Some of you may have noticed how (uncharacteristically) quiet I've been lately, and there's a few reasons for it, starting with a cyst in my jaw that ran past the point of "Let's wait and see." I've had one procedure, with another surgery on the horizon, meaning days of not feeling very social. Then take off two weeks for a respiratory infection that totally kicked my butt and kept me out of work, for the first time in five years. Sigh.
And let's not even talk about adventures in househunting, which now stands with me being too frustrated to look at another house. Long story, I may go into later, but basically, all foreclosures are snapped up by investors for use as rentals, and any decent (doesn't need $10,000 or more in repairs to make it liveable) house gets multiple offers. Sigh. Who said it was a buyer's market? Anyway, those issues notwithstanding, after doing two blog hops, tweeting, Facebooking, participating at Goodreads and other media sites, I discovered....(drum roll please) that I.....
...don't have time to write. That's right, folks, after putting in 50 hour weeks on the day job, plus beta duties for authors I adore, my week is gone. Kaput. Nothing left. Or as they say here in the south, "Stick a fork in me, I'm done."
So I had to sit down and reevaluate my time, see what I could scale back on. I simply can't give up writing or beta work, so something's got to give. As much as it pains me, the answer is social media. I'll continue posting here, which feeds my Goodreads and Amazon blogs, and I keep in touch on Facebook, but sadly, I don't have time for much more.
Which leads me to my next point. I always took time to reply to reader's reviews on Goodreads, and have stopped. If asked a question, I will reply, and I definitely welcome comments here, but I've signed on to do another free story for Goodreads this year (I adore taking part!) and have ten works in progress that I hope to finish one day. No, I didn't give in to criticism that I shouldn't reply to readers, and I still glean wisdom from those who take the time to state their thoughts when I can. Readers are still as precious to me as ever, but until I learn to juggle work, home, writing, betaing, mentoring, etc., a bit better, don't look for me so much on Twitter or Facebook. If you need me, I'm here, never fear, just a little quieter. And hopefully, from the quiet, Corruption and Manipulation (of the Diversion series) will be born.
*BIG HUG*
ReplyDeleteI hope the second surgery goes really well and takes care of the problem!
I can completely understand the social media saturation thing - there's a reason I'm not on Twitter and Facebook, you know? Just. Too. Much. And I know all of that's more challenging, being an author. Good for you, for re-evaluating your priorities. :)
I just want to get back to what I love, and that's researching and telling a story the best way I can. Plus, I do beta work and mentoring, and that really means a lot to me, too, watching another author's story flourish.
DeleteMakes perfect sense, even without the major liferolls. Best of luck with both the surgery and the house hunting. [hugz]
ReplyDeleteI've cut back on some things too, and hey, I'm actually writing again! I've already done more writing this year than I did all last year, which is awesome. Sometimes you just have to get out the ax and free up some time in your life. [nod]
Angie
The big kicker came when I realized that not only had it been weeks since I've written, but there's a brand new author I'm mentoring and I'd kept his chapters far too long. He, and the others I beta for, deserve better.
DeleteYay! for the more writing!
*hugs* Social media takes over so many lives... I'm so glad you are taking a break and getting back to what you love :)
ReplyDeleteHugs, TD! I'm also taking an online editing class to help hone the craft and improve beta skills. Only so many hours in a day!
ReplyDelete