The number one criterion of being a writer is that you write.
Seems simple, right? In theory, it is.
For this edition of Writer vs. Business Manager, I’d like to talk about the struggle of not writing—when that’s all you want to do. Everyone knows what it’s like when life gets in the way of your plans, but as an indie author doing it all on your own, it’s more than that. When you have a book coming out, all your energy must be focused on making sure the book is ready by publication day, regardless of whether or not you have a new book itching to be written.
This is the opposite of writer’s block. The outline for my next book is almost complete and the characters talk to me constantly, but I have to stay focused on the task at hand. This is especially frustrating because while I wrote TWO NOVELS in 2017, the only things I’ve written this year are the short story for the anthology that came out this summer, and the bonus scenes for The Trail Rules. I’M SO READY TO WRITE! I don’t feel like a real writer if I’m not producing.
A large part of this profession is the less glamorous side of things—uploading files to bookseller websites, creating artwork for promotional posts, writing newsletters and blog posts (oh hai!)… you get the idea—and while it’s all necessary, it can sometimes feel like I’m spinning my wheels. But it’s all important. Without the business manager side of things—aka marketing—no one will know about this amazing book I’m publishing.
I do have tricks to stay motivated. When I’m writing, I use daily word goals to track my progress. For the business side of things, I use to-do lists with check boxes. Lots and lots of check boxes. Marking things off, even if no one else knows I’ve accomplished it, reminds me that I’m inching closer to my goal.
I also use a bullet journal with weekly and monthly goals, and I refer to it daily. Usually several times a day.
That tiny item in the middle of the August Goals that says Books2Read links? Checking off that box is the result of over three weeks of effort. (Some of which was just me not doing the work once their customer service replied to me, but the stress was still there.) But after some quality time with my laptop yesterday, I now have universal links for all my books, which will help when I’m promoting in places where you can only share one link. To the reader, all they know is I have a handy link to find my books, but it’s a lot of work on the back end.
Since this is the start of a new month, I have a fresh list to tackle and while it still doesn’t include writing, I’m one month closer. (I actually DID include writing, just because. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a spare half hour to finish my outline.) I don’t always finish everything on my list, but at least I KNOW what I didn’t finish, rather than forgetting something. I cannot stress how important this is when you’re juggling 50 million things before publication.
I’m a morning writer, so even though I’m not actually writing, I’ve continued my butt-in-chair routine so that when I AM ready to write, my body won’t resist. At this rate it looks like I’ll be starting just in time for NaNoWriMo. Care to join me?
