Remember when I said I was queen of procrastination?
Well, not to brag or anything, but that’s still true. I can put things off like the best of them.
Yes, I accept that I am flawed, and recently I’ve started tracking that behavior, trying to get a better grip on myself.
On the other hand, when I set my mind to something, I lock on like a pit bull. Unfortunately, that desire doesn’t always kick in when I need it to.
As an author, it is crucial that you put into it what you want to get out of it. Not only with your writing, but also with everything else that goes along with your book. That includes promoting, advertising, and interacting with the readers.
I will admit, I’m quick to retreat into my writing world when things overwhelm me. It’s so much easier to tell myself that I have to write the book or it doesn’t matter. While that’s true, I also have to do my part in celebrating the new releases and enjoying the relationship I have with my readers. Sometimes it’s difficult, sure. Especially when a book releases months after I’ve finished it. Mentally, I’ve already moved on to another story, another set of characters. By the time the book comes out, I’ve lost much of the enthusiasm I had while writing it. Which is where the readers come in. When they get excited about a book, I do, too. That makes it easier to pay attention to the important things, to spread the word, to ensure people know about it.
Part of my getting organized plan – or what I think of as turning chaos to order – has been inserting myself back into the day to day. I’ve vowed to play an active part in my Facebook reader group, I’ve recently revamped my street team, and I’m using Todoist to focus on the important tasks and my planner to track my social media presence. These tools work well for me. Especially when I use them.
Now the goal is to refuse to retreat when I should be rushing forward.