Well, happy new year to you!
I’ve updated the subscribers, but I haven’t been here to the blog in a couple months, as there has been SO MUCH going on around here…
So let me give you a quick rundown of how tumultuous and fast-paced December and January have been:
Book Launch Success
3 complete strangers came to my book launch for The Keening at Another Read Through, in addition to the crowd of supportive friends and community members. Exciting stuff!
My Goodreads giveaway got the most number of entrants I’ve had so far–901!–and am patiently awaiting reviews to start piling up.
Change of Pace
I made the decision to leave my part-time job at the bakery, which, if you know me, means a lot of fear, doubt, and second-guessing. It was time, after almost 3 years, to let go of my reasons for choosing to work there: convenience (10 min walk to work), friends in a new place (I knew 2 people when I moved to Portland), and stable income (with above average tips).
I was also using the bakery as a crutch.
“It helps me balance out the lonely writing life,” I told myself. Well, it did, but I now have a myriad of friends from different walks of life for that, and am no longer dependent on the intimacy that proximity forces on you with your coworkers.
With that in mind, I kept my ears open for other types of work environments, and now am part of the bookselling team at Another Read Through, who are wonderful!
But more to the point, I am only working there one day a week, leaving room to pursue those bigger projects on a self-published author’s plate:
Can I find a literary agent?
Can I make this an audiobook?
Can I update the covers to reflect a cohesive brand?
Can I make more contacts, to get more feedback, to get more books sold?
Preliminary Results
I worked at the bakery until the last week of January, then indulged in three days of ‘Recovery Mode’ antics: sleeping in (’til 830!), reading for hours (research, really), and cooking what I wanted, when I wanted.
It was lovely.
When February hit, I felt like 2016 was only now beginning. My pencils were sharpened, my meetings were scheduled, and all I had to do was experiment.
Wait, what? You mean you didn’t start writing for hours every day?
Yeah.
Well.
The life of a self-employed person is not one that you can slip into with little thought. Lots of people have wrestled with the change, but my favorite piece of advice is this:
“Allow your daily schedule to arise over time and then have faith in it.”
It’s Feb. 21, which means I’ve had 3 weeks to experiment. And it is a battle every time I feel unproductive, unworthy, or lazy, to remind myself that I am getting done what needs to be done, and doing as much as I can, at any one moment.
This week, I had 3 productive days out of 6 (well, 2.5).
Which is good, for a batting average. 😉
Images via Bullock Museum, self, and Pinterest
