It’s early morning and an entire day stretches out before me – no errands, no visitors expected. How do I fill the hours from the basket of writing possibilities? I don’t want to reach the end of “60 Minutes” tonight and play the shoulda, woulda, coulda game. That’s a given. But we’re running out of forks, so doing a load of dishes is a must sometime today. Think, think.
Do I block two-hour increments toward marketing for HGWK, which then has a list of subcategories I could block time for? One of which is reading my copy of “Red Hot Internet Marketing” by Penny Sansevieri and highlighting ideas and concepts. Read one chapter and make a to-do list – that’s a feasible goal. One post on Facebook, one tweet on Twitter, check. What about working on the sequel “Murder in the Castle” (working title)?A 72,000 word manuscript doesn’t write itself. The characters are tapping their toes wondering when it will be their turn to dazzle on a blank page. Goal today? One to three pages – a page a day finishes a manuscript in a year.
Baby steps – isn’t that what I always say in my classes? Whether a newbie writer or a well-published author with a new book on deck, don’t overwhelm yourself – succeed at a few things consistently, baby steps.
Now, do I hang a copy of the schedule on my back so that family members will respect my time? Hmm, why bother as they won’t see it from shouting my name from the next room. But I can pin it to the front of my shirt and remind myself of my priorities. It’s my passion, my books are my dreams and no one is going to magically part the waters of responsibilities and life for me. I must demand the time of myself because I deserve it.
Ready? Begin!
Her Ghost Wears Kilts 
Ha! Yes — can we have our “dome” and keep life at bay as we write? So glad to see you in the blogsphere and with a new FB. Guess I should follow your tweets, too! #backingeachotherup
Ha! Can’t we have our own “dome” to keep our dailies at bay so we can write? So, SO glad to see you back in the blogsphere and with a new FB page. Guess I better get on board with your Tweets, too!
(sigh) Yes, learn by my experience so you’ll be ready when you write your book! lol. Good grief – I set all this stuff up and then feel guilty if I don’t post anything, but need to post something pertinent. And be a cheerleader to remind me to do my marketing. It’s so easy to just let it ride. But we need a new roof and it would be nice to be able to chip in some from book sales.