It's that time again. The 1st Wednesday of the month is Insecure Writers Support Group, the brainchild Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. And thanks to this month's awesome hosts: C. Lee McKenzie,Rachel Pattison, Elizabeth Seckman, Stephanie Faris, Lori L MacLaughlin, and Elsie Amata!
We're also announcing the details of the annual IWSG Anthology Contest on September 7!
Old Dog, New Tricks
 |
| our old dog Cody |
Holy cow! Did I ever have a lot to learn! I wasn’t even on
Facebook. Had no idea what Twitter was. A blog? Huh? Since 2011, I’ve learned
so much, thanks to the wonderful writing community. Besides my RWA chapter (Mid-Michigan
RWA) members, Authors Helping Authors (an online support group), the Science
Fiction Romance Brigade, this group, and so many more helped me learn what I
needed to know.
After five years learning new things, I learned a couple of
new things this past month. I put my new release up on Amazon for pre-order. I’d
heard the horror tales about how if you don’t put the completed book up by
their deadline, you can’t do a pre-order for a year. Pretty tough rule. Mine
was up well before the deadline. I also discovered Smashwords and Kobo have
pre-orders. I’ll definitely do those, too, next time.
My other learning something new? This weekend, I put three
of my books up at All Romance eBooks. Friends have long mentioned this venue as
another place to have my books available. I almost gave up. The website is somewhat
confusing to navigate. Once I figured it out, the rest was fairly easy. I’m
glad I pursued this.
As long as I keep learning, I won’t let my brain atrophy
from disuse.
This month’s question: How do you find the time
to write in your busy day?
Good question. I have a supportive spouse who
leaves me alone (most of the time), who cooks when he sees I’m really involved
in my writing, and who does laundry. I am so lucky. But I tend to waste time,
too, so I’m looking forward to reading what others have to say.
My newest sci-fi romance (the one that was up for
pre-order) was released on August 31. Mission to New Earth (a novella) is
available at:
Amazon ~ Kobo
~ iTunes
~ ARe
~ Smashwords ~ Barnes
& Noble
If you
click here,
you can read about Mission to New Earth and enter the Giveaway. I’m doing a month
long blog tour. If you have room on your blog for a guest, please email me at dmburton72@gmail.com. As I’ve often
mentioned, I love having guests here. So let me help you celebrate a new
release, too.
Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.
It's so great to have a partner that supports your writing, especially when they make dinner :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your release!
Thanks, Ellen. He is pretty special.
DeleteCongratulations! It is coming together for you and I am so happy about that. Also congratulations on your new release. A female writer is extremely fortunate when she has a supportive husband that is willing to cook. I know. My hubby cooks also.
ReplyDeleteAll the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Thanks, Pat. We're pretty lucky, aren't we?
DeleteThis industry is DEFINITELY a learning/growing one, eh? I think that's the best part of it--that we have to be dynamic and on the ball.
ReplyDeleteDynamic and flexible. Able to jump tall buildings...Oh, wait. Superman was never a writer. :)
DeleteCongratulations! There's so much to learn. But like I've always said, the day I stop learning is the day I die.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Bish. I don't ever want to stop learning.
DeleteWill your husband give "supportive husband" lessons?! Sign my husband up! lol It's not that he isn't supportive, but he's definitely not domesticated and he still thinks my "Do Not Disturb" sign applies to everyone EXCEPT him! Lol. Congrats on everything, Diane. Happy to see it all coming together for you. It gives me hope! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandra. I'll sign your husband up. LOL It wasn't easy convincing him I need quiet time. At first, he would bring lunch up to my office. So sweet, but then it took an hour or longer to get back into the groove. We've worked out a system and I love him for all his support.
DeleteCongratulations! So lovely that your husband is supportive. Mine likes to be left alone so he can play his video games. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. Hey, that's quiet time for you to write. Can't knock that.
DeleteCongrats on the release!
ReplyDeleteLucky you with all that support. I need one of those. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
Thanks, Anna. I can loan him out. LOL I keep saying he needs a job now that he's retired.
DeleteCONGRATULATIONS!!!! I am so happy for you!
ReplyDeleteI've never gone to All Romance eBooks, but my publisher does put my books up there for me. When I self-publish a romance, I'll have to remember to include my ebook there.
Thanks so much, Chrys. Do check it out. If you need help, you know where I am. :)
DeleteI love your cover! You're right. One must never stop learning.
ReplyDeleteMailed you. :-)
My cover designer is so great. I'll be in touch.
DeleteCongrats! Yes, there is so much to learn in the world of publishing. It doesn't help that it keeps changing, either.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. Flexibility is the key. Wish my body could be as flexible.
DeleteLearning keeps our brains - and us! - young. And yeh for supportive spouses! What would we do without them? :)
ReplyDeleteI look in the mirror and wonder who that is looking back. LOL In my mind, I'm still 30. Supportive husbands are the best.
