Writing

Writing Update

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When it comes to writing, I’m currently working on three projects. Two of them are due to be finalized this upcoming week. One is a 50k book and another is a 10k short. I’ve written 40k and 5k, respectively. The third project is a 65k book. I’ve only got 3k down so far.

To date, I’ve only written 13k in February. That’s not enough for me to reach my goals. I have to do better in March and I’m aiming high. To help me do that, I’m joining the #March100kChallenge. I’m hoping the challenge will inspire me to stay on track.

I’m on track to publish my first book, A Sword of Fortune and Fate, in May 2017. I want to ensure that the series continue to be released as scheduled. For that to happen, I have to write, write, write!

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What are your writing goals for March?

Self-Publishing

The Number 1 Rule of Self-Publishing

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As an aspiring author I routinely search for self-publishing advice. Today, I stumbled across a Kboards post asking, “What is the #1 rule of self publishing?”

While most of the things stated seem to be common sense it was interesting to see what each person thought the #1 rule was. There are many components to creating a successful self-publishing career. Each one plays a vital part in building an author platform.

Start somewhere:

Have an objective of what you want to achieve, and then make a plan that will get you there.

-Ava Red

If you do nothing, nothing will happen.

-Keith Soares

Don’t talk about it, do it.

-Patty Jansen

 

Focus on creating a quality product:

Write a good story.

-H.C. Harrington

Hooky book.

-Rosalind James

Write a good book.

Without that, no other advice matters.

-Elizabeth S.

Persevere:

Approach the whole endeavor as a business.

-Patrick Urban

Effective habits and hard work matter more than talent.

-David VanDyke

To make it, you need to persist over the long haul.

-Eric Thomson

And when it comes to your work, remember:

Develop a thick skin – reviewers can be merciless.

-Jan Hurst-Nicholson

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What do you think is the #1 rule of self-publishing?

Reading

Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge

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Earlier this year I set myself a Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 50 books for 2017.

I decided on 50 books because last year I chose 150 books. It was a mistake. I constantly felt stressed about reading whenever I saw the Goodreads widget tell me I was behind. I actually read less because of it.

That’s why this year I chose a simple 50 books would work for me. I knew from past years it was an achievable number and it wouldn’t pressure me unduly.

I didn’t take into account that I would go on a reading binge in the first six weeks of the year and reach 86% of my goal.

 

With that in mind, I decided to recalibrate and reset my goal for 100 books. As you can see, I’m at 43% of goal now with 29 books ahead of schedule.

 

I’m confident I’ll reach this goal, without adding undue pressure on myself. There are a lot of amazing books coming out this year from some of my favorite writers and I can’t wait to read them all!

What’s your 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal?