I took to writing fiction like a duck takes to water…
All the skills I had honed for years in my various previous jobs – as a lawyer, a coach and a web content writer – dovetailed into the most enjoyable working experience of my life.
I sat at my kitchen table, in my bed, or on one of my – many – sofas, and the words poured out of me, chapter after chapter.
Of course, editing is tough, but even that I enjoy. I have the right mix of self-criticism and self-confidence. I look at my work, and I go, ‘Yep, it’s not bad, but you can do better,’ until I decide it’s good enough for my current level of skills. I have what educators call a ‘growth mindset’.
BUT! (and I suspect you are ready for the ‘but’ after the above, probably sickening, self-congratulation…)
But book promotion is hard!!!
Facebook Page, Facebook linked group, Instagram account, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest boards AND the constant monitoring of goodness-only-knows what dozens of updates and notifications!
My head is spinning and I’m losing sleep. Actually, what I’m really losing is valuable reading and writing time.
This is just what I needed: another cap to add to my rack. I’m a mother, a wife, a friend, a writer and, as if this wasn’t enough to fill my daily allowance of 24 hours, now I am also a book promoter.
So, I dutifully listen to podcasts on book promotion (I recommend the awesome SPF Community and Mark Dawson’s podcasts on You Tube), and I attended a morning seminar on book promotion with ultra-knowledgeable Gaelle Ran (see her LinkedIn profile here), and now I’m all about keywords, platforms and book funnels.
So deep breaths and growth mindset.
Fortunately, I love learning, and I know that tomorrow I will be better at writing and promoting than I am today. I accept my shortcomings as a natural part of the learning process.
In the meantime, I drink lots of tea, fail forward and hold on to the belief that, one day, I might even be pretty good – and perhaps even good enough.
If you’re also an author somewhere on the learning curve too, I’d love to hear how you keep yourself positive and motivated. Be sure to post a comment below!
With love,