January - a great jump-start for 2018

We’re at the end of the first month of this New Year…and you can probably guess from my title that this month has been a good one for me.

First and most exciting is that the 4^th book in my series (Cross My Heart) is complete, as I mentioned in my last post, and it will be available very soon. I’m thrilled beyond words to finally have this book out – it has been a WIP for much too long. So far, the feedback on this story has been very positive and I can’t wait for others to finally read it.

Now that Book #4 can be checked off my list, I’ll work on getting myself out there to attend events to meet readers in person and to share my books with those who don’t yet know about me. And so far, with only a month in, I’m doing pretty well after scheduling two meet the author/book signings…one in March and another in June. It’s a bit of a wait but the upside is it gives me more time to prepare. Either way, it feels great to have two already scheduled.

Since there aren’t any writer’s conferences scheduled until later in the year, I will continue to find other ways to learn from like-minded individuals. For example, I’m currently participating in a week-long summit showcasing multiple speakers including writers, bloggers and business entrepreneurs who are sharing advice on multiple subjects, some of which include time management, marketing, branding and productivity. With a packed schedule on various subjects, I look forward to learning useful tips from others who are willing to share their experiences.

I received my copy of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and I began the process of taking part in morning pages three days ago (stream-of-consciousness writing in longhand). I already know there’s an artist in me; so my purpose in trying out this process is to tap deeper into my creativity. It could be interesting to see what I discover and eventually I may share if or how this process helps me.

Completing a novel is one of the most liberating feelings for me as a writer – I really enjoy closing one project and beginning the next. Now I can freely focus on my next projects. And yes, I’m do mean multiple projects when I say that…while I don’t want to overextend myself, I have the time and ability to manage several projects so I will take advantage of that. Even so, the lists of books and other projects I want to complete only continues to expand, so I will use time management and goal setting skills to prioritize and stay on task.

So how am I doing that? While I mentioned using a bullet journal in my last post, that book will be used primarily for my personal life and tasks…with a few pages set aside for writer stuff when a thought hits me if I’m out and about and I need to make a note. Then that note will be transferred to my writing planner where I track all sorts of items: writing projects, ideas and task lists, weekly/monthly/yearly goals, social media ideas and to-do’s, marketing ideas and to-do’s, book events and conference information and anything else writing-related. I use a weekly calendar to track my schedule, daily word count, social media tasks, details relating to phone conferences or e-mails from book event coordinators and my weekly focus.  I also keep track on a larger scale with regard to items I need to complete on a monthly basis.

There is a lot of information to track, which is even more of a reason to stay organized. 

I was both excited and a bit anxious when I finally decided to make a big change this year with regard to my schedule and my desire to live a creative life. January has been a test month for me – but it did not disappoint and I’m thrilled to continue to move forward and especially to begin working on some other projects that have been put on the back burner for too long.

Month one is done – now on to the next. And I will be posting soon when the 4^th book in the series is available for online purchase. 

Have a great day!

Two weeks in & this writer is making headway!

Cutest beta reader, ever. :) 

These first two weeks in January have been telling for me as I moved into a new schedule and routine when it comes to my writing life. I have to say…I am so pleased with how it’s progressing so far!

First of all, the best news I can share is that I finally completed all the edits and the final tasks necessary to finally publish the fourth book in the series! I ordered some proof copies so I’m waiting for those…and then I’ll need to review it, while also have some beta readers give me feedback, and my hope is that any necessary changes can be made easily and the book will be ready and available by the end of this month. That’s the ideal plan anyway. Wish me luck!

Besides getting the fourth in the series completed, I have also been up to the following:

Writing stuff – after completing the final edits on the last novel, I researched more about style sheets and the em dash, both of which I’d honestly not been too familiar with until after receiving feedback from my editor. I also read articles with advice on must-have tools for writers, writing advice from established authors, and I decided to purchase another book on writing (The Artist’s Way) that keeps coming up as a recommendation in various articles I’ve read recently.

Author stuff – I spent time reviewing my stats for the past year and researching books comparable to my own, I researched a few indie authors who had success stories to share, and I reviewed tips about book promotion and author platform building. I also read up on some self-publishing tips for 2018 and what upcoming conferences I might be able to look forward to during the coming year.

Of course, it’s easy to get sidetracked when researching on the web but the most significant subjects of note that I found myself reading about was information with regard to 2017 death penalty cases and the recent horrible train derailment that occurred just north of where I live. This accident was completely awful, to the extreme, especially since deaths were a result and it apparently could have been prevented.

My bullet (or dot) journal: I’m finally getting the hang of it and while it will be a work in progress for a while still, I have been enjoying it and I especially appreciate the fact that all of my lists and notes about weekly tasks and everything in-between are all in one place, versus random pieces of paper in various places all over the house. It might also help that I no longer have a regular day planner handy to keep going back to since I did not give in the urge to buy a 2018 planner.

Organization – I spent time organizing my author marketing to-do’s, cleaned out my in-box and unsubscribed to a number of people/companies if they landed on the list of usual suspects when it came to those I usually deleted without reading, and spent time reading up on goal setting (I have a lot I want to accomplish this year) while mapping out my goals for the next 300+ days.

I’m happy to note that the past two weeks have been pretty productive, even given the fact that I have two new “housemates” – my son’s kittens who just can’t help themselves when it comes to being extremely cute and distracting while I’m trying to work. But I’ll forgive them for their demanding ways, because a kitten cuddle can result in only positive vibes when I am ready to get back to work. It’s a win-win, as far as I’m concerned.

I hope your New Year is in full-productive swing, as well. If not, we’re only just now two weeks in so there’s plenty of time to make up the lost time. 

Either way, enjoy the upcoming week!