I've Got The Fire Back!

Since Nanowrimo, I've been on a little hiatus. I edited all through December, but when January hit, I was in a slump. February didn't see an end to it. But here we are in March, and suddenly I have found my fire again.


Firstly, I have been working hard to maintain my blogs and website. I'm tweeting like a madwoman and writing ficlatte's while looking up writing contests. I have found a few that strike my fancy.


While puttering around on my blogs, I found my niche! That's a good thing because now I can try to market myself. I've been trying hard to do that for a while.



The one glitch in the system is that MailChimp and I have been fighting each other. Apparently, I need to build an email list to work on promotion. MailChimp is free, but not the most user-friendly. I have been trying to give out a free PDF and people aren't biting. I realized that the links are not working and the free stuff does NOT integrate with MailChimp. I even tried avoiding the PDF file altogether and just linking to a view only version on Google Docs and when I clicked on it from my test email, it failed.

Anyway, I'm reading , writing, and pushing forward after a rough start to 2018. I expect more hiccups to come, but for now, I'm enjoying the escalating ride up the hill. I hope it leads to an exhilarating ride.

Energy Well Spent?

We all only have a finite amount of energy each day. The way we spend it determines how successful we are.

Massive effort = Massive results, right?

If I want to write a book, I have to use my energy writing. If I am reading social media, but not promoting my work and receiving motivational feedback from fans, I am wasting my energy.

If I want to learn how to publish, how to market, how to grow, then I have to seek out resources, study, and get tips from pros.

I can't help but think that massive energy can be spent in all the wrong places, though. I could have great intentions and work really hard on something only to have it all end or unravel no matter how many times I keep trying.

Yet, if I am truly learning, then I won't retry a failed attempt and will instead try something different. Even if the massive effort ends, it is a step towards the ultimate goal.

Keep learning.

Two of the pros I subscribe to seem to be saying the same thing; to focus your energy without distractions and work smarter, not harder. I have had these moments of "flow" before where I get a massive amount of work accomplished in a small amount of time. You get "in the zone" and nothing else matters but what you are working on.

They ask us to dream big and then act big. The dreams they had were just ideas, but instead of running from them or convincing themselves that they were frivolous, they actually tried to make them come true. They contacted people to ask questions and gain permissions. They researched sponsors, shared their dreams, gained support, and did something cool.

What cool things can I do this year? What about you?

I will admit that I do not have clearly defined writing goals as of this day. I have a few projects I want to work on, but no large ultimate 'dream' goal. That may come later as I simply get my head into the habit of writing. I certainly hope so.