Wow, two months in quarantine went by quickly. I hope everyone is keeping well and haven’t done anything silly.

It’s been a busy month as I try to sink my claws deeper into my writing. I’ve made personal goals to publish six pieces of work in six months and let me tell you, as a slow writer this is challenging. As indie publishers we are responsible for all aspects of publishing, not just writing. There are creative parts that I’m honestly enjoying, like putting a cover together, but I can’t say the same for sifting through tons of images.

I’m also enjoying marketing and learning a great deal about Facebook ads. At some point I will put together cost and ROI for this six-month challenge. I’m all about sharing what works and what doesn’t in hopes that it will help other budget conscious writers. But you’re not here to read my ramblings, you want to see if I’m blowing this challenge!

Sorry to disappoint you. But keep coming back because you just never know when I’ll fall face first!

Sustaining your writing during stressful times

The science of community is the section of Stick With It I’m currently reading. As I’ve mentioned before, a solid supportive community is invaluable. I’m constantly on the move to discover groups I can share with and learn from. Groups that hold me accountable. I’m also willing to bet that that is true for a number of writers, whether you’re new to the business or seasoned.

This section highlights six ingredients essential for a successful community: 

• Trust 
• The need to fit in 
• Self-worth (feeling good about ourselves)
• Need for a social magnet (team/group elements that keep people participating) 
• Being rewarded 
• Empowerment. 

The ingredient that stuck out for me was trust. Not because it is more important, it’s equally so, but it’s the one writers seem to trip over the most.

Even the act of blogging, posting and sharing my words are deeply personal. Some writing, especially topics around love, sex, and romance are particularly intimate and yet wide reaching, given today’s virtually communities.

As a writer and member of a number of groups, I see various degrees of trust discussed. One example is around plagiarism. Another common area of trust is copyright. I’m sure there are many examples and those two only reflect my most common experiences in writing communities. 

I’m curious, in your circle, how did you overcome the issue of trust and how did you know when you were ready to share? There is no question that on many levels in my life, trust has increased my willingness to learn.

• Personally, the decision to share happened once I identified my dream for my writing. Being published. This will vary for everyone. I learned as much as I could about copyright and I am still learning.
• In groups meant to improve writing skills, I critiqued before sharing. I was willing to leave groups that were more social in nature. If they didn’t take their writing seriously, why would they take mine?
• I look for and offer honest feedback based on current skills. Be informative and respectful. No one likes a dick.

Gradually and after many tries, I started becoming comfortable sharing. I attribute this to gaining confidence in myself as a writer and the knowledge I gained. Trust also allowed me to be more receptive of information, weed through the good and the bad to find golden nuggets. If you don’t trust the person giving feedback you will be less likely to use it.

Week 3

Small steps: Can be accomplished now.

Write daily (no matter the word count). Okay, I missed Wednesday, but I totally killed it on Monday.

Short term goals: Can be accomplished in one week.

Work on marketing twice per week. Working on a Facebook ad and a new cover for a short story.

Long term goals: one month

Finish book 2. Added over 5,000 words last week

Dream: three months or more

Publish 1 story a month starting May – October

Publish 6 titles in six months

Works completed:

1. The Captain’s Lady – first draft, edits, and cover done. Posted: May 2020

What I’m reading: Help! My Facebook Ads Suck: The Wooden Pen Press