Stay True to Your Writing Path
Many authors struggle with the fact that marketing rarely
takes a holiday vacation, and thus tends to devour writing time. Deadlines
loom, but at the same time there are book releases that require promotion.
Often the worlds of Facebook and Twitter closely resemble black holes that suck
writers in and refuse to let go. The question soon arises: How does one maintain
a fine balance between marketing and writing? As we head into 2015, I’d like to
share a few easy solutions that I have found to be highly effective:
Rock Around the Block:
Schedule daily ‘clean-up’ marketing in short blocks of time.
By clean-up marketing, I refer to staying connected with friends who have
commented on posts, sent messages, etc. These require a fairly quick response
and should not be neglected. An example of blocking technique might be to use
three 15 minute session: one first thing in the morning, one mid-day, and a
third in the evening, when the day’s writing is complete. Set a timer and limit
yourself to fifteen minutes per block. Whatever is not completed during that time
should be put off until the next block.
Goal for it:
When the black holes beckon, setting a writing goal and
sticking to it works well. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. My goal is
usually five for five: I must write 500 words before I break for a five-minute
trek through the virtual world to see what’s going on. I set a timer and strictly
limit myself to five minutes. This technique works very well to help me tackle
and tie up my writing projects as deadlines loom; the promise of a trek through
a black hole motivates me to get those words down on paper.
Chunk it Out:
When dealing with the bulk of marketing, consider chunking
the work into a half-day once a month to schedule tweets and posts. I use
Hootesuite to work this in. Hootsuite is a free service and allows Twitter and
Facebook scheduling several months in advance. I have found that a half-day
provides plenty of time to plan and schedule a month’s worth of information for
both of these venues. Additional blocking times throughout the course of a
month may be used to work in last-minute posts as well as to retweet and/or respond
to the posts of others. As an aside, it is quite beneficial to have all tweets/posts
saved in a document with links already shrunk, which allows for quick cutting
and pasting.
Take a Deep Breath and WRITE:
The next time the virtual world threatens to snatch away
writing time, step back, take a deep breath, and then dive back in to WRITE. Remember
these simple tips to help stay focused and enjoy the journey. Happy New Year
and Happy Writing!
~~~~~
Mary Manners is an award-winning
romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee
with her husband Tim and daughter Danni, and the cherished cats they've
rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus. She loves flavored coffee
and Smoky Mountain sunsets.
Mary was named Author of the Year
by Book and Trailer Showcase. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths,
from short stories to novels—something for everyone.
Learn more about Mary Manners at
her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.
~~~~~
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Broken dreams...shattered
hearts...a special recipe...
Following the tragic, sudden death of her parents, Kate Spencer broke off her engagement from high school sweetheart Logan Daniels, just weeks before their wedding. She chose, instead, to remain in Mount Ridge, Tennessee to raise her younger sisters and help keep the family together. Now, with her sisters grown, she spends her days at family-owned Sweet Treats Bakery, hiding a wounded heart in the sweet confections she creates. Logan Daniels left town when Kate broke his heart, but now he's come home to claim what he lost four years ago, and he won't stop until he gets what he came for...Kate's kisses. |
