Promoting my work. It’s been a minute. With all the lockdowns, quarantine, masks, and other limitations, I sorta got out of the habit. Pre-Covid, I aimed for one promotion-type event a month. During Covid, I concentrated on writing and some Zoom meetings with other writers. I even attended a writers’ conference that was all Zoom.
Last month I made a conscious decision to get back out there in the world. Not just with promoting my writing, but with other things too. I decided I need to volunteer more, go to more events, travel a little, and schedule some in-person promotional events.
Then I got sick. Oh yeah, there are other things that can make us sick; not just Covid. After two weeks, I’m still coughing. But, I’m better.
Saturday I worked at a booth at the Printers Row Lit Fest. Even though it got rained out, I sold books and made some contacts. I have a local bookstore commitment.
Yesterday morning I read “You Learn to Fly by Falling.” Tony reminds us that sometimes we need a push, or just need to take a leap of faith. Planning is not enough. One of the best ways to learn is to do. And, doing will, indeed, result in some mistakes. Just like a baby bird learning to fly, we will take a few nose-dives, but eventually, we’ll be up and soaring. (Please click the link above, and read Tony’s entire post. He inspired me.)
Last night I attended IWOC, the professional writers’ organization that I belong to. We had a round table discussion about how to get your writing out there, how to make contacts, and how to make money. One young writer found my comments helpful.
I have an event scheduled at a local library. I stopped at another library to say hello and make sure my books were there. I have a commitment from a local bookstore.
Yay! Sometimes taking the first step is not as hard as we think it will be.
That’s on top of my minimum chapter-a-day editing commitment. Most days I hate editing, I wonder why I wrote such garbage. Other days I read something I wrote and wonder who got in my skin and wrote the perfect description. I’m reminded of Tony’s baby bird again.
“Dallas sure has a knack for picking up right where he left off. I swear he must have some sort of bookmark in his brain to keep his thought in order.”
Who knows, tomorrow I just might join a gym and get myself into better shape. Walking from the train station to the IWOC meeting did remind me that physical fitness is quite important.
