Flexibility and Forgiveness
Always practiced, never mastered
Hello Wonderful Readers,
Between my TBR list and my to-do list I should never be bored. Happy spring everyone! This is my favorite time of year because the poppies come out. My drives and walks are beautiful with the added pop of orange.
Thanks for joining me for another monthly update. I really wanted to tackle the idea of time and how it is spent. There is no time! (In fact, the draft of this update was created with speech-to-text on my way home from work) I'm sure so many others can relate. So often passions, like art, are squeezed into the gaps in our daily life.
I have had to be kind to myself as I figure out how to balance a full time job, a family, friends, and writing. It takes flexibility and so much forgiveness because things never work out how you plan (especially with a thirteen month old). It’s not a race. Everytime I sit down at my computer to write is a win.
So, in the essence of crunch time, I’ll jump right into my update.
In Writing News
I know I mentioned before that my writing has slowed WAY down. I really only write on the weekends. It's just too busy and there is not enough mental energy during the week to get words onto the page. I have been diligent in sitting down Saturday and Sunday to work on my novel. It’s coming along! I’m excited with the progress.
Being short time doesn’t only affect my writing. It’s hard to find time to sit down with a book. Reading is not only one of my favorite pasttimes, but it’s also essential to me as a writer. I want to discover new authors and their amazing works. I want to study the classics. I want to get lost in a story and enjoy the ride. But there’s not time.
This past week my daughter had a fever (there’s a connection here, hang with me for a sec). She’s all better now and practiced some good sharing of germs with Mom and Dad. However, I stayed home with her last Tuesday. It was a quiet day of cuddles, TV, and sleeping. I chose not to write while she napped that day. I’ve established a routine to write on weekends. Part of me felt obligated to take that extra time to get more words on the pages or to revise the next short story I’m going to share, but the books were calling to me. Well, not actually calling to me. More like I had been complaining to my husband, my therapist, and my sister that I haven’t had time to read! So I sat down on the couch, opened up a book and read. I rested and took care of my daughter. It was glorious.
In Publishing News
It’s tax season (here in the US). A wonderful time of the year where the paperwork piles on my “need to get to” shelf and my husband gently reminds me that we should sit down and do our taxes this weekend instead of procrastinating. I’ve never been a fan. The hoops of bureaucracy bore and aggravate me at the same time.
With tax season, I review my income and expenses in regards to my published works. While I reviewed this year, I started thinking about marketing. Paid marketing is a must right now in publishing. It’s how readers find you, but I’ve struggled to establish a marketing budget. You could spend cents or hundreds of dollars depending on the route you take. With my time so limited right now, I have been prioritizing creation over business. I wonder if I need to remove marketing from my to do list completely and pick back up with plans later. It’s something I continue to ponder.
There is no right way to nagivate through indie publishing. The flexibility is amazing. It allows so much access to the publishing world. However, I do find myself lost at times. All you can do is continue to learn and make decisions that are best for your situation at the time. Nothing is permanent.
Speaking of marketing, while I may be pausing paid marketing for a bit, I do still have you guys! My newsletter is a way to connect with readers, hear what you think, share my fiction, and provide updates.
I have plenty available on my website too, including the first chapters of my novels. Feel free to check those out.
Thanks for sticking around! How do you balance your responsibilities with your passions? I’d love to hear if you have anything that works for you. Leave a comment or replay.