New Year, Not So New Me

Just to prove that title applies, I don't think it's the first time I've used it.

I read one of the myriad articles about New Year's resolutions in the last days of 2024. One stuck out for me. The idea was not to make resolutions that you don't want to do--that's homework--but to write down things your want to accomplish. The trick, if it can be called that, if to pick very specific things, write them down, and then put them away until next year. That way you're not berating yourself for not sticking to resolutions or dropping them by March.

Photo by Boris Pavlikovsky on Pexels.com

To add to that, at the very end of the year you can document how much you've completed thus giving you a starting point for the next year. That way you see progress and not black and white success or failure.

To that end, here are a few of my professional goals:

Novels: Last year I tried something new--working on more than one project at a time. Now I can move forward with all of them getting closer to finishing at least one.

Marketing: It's time to admit I have a major deficiency and that's marketing! But now that I have a whole series under my belt I'm going to take my work seriously and not feel bad if I decide to outsource that particular chore.

Blog/Website/Social Media: Less of a bane than marketing, but more of an obligation than fiction writing, it's still important. I may not love the time it takes away from the kind of writing I love, but I do love the immediacy of publishing and getting feedback within a few days. I can commit to one fairy tale/folklore/myth etc. post a month and one writerly post a month.

And now I'm putting this post up and forgetting about it (fingers-crossed) until next year and if I ever peek I'll remind myself it's about progress.

One down!

How about you? Care to make a progress list too?

WWJAD

I think all authors have a similar dream. For me it was writing a book followed by a small but vocal readership that would result in a groundswell of readers. It would happen, and this is important, within my lifetime, and I would spend my days going from readings and signings between growing an impressive list. I might also indulge the fantasy that despite not writing mystery novels my life would be very much like Jessica Fletcher’s.

Note that nowhere in that dream do I include, tweeting, posting, snapping, or anything related to social media. I’ve railed about this before, while quietly conforming to the expectations of a 21^st century writer. I started a blog. Created a website. Joined Twitter (may it rest in pieces) and now I’ve joined Instagram. I’m sure some of you are thinking I’m a little late to that, but I believe in fashionable tardiness to most parties.

And yet, as I made the account, ilcruzwrites, I asked myself a question. WWJAD--What would Jane Austen do? Or the Grimm Brothers? Or Dickens? Or any well-known author who doesn’t have to worry about followers or likes.

Well, Austen’s fame grew after her death and the success she knew in her lifetime only came because she published anonymously and at her own risk (i.e. indie publishing).

The Grimm Brothers also toiled in obscurity for a time and only gained traction with each subsequent edition that was tweaked each time to appeal to children (i.e. rewrites based on reader notes).

Dickens was famous for holding readings in Europe and North America to widen his audience (the social media of its day).

By Charles A. Barry

And so I continue, indie publishing, getting beta readers, and trying to use social media to market and find that small but dedicated readership that will make my dreams come true.

Now I just have to learn how to use Instagram. Any thoughts?

Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rip Van Winkle and Me

Fairy tales and folklore have a tradition of putting protagonists in comas. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rip Van Winkle are only a few examples of letting things cool down while the main character takes a prolonged nap. Evil queens are dispatched. Curses are lifted and generally life goes on. It changes the trajectory of the story, like painting oneself out of a corner.Snow White and the Evil Queen could have gone on like that indefinitely.How long could Sleeping Beauty avoid new clothes and spinning wheels?And Rip's laziness wasn't going to make much of a story if it didn't lead to something.Writers do the same thing. When I get stuck on a story, I work on another story until I feel refreshed enough to get back to the old story. I know other writers who go on retreats or put their work away for a prolonged period of time, hoping distance will give them a fresh look.Well, I'm currently stuck in a marketing spiral. I've written about this before, but I've decided to take drastic measures. With book 2 in my Enchanted Path series due before the end of the year, I need to concentrate on it exclusively for the next month. I'm proud that I've been able to post every Tuesday for almost a year and intend to continue.But for now, I need to unplug from social media and blogging. I'm taking a month and a half off to get a better handle on my new draft of A Noble's Path.I'll return in time for the anniversary of my return to the blogosphere with all new insights about fairy tales. 

The Goldilocks Problem

So, I finally did it. I’ve joined Twitter. I resisted for a long time because deep down I don’t really enjoy social media. Oh, there are bright spots—those rare days when I get real comments from other bloggers and readers—but mostly, I consider it a chore. It’s something I do for my career, like peeling, cutting and cooking apples (painful tedium) and ending up with delicious homemade chunky applesauce.I decided on Twitter because, like a blog, it’s basically text-based. I don’t have to specially curate photos of impossibly beautiful food or tear-jerking sunsets or create videos of cats (that I don’t own). Now I have a Goldilocks problem.What is a Goldilocks problem, you ask? It’s deciding what’s just right. Not too much, not too little. When I started blogging, I thought it best to post only when I had something to say. I quickly learned that I have plenty to say, but little I want to share. Therefore, I had to create a schedule. Once a week was all I could muster. The thought of tacking on another commitment, set my teeth on edge. Am I alone?But now that I’m a published author (!) I know I must work on marketing in all forms. Also, this solitary profession makes one crave community. Twitter has become the Wild West and adds to my trepidation, but I’m hoping to find my own civil corner. And if the bears come home and scare me from my cozy bed, I’ll leave just as quickly as Goldilocks.In the meantime, feel free to say hello @ILCruzWrites.