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Heartwarming Small-Town Romances and Thrilling Mysteries

It’s one of those days when my brain is sluggish and doesn’t feel like writing. While it may be a sign of aging, it may just be I’m lazy. Once I get set down at my desk, the computer between my ears perks up, and I get a few things done. I keep plugging along, whether my brain wants to or not. One thing I’ve learned is many small steps make big progress.

I’ve been very discouraged with writing lately. It’s not so much the actual writing, but all the peripheral stuff that goes along with it. Marketing, selling, pushing my books anywhere I can, social media posts, stuff like that. The writers who do much better than me say I should post on all social media sites several times a day. I should send out a daily newsletter to keep my name and books in front of people. I should publish a book a month if I want to be successful. It’s so much it’s overwhelming.

If I measure myself by their standards, I’m a huge failure. I do those things when I can and when opportunities present themselves or I have something to say. All those people who send me daily newsletters, I delete their emails without even opening them unless they say something interesting to me in the subject line. I don’t want to bore my readers with too many of anything. As far as posting on social media, I’d rather post as myself than as a writer. I’m me. That’s as entertaining as it gets.

Some writers go at it 8 or 12 hours a day. They live, eat, and breathe writing and marketing. They’re all very successful monetarily, but I wonder if they have a life. A regular one. I saw a writer making five figures a month in royalties, but she was about to have a nervous breakdown trying to keep up the pace. Another released multiple books a month and has a whole staff of editors, cover designers, social media experts on her payroll. She makes a lot of money, but she’s always running from here to there like a Type A pumped with Redbull.

I don’t want to be that way. I’m not a Type A person. I enjoy traveling with Hubby and having 2-hour lunches with friends. I want to start quilting again. I love to read without feeling guilty about not writing. I don’t want to stop writing, but I want to stop being pressured to be something that I’m not. It’s been hard enough turning myself into a salesperson and hawking my books to people.

An important lesson I learned a year ago is to decide my own definition of success is and live by that. I’m not writing to be rich or famous or support Hubby and I in a rich lifestyle. Don’t look for my books in magazines or on TV because they aren’t national best sellers. While that would be nice, I write because I love it and not for recognition. People seem to love the stories I weave and that rewards me as much as anything else. I love talking to readers and letting them know what I’m doing, but not every second of every day. My definition of success is enough for me, and I hope it’s enough for my readers. We’re all regular people sharing what we love.

2 Responses

  1. Just be YOU, Carol❣️ Write, don’t write; your hobby is something for you to relax and enjoy, be comfortable in doing. No pressure; no comparison; you are unique! That’s why your books are fun to read❣️

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