building something beautiful.
It just means your blueprint will look different.
And that’s okay.
