Insecure Writer's Support Group by Ronel Janse van Vuuren

Like Herding Cats

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

The awesome co-hosts for the March 4 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre!

This month I’m #39 on the list.

Learn more here.

I’m skipping this month’s question about marketing, as I don’t have anything new to add. You can learn everything you need (or want) to from my For Author’s posts.

There might be marketing nuggets here… Unintentionally, of course.

I don’t know about you, but on any day I have so many things to do that just don’t want to stay on track, it’s like herding cats. Impossible. Maybe it’s just how my brain works. Maybe I’m just easily distracted. Anyhow, I’m sharing some stuff I’ve been up to, things you might be interested in as a fellow author, and whatever the cats dragged in…

Re-ordering bookshelves

goodreads did not finish gif

I got an email from Goodreads that they were going to (finally!) make this an official shelf. As I have this shelf already, they will just move the content to this new one for me. We’ll see how that goes.

Psst… The Did Not Finish (DNF) shelf is coming soon. You’re hearing about it first because you already track books you started and set aside. If you created an exclusive custom shelf named exactly “did not finish,” “dnf,” “abandoned,” “unfinished,” “didn-t-finish,” or “dropped”, we’ll automatically convert it to the new default Did Not Finish shelf. Your reviews, ratings, and reading history stay with your book.

From the email I got.

As my TBR is always out of control, life is way too short to read books you don’t enjoy, and because not all books are created equal (I’m looking at you with three typos on one page), a DNF shelf is a handy tool.

As an author, I have no issue with someone DNFing a book that isn’t a good fit for them. A comment on why is always important as this indicates to other readers why they stopped reading the book. (The same for book reviews in general: why someone loved or didn’t like a book is crucial for other readers to make up their mind. Star ratings just don’t cut it.)

As a reader, I don’t trust books with only 5 star ratings…

Guest Post Opportunity

We’ve decided to mix things up during the A-Z Challenge this year: if you refer people to join the challenge (there’s space on the sign-up list later this month to say who referred you), there’s a guest post spot with your name on it (well, you can win it!).

Do I have to tell anyone why having a guest post on a popular blog is a good thing?

You can learn more about the A-Z Blogging Challenge here.

Direct Store for ecommerce

Thanks to Rebecca M Douglass for sharing that one can have a direct store on Buy Me a Coffee! I’ve finally figured out all the stuff (like them accepting my South African ID), and now my store is live. I’ve only uploaded books that are in Ebook and Audiobook as it takes some time to get the work done with the internet being a bit slow where I am. (I made special images for the store for each book as it prefers square images, it takes time to upload files, and there is only so much time in the day.)

You can check out my Buy Me a Coffee Shop here.

This is an additional place to buy my books. I also have a direct store on Payhip. And you can buy my books from the usual suspects. Except for the store that shall not be named, because they kicked me off for no apparent reason (except having books in Afrikaans) and I’m not going to argue with a multi-national conglomerate who used AI to decide that my mother tongue isn’t “a good customer experience”.

eye roll

Cutting Social Media

I haven’t used Twitter/X since before Covid hit, though I didn’t delete it as I had this idea of following people from that list on another social platform. It’s 2026 and I haven’t done that and I haven’t added another social media platform to my arsenal, so I decided to just cut the dead weight. Especially since this platform has become quite problematic… I’ve removed the link everywhere I saw it, but it might still crop up in places I don’t regularly frequent.

I haven’t used Wattpad in ages, either. I haven’t seen any newsletter signups or other types of follows from there in quite some time, so I’ve decided to delete my account. No point having a social media account (and Wattpad, though a place to publish your writing, is in essence a social media platform) that one doesn’t monitor or stay up to date with the terms of service.

Book Recommendation

In an attempt to make my brain focus on whatever the best thing to do in a given day is, I’ve decided to read a book recommended by another writer.

Image credit

The One Thing explains the success habit to overcome the six lies that block our success, beat the seven thieves that steal time, and leverage the laws of purpose, priority, and productivity.

