journaling,  marketing,  My books,  pets,  platform building,  productivity,  publishing

Two weeks in & this writer is making headway!

January 14, 2018
Cutest beta reader, ever. 🙂 
These first two weeks in January have been telling for me as I moved into a new schedule and routine when it comes to my writing life. I have to say…I am so pleased with how it’s progressing so far!
First of all, the best news I can share is that I finally completed all the edits and the final tasks necessary to finally publish the fourth book in the series! I ordered some proof copies so I’m waiting for those…and then I’ll need to review it, while also have some beta readers give me feedback, and my hope is that any necessary changes can be made easily and the book will be ready and available by the end of this month. That’s the ideal plan anyway. Wish me luck!
Besides getting the fourth in the series completed, I have also been up to the following:
Writing stuff – after completing the final edits on the last novel, I researched more about style sheets and the em dash, both of which I’d honestly not been too familiar with until after receiving feedback from my editor. I also read articles with advice on must-have tools for writers, writing advice from established authors, and I decided to purchase another book on writing (The Artist’s Way) that keeps coming up as a recommendation in various articles I’ve read recently.
Author stuff – I spent time reviewing my stats for the past year and researching books comparable to my own, I researched a few indie authors who had success stories to share, and I reviewed tips about book promotion and author platform building. I also read up on some self-publishing tips for 2018 and what upcoming conferences I might be able to look forward to during the coming year.
Of course, it’s easy to get sidetracked when researching on the web but the most significant subjects of note that I found myself reading about was information with regard to 2017 death penalty cases and the recent horrible train derailment that occurred just north of where I live. This accident was completely awful, to the extreme, especially since deaths were a result and it apparently could have been prevented.
My bullet (or dot) journal: I’m finally getting the hang of it and while it will be a work in progress for a while still, I have been enjoying it and I especially appreciate the fact that all of my lists and notes about weekly tasks and everything in-between are all in one place, versus random pieces of paper in various places all over the house. It might also help that I no longer have a regular day planner handy to keep going back to since I did not give in the urge to buy a 2018 planner.
Organization – I spent time organizing my author marketing to-do’s, cleaned out my in-box and unsubscribed to a number of people/companies if they landed on the list of usual suspects when it came to those I usually deleted without reading, and spent time reading up on goal setting (I have a lot I want to accomplish this year) while mapping out my goals for the next 300+ days.
I’m happy to note that the past two weeks have been pretty productive, even given the fact that I have two new “housemates” – my son’s kittens who just can’t help themselves when it comes to being extremely cute and distracting while I’m trying to work. But I’ll forgive them for their demanding ways, because a kitten cuddle can result in only positive vibes when I am ready to get back to work. It’s a win-win, as far as I’m concerned.
I hope your New Year is in full-productive swing, as well. If not, we’re only just now two weeks in so there’s plenty of time to make up the lost time. 
Either way, enjoy the upcoming week!

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