Tag: social media

Silence is Golden.

Published on by Debbie Johansson4 Comments
Free image courtesy Pexels on Pixabay.

Seeing in a new year always brings with it a clean slate and endless possibilities. For 2022, I’ve been making plans for my next writing projects, as well as my publishing plans for the year. So far, I feel as if I am starting from scratch and therefore, willing to try something new.

Last year, I wrote about the struggles I was experiencing and how persistence matters when it comes to writing. I had reached a point where I gave serious consideration to giving up writing altogether, as I was no longer getting any pleasure from it. I was in a dark place, but then, given the nature of what I write, I needed to be. While writing my novella, The Stranger Within, I needed to stay there.

A beta reader once told me to ‘go darker.’ I can do that!

I wanted the novella published before the end of 2021, so I had a deadline to meet as well. I made it, but by the end, I was mentally and physically exhausted. That year, I had two falls, causing injury to both knees, as well as the anxiety over COVID-19 and going through lockdowns. I had also lost my spark for writing and needed to find it again. What I needed was a break!

For 2022, I have made the decision to spend less time on social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram. For me, this is where a large part of the ‘comparisonitis’ comes from (and I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories the effects these networks can have on young girls, especially). Besides, being an introvert, I am much more comfortable blogging and writing newsletters.

It’s only early days, but so far, I believe I have made the right decision. I have taken the time to relax, read, plan my writing projects for the year, and come up with a business plan. I’ve even given my desk a long overdue clean out!

Perhaps this may lead to a more permanent arrangement. 😉

What plans do you have for 2022? What changes are you making to help reach your goals this year?

A Return to Slow Blogging

Published on by Debbie Johansson4 Comments
Image courtesy Peter Olexa on Pixabay.

This year has been a tough one for many of us, myself included, although I have been more fortunate than others. As a result, my writing has pulled me in different directions and there have been times (including just recently) when I wondered if I should give it up completely. This also included blogging.

I have been blogging for eleven years (that’s some milestone right there!) and throughout that time, I have met some lovely people around the world, built up a small community, and continue even now, to get followers.

With other forms of social media (and people can sometimes forget that blogging is a form of social media), there is only so much that can be said. As a writer, blogging is a form of creative expression and outside of writing my stories, blogging gives me the freedom to express myself to others. I feel comfortable doing it and I enjoy it. So, in the end, I have decided to stick with it.

When I began blogging, I had set out to make it part of my writing journey. It helped me write to deadlines, focus on my topic, and meet other writers. Lately, I’ve been hearing that blogging is ‘dead’, but that has been said for many years now, and yet blogging continues. Without blogs, I would never have read articles that would help me with my craft and learn how to be an indie author. I would also never have known about online courses and seminars that I have learned so much from. Without blogging, I may never have progressed as far as I have done. Without blogging, I may never have had author interviews or receive book reviews. I owe blogging and the blogging community so much!

Having said that, for some time, I was against the idea of doing a newsletter. It sounded so much like blogging and would only be another thing to add to my ‘to do’ list. However, after learning more about newsletters, I have recently caved. I am currently working on creating a newsletter and plan to have my sign up form up and running in January 2021. I’ll keep you posted!

As a result, this blog will be an extension of the newsletter and vice versa. Also, I will be blogging less – about once a month, although there may be other posts appearing from time to time.

This is just another step in my writing journey. I hope you’ll come with me! 😉

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year. Let’s hope that 2021 has better things in store for all of us. Stay safe!

And don’t forget, First Christmas is available on Amazon. What’s a shameless plug between friends? 😉

Do You Share Your Current Writing Projects?

Published on by Debbie Johansson10 Comments

For some months now I had been working on one of the longest pieces of writing I have done so far. It proved to be a bit of a challenge, including whether or not to mention anything about it on social media.

When we come up with new story ideas or are in the middle of a writing project, it can sometimes be difficult to contain our excitement. We want others to be excited about it too.

Many years ago, I would let my friends read the stories I was writing at the time. My friends were always interested in what I was writing and were eager to read more, but I would eventually reach the point where I had lost interest. I had no idea where the stories were going; there was no real plot and I only had the basic knowledge of my characters. It therefore came as no surprise to me that I never finished these stories, thus leaving my friends disappointed and I had many incomplete stories lying around. I learned the hard way that I was a plotter and not a pantser.

I have seen some authors on social media discuss with their readers about their current projects, but personally I find that can be distracting. Some may think that by telling our readers about what we are currently working on can be a good way of keeping ourselves accountable. I applaud those authors who can pull this off – whatever works, right? However, for writers like me, I have learned the hard way to keep my writing under wraps until the current project is finished.

Talking to others about our projects before we fully understand them ourselves can sometimes destroy an idea before it really gets started. It may be hard to keep a lid on things, especially when we are in the middle of a writing streak or ‘in the zone’.

Perhaps just stating that we are working on a new project or leaving a tiny hint about it on social media may well be enough to satisfy our readers to know that we are writing without giving too much away (and they will be eager for us to finish).

What are your thoughts? Do you tell others what you are currently working on? Do you find it to be a help or a hindrance? Do you prefer to keep quiet about your work in progress?

Main image courtesy of Pixabay