June 2020
Hello from Orlando!
Every year I like to take the last week in June leading up to the 4th of July holiday to take a step back and look at what I’ve done so far with my current work in progress. This year I’m also reviewing how I’m managing my time with my many business goals.
I’ve spent a lot of time this year focusing on advertising. Facebook ads, Amazon ads… it’s important to spread the word and find new readers looking for a new author to try. And managing my ads can be lots of fun. I geek out over the numbers. I reinvest what I’ve earned and I try new things. I watch the sales and subscribers grow beyond belief.
But the truth is, it’s not good for my soul. I always feel guilty. Because I know, while advertising is important, it’s not where my passion lies. I’m a writer, first and foremost.
If I’m honest with you, I haven’t written a word of Blake Jordan #7 in the last 6 weeks. Claiming to be a writer, having not written a single thing in 45 days, is painful to admit. But it’s where I am right now as I wrap up a few weeks of major advertising campaigns.
It’s a classic catch-22, if you think about it. If I only focus on advertising, I’m not writing and adding more books to my series. Readers finish #6 and move on to someone else. Maybe they’ll come back when I finish the next book in the series. Maybe they won’t…
But if I only focus on my writing, I lose the momentum I’ve built up through advertising.
I know what you’re thinking: split your time. Write in the morning, then advertise at night. Or maybe write during the week and focus on the business on the weekends. The problem is, my brain doesn’t work that way… I can get totally engrossed with one or the other, but not both. It’s hard to separate the two. Like I said, a classic catch-22…
The last week of June and the days leading up to the July 4th holiday always seems to put things in perspective for me. Maybe it’s because of the clarity that comes from finding a dedicated week every year to step back and make sure I’m on the right track. Maybe it’s because the year is halfway over and the realization that I’m either going to hit my personal writing goals or I won’t. It’s a sobering experience to step back, stop lying to yourself, and take a good, hard look at the wall calendar and see how much time you have left to do all of the things you promised yourself you would do this year.
When I was younger, my dad used to be the one who put things in perspective for me. Usually it was said in a way that came across as a challenge. When I was struggling in college, barely passing, he asked me if I could finish what I’d started. He honestly wasn’t sure. That was the swift kick to the derrière I needed. I finished with As and Bs and went on to grad school and finished that, too. Something he and I were proud of.
The answer to my dad, but more so to myself, was: Yes, I’m someone who can finish. I’m someone who will put in the time and work to see it through. You can count on me.
But more importantly, I realized that I could count on myself to finish whatever I start.
The reality is, if I want to have the best chance at an author career, I must do both. I must write the books. And I must also advertise the books. Too much focus on one or the other is not healthy and will hurt the other. I understand this. I accept this truth…
But I also know there are ebbs and flows to everything. Just like there’s no such thing as work life balance because either work or life will always take priority over the other at some point, I realize there’s no perfect solution here. And I know I must keep the plates spinning so I don’t lose my momentum. I just need to figure out how I’ll do it all…
The year is halfway over. There’s still time to catch my dream, if I still want to catch it. And I do. I’ve made great progress on book #7. A third of it is written. It’s a great story and I can’t wait to write the rest of it. But I have to refocus. I have to get back to basics.
I’ve started it.
Now I have to finish it.
I’m going to put in the time and the work to see it through. You can count on me.
Because I’ve learned, when I put my mind to something, I do it. If I start it, I’ll finish it.
And because I know, besides writing, keeping a promise to myself is good for my soul.