Blog 4.30.24
Yesterday was extremely busy and productive. Today I’m feeling a bit washed out. Which is fine. I’m learning to listen to my body and adjust my pace, as needed. I did get up early and do yoga and journaling this morning; and I’ve done a read-through of the next three chapters that I’m editing this week. Tomorrow will be another long work day, so I’m doing a few minor tasks, catching up on some other obligations and I’ve scheduled a nice nap for the afternoon. Again, old me would have felt guilty and tried to push myself to do more today. And that would be a mistake.
For the past couple months I’ve been slowly working on a marketing strategy for my nom de plume. My domain is purchased and I have it pointed to a vanilla WordPress site. I got business cards made. (Probably not necessary but it makes the whole enterprise feel official.) Social media accounts are set up, and I’m trying to post on them a little each day. This part feels like such a slog. Starting from scratch with new accounts is the worst. It combines the common annoyances of simply being on a social platform (idiotic “discourse”, celebrity news, manufactured outrage, and navigating trolls) with the sheer boredom of posting every day and getting little to no response. Still, there’s only one way to build a social profile, and that’s to log in and use this shit consistently.
All this stuff I’m doing is, of course, still very tactical; but I am working on a full strategy that includes market research, ad and content planning, etc. If there’s one thing I have to my advantage as a writer it’s that I spent twenty years in digital marketing. But, it does feel like work, and BOOO to that.
Regarding the novel, I’m finally starting to find my stride. Up to now the process has been about getting it out there and going back over and over again to refine and augment the ideas I have down. This week is the first week I’ve started to see something that actually looks like a novel take shape, and it’s very exciting. I was riding high yesterday.
Ultimately, I need to feel like what I’m putting out into the world reflects my creative vision and voice. If it does, and I can find satisfaction with it, then I’m not worried about others’ responses or opinions. The thing is, it takes quite a while after starting something new before your work begins to reflect your vision. Meanwhile, you have to show up and stare at it every day, despite the fact that it’s ugly. Nothing but time and discipline will fix it. Like having a giant pimple on your nose. For some people this process is easier than others. But I’ve never been patient.
Anyway, the news is good. I feel good. There’s still so much to do, but I’m seeing real progress in the manuscript and in my own abilities. I’m a little afraid that some huge life disruption is going to come along and interrupt my workflow now that I’m just gaining steam. I suppose there’s no point in worrying about that since it’s not something I can control.
