But because we thought it'd be LOL. Honestly, when I started writing professionally, I had NO idea how much goes on behind the scenes. It's not enough to just write a good story. There's the editing process, the revisions, the dreaded back cover blurb, and so much more. And that's just on the writing side. You know, the FUN part. Then there's the business aspects, the marketing, the social media (weekly blog posts anyone?), the networking, the conventions, the importance of a good mailing list and newsletter, and so on. The list is seemingly endless, and every time I think I've got a good handle on things, it's like this guy just pops out of thin air to mock me!
It's not just that the list is endless, it's that it's ever changing, ever evolving. The market changes, Amazon changes, Facebook changes, and we've got to flex with the changes. It takes a bite out of our creative energy and can completely kill our enthusiasm if we're not careful. So how do we combat the Endless List of Suckiness? Ha! I'll let you know when I figure it out. For me, I try to schedule specific days for the less fun tasks. I actually enjoy writing this blog (because writing lol), but I still use calendar reminders to remind me to do this on Sundays (yes I know it's Monday, but yesterday was my birthday lol). Every few months, I try to update my website, and I somewhat randomly do funny Facebook marketing posts, as well as share new releases from other authors (rising tide FTW). I also don't beat myself up if I don't always rigidly adhere to my entirely self-imposed schedule, because day job and family and LIFE. I guess the bottom line from this weeks rambling is try not to stress and above all else don't lose sight of why we actually do this -- because it's fun and we love it. Speaking of doing the things we love. . .
Salvage Bunny 3, Fallout on Darsaana, has been officially sent in to my publisher!! I'm so dang excited!! I can't wait for you to read it. . . you know, after the edits lol. I'll let ya'll know as soon as I have a release date : )
Annnnnd now there's this little thing called NaNoWriMo that I need to get back to. I'm aiming for 60K for my Depik Companion novel. I've got 11K so far. We'll see if I can keep up the pace. Until next time, folks!