Today I’m taking a social media vacation to reflect on 2012. It was a year of ups and downs, frustrations and celebrations, and more oftentimes than not, a struggle to balance my family and work life with my writer/author life.
Why did I put a slash to separate writer and author rather than just calling myself an author? After all, I technically have three books out, though my third won’t be released until January 2013. Well, it’s because the majority of my year was spent as an unpublished writer, and when I realized that, I thought, “Wow, my debut novel was released only three months ago.”
Yet those three months have felt like years as I went through a roller coaster ride of promoting, networking and writing amidst my life of a daily three hour commute to my full time job combined with the demands of being a mother to four active boys and a wife to a supportive husband.
So what can I anticipate to change next year to get to my goal of a better balance between life and writing? Or to swap the roller coaster ride for a manageable Sunday drive? Well, it comes down to my initial love of telling a story.
My intent for 2013 is to concentrate on the writing (plans for two novellas, two full length books and the beginning of a trilogy) and to be smarter in regards to time and money spent on promotion and social media. On my blog, there’ll be more posts on the joys and frustrations of being an author, along with insights into the world of traditional and self-publishing.
I’ll continue my author spotlights by featuring romance authors and authors who have books with little to no romantic elements in their works. Why? Because their journey to publication is a reflection of their hard work and perseverance and their efforts deserves recognition.
So next year, I’ll be in my writing cave a majority of the time. But I still plan on connecting with those who are not only supportive, creative and innovative, but who understands the struggles and joys of being a writer, or a debut author with little or no following and a small backlist.
If you want to do this journey with me, subscribe to my blog or like me on Facebook. And I’d like to know, what will you do more or less of next year to achieve your balance or goals?
Thank you, Ashlyn, for your thoughtful post. And happy, happy writing next year!