I have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Blogger, Shelfari, Goodreads and many others whose names escape me. I’ve spent time on Kboards, KDP Community Forums, Yahoo Groups and again, many other forums with long-forgotten names. I’ve posted ads for my books on Craigslist as well as multiple other free online classified sites. And, in between all that I’ve written some new books. Eighteen months ago it became too much so I made some decisions. I knew I had to pare down my efforts and decide which sites were working for me and I had to eliminate the ineffective time drainers. So, I determined which three sites were the platforms that would help me connect with readers. I ignored the ones that weren’t working and I found the ones that worked. For me. Continue reading “The Only Three Social Networks I Need”
Tag: time management
Walking the Tightrope Between Work and Writing
I have always admired people who can write, hold down a job, care for children, do marketing and wield a vacuum cleaner while apparently staying sane and cheerful. Sadly, I’m not one of them. I may be female, but I’m no multi-tasker. I’m more like a serial monogamist who can only concentrate on one, maybe two things at a time.
For me, family has always been THE top priority, so twenty-odd years ago I’d do technical writing during my daughter’s naps, and when everyone else was asleep.
Juggling family and writing worked back then because I was writing about real things that could be approached in neat, logical chunks, all left-brain stuff. However when I began writing fiction, I discovered that the process of creating characters and worlds is very different. Creative writing is a right-brain activity, and I’m naturally a left-brain type of person. Continue reading “Walking the Tightrope Between Work and Writing”
Writing Recipe #2
Guest post
by Ellen Plotkin Mulholland
I have two problems that make it difficult keeping up with this world.
First: I don’t have a lot of time. Wait; let me place that in context. Life is busy, and I don’t have the hours I once had to sit lazily on the porch and read the Sunday paper all afternoon.
Second: My attention span is not what it used to be. Blame it on our over-indulged world of fast food, 140-character summative quips, or the impatient and impulsive adolescent wiring that just won’t go away.
As a consumer and reader, I can deal with it. I read the headlines, listen to TV news summaries while I cook dinner, fold laundry, check my email and answer my daughter’s homework questions. I somehow manage to keep up with the world outside my home while navigating the numerous details inside.
As a writer, I daily and desperately seek to find balance in my world. Time to live. Time to write. There must be some middle ground, an oasis nearby in this desert of over-scheduled lives. Continue reading “Writing Recipe #2”
Four Seasons In One Day
There is a song written by a kiwi band (Crowded House) called Four Seasons In One Day. It is so appropriate, especially for Aucklanders who seem to face varied weather on a constant basis. I guess that’s the price you pay for being a skinny country surrounded by water.
Anyway – I thought I would use the song title to lead into my discussion.
To me, writing works in seasons. You have your writing season, your publishing season, your marketing season and your social season. (There are probably more but I’m just going to stick with four for this analogy.) My favorite seasons by far are the writing and publishing ones. I love getting lost in a book. I wish I had more hours in the day to bury myself in my imagination and wander the worlds with my characters. I also love seeing the book come to life, finalizing the cover and, as much as I dislike blurb writing and formatting, it is cool see the book online or in paperback. Continue reading “Four Seasons In One Day”