Author vs. Writer
I’m a big fan of setting goals and planning and being efficient. A few years ago, I saw an author talking about time management. They mentioned how it helped them to break down their week into “writer” tasks and “author” tasks. Because once you’re published, obviously the main job is still to write a good book, but that comes with all kinds of other things you have to do as well. Social media, writing newsletters, podcasts, in-person events, marketing, taxes, and so much more. It helps to separate those from the writing and to make sure you’re protecting the time it takes to write a book.
This has helped me a lot. Now, I try to set aside times for the author tasks so they don’t cut into my actual writing time. And all of this is a very long introduction to say that the reason I’ve been kind of quiet online recently is the last month has been devoted to a lot of writing time!
I did get to do two fun events, thanks to a local public library who had me to their teen book club and to a local high school where I got to do an author visit. For the most part, though, social media and other author tasks have been pushed aside as I’ve been working to finish a book. There are seasons when writing tasks or author tasks may take precedence, and that’s normal. Hopefully, after turning this book in soon, I’ll be a little more present online. Or maybe I won’t. Sometimes the author tasks can feel draining and even though I love interacting with readers and other writers online, it’s also good to unplug a little more and focus on the creative side.
Anyway, if you’re a writer, keep writing! And if you’re a published author, I hope that trick helps you!
I love meeting teen readers!
Books
I have written some. If you’d like to check them out, here they are!
That’s all for this month! Maybe I’ll have more to say next month!
