It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
I seem to do this every year… In 2023 I was overly ambitious. And got burnout. I’m still recovering (mainly by watching cooking shows like MasterChef and spending time in the kitchen). But I did achieve a few of my goals in 2023 as shown in my November post.
So what will I do in 2024?
I’ve cut social media down to Instagram and Pinterest (the latter being a very unsociable social media, which works well for me right now). I post my book reviews on Goodreads, BookBub and on my blog – during April for A-Z and one big one in November. It helps to get through my massive TBR without any book clubs or pressure.
So that nicely segues into my blogging and podcasting schedule: podcast through the year with a new segment in Afrikaans that goes up every second week and the podcast running even in the months that I usually don’t post anything; folklore and book review posts in April on my blog; some book tour stuff whenever I have something to promote; and my monthly IWSG post.
As for the writing and publishing side…
I’ll continue work on my (top secret) pen names as they are quite lucrative.
I’m working on my Irascible Immortals series as well as my Faery Tales series – which is my most popular series. It’s like Grimm fairy tales, but with my own storylines and dark musings.
I’m not pushing to have anything done this year or doing any marketing.
I’ve learned in 2023 to not be so overly ambitious and to be kinder to myself. Just because I wish I could write and publish faster, doesn’t mean I’m a failure if I need to cancel a pre-order or even pull a book from the market because I’m not happy with it. There’s no need to fall apart like a contestant in a pressure test on MasterChef: it’s not the end of the journey, just a hurdle to overcome.
Do you have any goals for your writing this year? Do you adjust your writing business as needed for your mental health? Do you enjoy Marco Pierre White’s style of cooking?
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Sometimes we just bite off more than we can chew.
Wise to limit social media. I’m only on two platforms.
Thanks, Alex. Yeah, too many social media platforms can be draining.
I agree with you both on not trying to be on too many social media sites. And it’s great that you’re willing to readjust your goals if they aren’t working for you. I’m impressed that you’ve read so many books in 2023.
Thanks, Natalie 🙂 Just tried to fill the creative well…
The phrase “Progress Not Perfection” helps in keeping my sanity in accomplishing what I want in my writing. Best of sales!
Sounds good! Thanks, Roland 🙂
Happy New Year and Happy IWSG Day! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your perspective on not being a failure as a writer. It took me a while to get there. I’m excited about taking things slow this year and trying to simply have fun with my creativity. I’ve moved to video posting on social media and simply sharing that in multiple places. My writing time will be focused on my WIPs as much as possible.
Sounds like a good plan! Thanks, Toi 🙂
Interesting post, and good to catch up. Two SM platforms. I lackadaisically do about 4 but Pinterest feeds the most views to my blog (which surprises me) so I try to keep that one UTD. Master Chef–that show is crazy and addictive! Talk about ambition! Have a great year, Ronel.
Thanks, Jacqui 🙂 Yeah, Pinterest drives a lot of traffic to blogs.
I really have only two social media places I’m active, besides blogging. On FB I keep up with family and friends as much or more than doing anything writing. The other place I’m active is a backpacking forum I help moderate, so that’s not much of a book platform 🙂 Maybe I need to do just a LITTLE more in the book world??
Just a little 😉
I don’t make resolutions or goals for exactly this reason. I know myself well enough to know that I crack under external pressure – not for me! I just keep doing the next thing.
Yay for lucrative pen names and good luck with all the things in 2024!
Thanks, Jemi 🙂 I need goals to know where I’m going, or I’ll just do all the random things that catch my attention. LOL.
Lucrative pen names… Like the sound of that – thanks . Mental health ? More DIY *
Social media ? In some ways – only some – can recommend a rural black hole. No signal, reporting a road accident’s tricky.
Trying to tweet from a PC somehow lacks spontaneity..
Even the local birds can’t ( ravens, crows, buzzards) A few years ago, ID fraud landed me in a lot of trouble. Not my own carelessness –
lots of personal details still at my parents’ house – not their fault either.
* writing, basically.
Thanks 🙂 Yeah, I live in a rural area, too, and some days there’s no internet at all. But that’s why I like scheduling apps — and social media that doesn’t require a lot of attention. Sorry to hear about the fraud — criminals make life difficult for everyone and can be quite sneaky in how they get their information. Happy writing!
Social Media call totally suck up your time, can’t it? I don’t do much besides Twitter but I need to get back to P Interest.
Have a successful 2024.
I like Pinterest as it drives traffic to your site (or books, depending on how you’ve set up your pins) and it’s not really a social place like the other platforms. You, too!
Happy New Year, and good luck with all your goals this 2024! Glad to hear your burnout-recovery strategy is working — I might have to try it out, along with your wise words about not being overambitious or piling the pressure too high this year. All the best!
Thanks, Damyanti 🙂 Good luck!