In The One Thing, you’ll learn to:
• cut through the clutter;
• achieve better results in less time;
• build momentum toward your goal;
• dial down the stress;
• overcome that overwhelmed feeling;
• revive your energy;
• stay on track;
• master what matters most.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

A powerful book to help you succeed in what you want most.

There are a lot of great quotes I can pull from the book (I’ve made loads of annotations), but I think the one that resonated the most is: “Multitasking is merely the opportunity to screw up more than one thing at a time.”

As someone who has multiple projects going on at any one time, the idea of choosing just one to focus on during a specific time block every morning feels daunting and freeing at the same time. The part of me that had been taught that multitasking is the only way to get things done, is terrified of this approach. The part of me that demands excellence thinks this is, well, an excellent idea. So I’ll be putting it to the test…

Some of the advice, as I worked through this book, had already yielded favourable results.

Highly recommended for anyone who feels they have three thousand things to do every day – and they all seem equally important.

*There was some religious commentary early on that I felt uncomfortable with.

4 unicorn star rating

You can always just watch the awesome video. (And get a great Super Saiyan t-shirt.)

Marketing advice from a reader’s perspective…

I’ve just realised that, as a reader, I only add new romantasy authors to my “to read” list when I find them through authors banding together to set out a book series around a specific theme and I’m part of the ARC team (through my friend Lyndsey Hall who seems to find all these opportunities to be part of). I don’t add books that I didn’t receive ARCs of, and I only add the authors to my “gotta read” list if I enjoyed the book (I’ll add their other books to my TBR, join their newsletter and their street team for future releases).

I help spread the word about their new books through my blog, Instagram and my newsletter (besides sharing reviews everywhere I leave reviews). So perhaps the lesson here is to band together with other authors in your genre to put out a multi-author series of standalone novels with a central theme, use ARC readers, and not be afraid to take a chance on something new.

I had Lyndsey over last month to do a guest post about how she found inspiration for her romantasy novel “Falling for the Enchantress” which is part of the To Win a Dark Heart series. You can read my reviews of all but the fourth book in the series (I didn’t get that ARC) every week, going back to the start of the year.

Personal Update

I’ve been doing a lot of writing, rewriting, editing, crying on the inside as I cut scenes… LOL. I’m not sure about when these books will be published as I’m mostly just focusing on writing right now.

I have my vlog up on YouTube! It’s been quite the learning curve to figure out the video stuff. Here are the first two videos (I do a monthly vlog).

Ruby was the only one willing to pose with me for a photo for the fist vlog’s thumbnail image.

Ruby and Stiles were jealous of Meredith posing for the second vlog’s thumbnail image…

The music is “Swan Lake”. Can you hear it?

I hope you got something from this post, whether inspiration or information, and that you have a great month ahead.

“The path of mastering something is the combination of not only doing the best you can do at it, but also doing it the best it can be done.” ― Gary Keller, The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results

What are your thoughts? Do you have marketing advice for other IWSG members? Do you have a vlog? What have you read recently? Check out my For Authors page for more author advice.

fairy image credit https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-fairy-wings-magic-8121013/

No-one writes about the fae like Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

44 thoughts on “Like Herding Cats”

  1. I like the coffee book image. It sucks that a *certain site* took you away. I noticed it also removed reviews of yours that I had put in via Author Central. The company is going more AI lately. Maybe you’re better off.
    Anyway. Good post. Nice review. Yeah, I don’t know why there are reference books that get all religious in parts, like they can’t pick a genre.
    🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛
    Some more cats to herd. 😉
    I hope A to Z goes well this year.
    “What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore.” — Neil Gaiman

    J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge international blog hop

  2. A Did Not Finish shelf would be handy. Although there are a lot of books I wish I hadn’t finished…
    I don’t use X as much anymore although I like that most of the turmoil there has settled.
    Thanks for co-hosting today!

  3. I think banding together with other authors in your genre is a great idea. I’ve seen a lot of debut authors do this. It’s great that Rebecca Douglas’ advice helped you with your online bookstore. Thanks for co-hosting with me this month.

  4. I think, for me, a DNF shelf is more about mood and style. I just don’t connect with some people’s way of writing, or I may be in the mood for a different genre and then don’t end up coming back to a specific title. Would I have enjoyed it? Maybe. It’s hard because it can be so subjective.

