It’s the last Friday of the month and you know what that means! It’s ᖇEᗩᗪ ᗩᖇOᑌᑎᗪ TᕼE ᖇᗩIᑎᗷOᗯ time!
٩(θ ‿ θ)۶
This month’s topic is…
Deciding What to Write Next…
I had plenty to say last month, but no so much for this topic. Well, other than to lament that I don’t have a process, and am not one of those fortunate folks who are always talking about their dozens/hundreds of plot bunnies.
Neither do I tend to have more than one project going at a time. All my focus goes into the current project, so I can’t just finish one but have a couple more I’m already working on anyway.
I pretty much just have to wait for the muse to decide it’s got enough of a story built up in my mind to be worth getting busy writing it. I’ll have an idea or two bouncing around, but I need to know where it’s going. Yes, I know, it’ll change once I’m in the middle of it anyway, but still…that’s my process, for what it’s worth.
More and more, lately, it’s more a case of IF I’m going to start something new. Seriously, I often don’t even earn back the money I pay for the release blitz or blog tour I hire to promote the new book let alone cover the cost of maintaining the website, etc. I don’t make enough in a year to meet the (pathetically low) threshold to get an actual 1099 from my publisher at tax time.
I know my writing doesn’t suck, but I write stories that I would like to read. Apparently, that’s not what most readers in this genre want to read? Beats me. I’ve also read that being all out there and bubbly on social media is what’s most important for selling books. IDK, is it? Wherever it is that I am on the neurodivergent scale it’s significantly south of bubbly and very much these-are-the-facts, and that tends to earn crickets on social media…and sales. I can’t even fake-bubble on a FB post 🙄.
So, yeah, my motivation is in the toilet. I’m definitely more “if” than “what” at this point. I supposed if an idea comes together I’ll write it regardless. In the meantime, I’ll keep writing bonus scenes/flash fiction for my newsletter, having fun making promo images and videos for the stuff I’ve already got published, and I’ll continue signing up to promote other people’s stuff for their release blitzes and blog tours.
This blank notepad seems like an appropriate image to use for this month’s post:
WEBRING ~ Read Around the Rainbow!
Be sure to flip through the webring to read your favorite authors’ takes on this topic! For your convenience, here are direct links to the other WebRing participants’ posts for this month’s topic:
I don’t think social media is all that important for selling books, sure people need to know your book exists, but I don’t think it’s the social media that will make or break you. I could be wrong though!
It’s not important to me, as a reader, but I’m not typical, so I can’t base it on that. Once I’ve discovered an author I love, I just need to be alerted to their new releases and couldn’t care less about their social media. There are popular writers who can sit back and take it easy, doing little more than announcing new releases, but did they start out that way?
Well, I want to read what you write!! Count me in among your dedicated fans and I’d be sad if I never got to read another book written by you! ❤️
Aw, thank you. It doesn’t hurt that the few reader/fans I do have are pretty darned loyal. ❤️
There’s plenty of room for original and thoughtful voices in our genre. I read your stories knowing that I will be stimulated, engaged, and always interested in your writing. As for social media presence, I think a lot of us find that very wearing for different reasons. But you come across really positively, and I’m genuinely surprised you think otherwise!
Thank you! Well, it’s not so much that my social media posts are outright negative (I hope…although this blog post kinda is), they’re just not bubbly and personal and all “OMG guys, guess what!?” garnering up to a hundred comments and shown to and seen by everybody.
Frankly, that sounds exhausting! 🤣 I think most of us chug along in the middle lane (and sometimes the slow one.) Good luck to anyone who can keep going at speed with all those bubbly revelations!
True. Not sure I actually *want* to be that person! 😂
Me neither. And I might need to activate the mute button if approached by someone like that! 🤣
😂
I’m so sorry that you’re struggling with both sales and motivation at the moment. Here’s hoping things pick up soon. x
Thanks! It’s not my first bout with wondering whether or not to bother continuing to try, and probably won’t be the last. Once I get another good idea rumbling around, I’ll be out of it again. 😁
Here’s hoping you get that new idea soon, then. x