  5. Happy IWSG day and thanks for co-hosting. Your book recommendations intrigued me especially The One Thing. Deleting X is becoming a great likelihood for me too. I am appalled at the things I come across. Are you on Bluesky? I am but I automatically go to X to check things. It is traumatising.

    1. Thank you. I’m only on Instagram and Pinterest (though that one might not really count as a social media site, LOL). I prefer using my free time to read books instead of social media drama 🙂 I get the news through an actual newspaper (though online) and listen to world issues through a podcast by a respected journalist.

  6. A ton of news as usual on your posts. I don’t think I get much from social media either but then, I’m not terribly active. Checking out your vlogs.

  7. BTW, I loved the vlog–the music, the pacing, the choice of topics (never too long to be boring). I can’t believe you don’t have many more viewers on it.

  8. First, thanks for hosting, second, a cat ( tabby) keeps herding me, third, even the briefest glance at The One Thing says I need that book. Never tweeted or X’d, too much of a Heath Robinson performance from a PC and even the local birds can’t. ( ravens and raptors) .
    And the truth ? Marketing’s beyond me, including any YouTube demos/readings. If there’s a gene, it missed me, but I’m forwarding your post at once to the office above my head.

  10. I’m always impressed by your creativity and energy with marketing, like vlogging and selling your books multiple places. It’ll be interesting to see how the Goodreads DNF shelf pans out. I agree that life is too short to trudge through a book that isn’t working for me. I happen to love X, and it sounds effective to jettison platforms you’re not using anymore. Happy writing and editing!

  11. I’m amazed that I figured out something you didn’t already know! I sympathize with the issues of focusing on a single thing. I struggle with that at times, especially when I’m short of sleep, and find myself jumping from one thing to another and finishing nothing. My Accountability group is helpful–when we check in, we have to state what we intend to do, and that forces me to pick something for the next 90 minutes. I don’t always succeed in doing it, but it helps.

    1. LOL. I probably skipped the email they’d sent about the shop update (my inbox is always overflowing and I don’t always feel like opening up that hornets’ nest). I make a list of things I need to do in the week and then pick a task and stick to it until it’s done. It seems to be working.

  12. I am easily distracted too, Ronel. Too much so, some days. However, you are amazing in all you accomplish when you look at it in hindsight. And yes. I cry inwardly when I need to cut my favorite scenes because they go nowhere or they do not add to the story I am trying to tell. Stay strong! And thanks for cohosting IWSG’s March question.

  13. There’s so much here, Ronel! Thanks for lots to think about. Since I’m having way too much trouble herding all my cats, I diverted some of them to places where they’ll be happier. 😂

  15. Great post, Ronel! I like the idea of getting away from too much social media. I’ve read a couple of very good reads already this year (The Art of Remembering and Chasing Windmills), and I’m about finished reading The Widow. I have a blog (painfully neglected), but no plans for a vlog. I might consider it if eye surgery (next month) doesn’t work out,
    Thanks for sharing and co-hosting – Happy IWSG day!

  18. You’re the second group member I’ve seen recommend banding together with your writer community, and specifically the authors you know who write in the same genre, to promote each other. It just reminds me how lucky I am that authors are the most generous, sincere group out there. I genuinely think we’re the best online group to be a part of, despite the occasional drama that goes on. The complete opposite of the dead weight site you chose to cut loose! LOL.
    Thanks for co-hosting today, and happy IWSG day.

  19. I guess I found this month’s IWSG question a little intimidating, especially since I haven’t been participating lately, but your freewheeling response has me thinking in so many directions! Thank you for letting the cats loose. This is inspirational!

  21. I’m sorry you lost your account at the internet-behemoth-that-must-not-be-named. It’s scary how much power a single company can have over an author’s career – and how little the author can do when the company makes an AI-driven mistake.

  22. I’m playing catch up after being at a conference for 5 days. Wow, there is so much here. I’m too am excited about the DNF shelf, especially since I’ve started using doing it more. Thanks for the book recommendation. Congratulations on the vlog. I know how much work goes into those. I love the idea of banding together with other writers.

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