DeleteI'm as a lazy as the come, always finding ways to waste the hours I have at my disposal. I find that when I have clear writing goals, I stay more focuses. I've convinced myself I'm better at writing one WIP at a time. I save my larger projects for the Autumn, and am gearing up for the next novel. I guess I know myself and understand I will never be an everyday writer.
ReplyDeleteWhatever works for you, Ryan. Good luck on your next novel.
DeleteShhh! Now don't tell me that being retired has left you with tons of time for writing. That's what I'm looking forward to! Just kidding. I already know that each stage of life has its own demands and challenges, and the truth is that I would probably value writing less if I didn't have to fight for it, at least a little.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your newest things learned though!
@mirymom1 from
Balancing Act
Thanks, Samantha. What all my retired friends say is they're busier now than when they were working (at their day job). It does have its challenges, though.
DeleteI have a lot of time because I'm on disability, but I spend so much time being sick, or cooking my special diet (ketogenic diet) in order to stop being sick, or tending my chickens.... I don't get around to writing every day.
ReplyDeleteSo you write science fiction romance.... I love science fiction. I dislike modern romance, but I do like the old-fashioned stories, as in Gone With The Wind, where the heroine has plenty of other things to do than obsess over the romantic hero. I'm working on a sort-of romance-alternative science fiction at the moment.
Nissa at
http://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com
Nissa, being sick can just drain all your energy and leave little left for writing. Hope you'll feel well enough to get back to writing, if only a little each day.
DeleteCongratulations!! Good Luck with all the new listings. Like you, I consider myself a lifelong learner. Some things are easier for me to grasp than others now, but I never stop trying. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great day! Eva
Thanks, Eva. Lifelong learner. Yep. That's how we stay young.
DeleteCongrats! What a great cover! All Romance eBooks is pretty hard to navigate at first, but it's not all that complicated once you figure out how to get a publisher's account and add books on there.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Cherie. Once I figured out the publisher's account and how to add, it was pretty easy.
DeleteMan, that supportive spouse can help so much. My hubs went from not working to part time to full time, and just the simple thing of somebody making me dinner made so much different. I used to come home from work and dinner was ready, then I could get straight to writing after. Now I have to cook, eat and clean up, so it is more than an hour later.
ReplyDeleteHubs retired first, so I know what you mean about dinner waiting for me when I got home. Sweet. Now we take turns cooking, cleaning, etc.
DeleteCongratulations, Diane! Life would become pretty boring if we wouldn't keep learning new things, right? A supportive husband is awesome. In our relationship it is kind of the other way around, he is extremely busy with work from home, and usually does the cooking. (Not to see that I am not busy :-)). When I see he is totally immersed or swarmed by customer support issues, I take over the cooking. He does the same for me when I am too involved in my writing by lunch time. It is such a nice thing in a relationship to be able to count on each other and support each other in every way, which is sometimes easier said than done. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat 50/50 split of responsibilities (sometimes 10/90) means so much. Sharing tasks and respecting each other's work is important.
DeleteCongrats on the release! That's a lovely cover.
ReplyDeleteYour hubby sounds like a GEM. You are blessed.
Happy IWSG Day!
Thanks, Michelle. I do love that cover. I AM blessed with a great husband.
DeleteCongratulations on your release! That's awesome. I only released my book on Amazon because it was so much to do. I thought, "How hard could it be?" Turned out, I had forgotten to do a ton. Live and learn, right? I'll be prepared for the next one. :)
ReplyDeleteElsie
co-host IWSG
Thanks, Elsie. Each book is a learning experience. With my first book, I only did Smashwords and Amazon. 2nd book I added B&N; 3rd, Kobo. I was pretty content with that. Until now. Glad I tried ARe. Always something new to learn. Thanks for co-hosting.
DeleteCongratulations on your new release! So glad you're keeping yourself in the "know." There is sooo much to do out there I find it very hard to keep up!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Lisa. I'm hanging on by my fingertips. LOL All we can do is our best.
DeleteSounds like you've got a real keeper for a hubby! I hope to learn the self-publishing trick soon and your post gave me hope. :) Best of luck with your new release!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marissa. Let me know if I can help.
DeleteI'm with you, Diane. Didn't know squat about social media or publishing a couple of years ago and I recently learned how to format for print. It's kind of cool that I got a book out of the deal! My way of finding time to write is to let everything else go to heck in a handbasket. Doesn't work very well. Right now I've got an entire queen sized mounded with laundry that has to be folded!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting your books up on ARe! That's one I haven't tried to tackle yet! Your newest release, in fact, all your books, look dynamite! Can't wait to get that laundry finished so I can read them!
Thanks so much, MJ. Our buddies at AHA helped me learn the social media stuff. About laundry folding. We're taking towels out of the clothes basket straight to the shower. No folding necessary. :)
DeleteI find writing a learning experience every time I write, revise, edit and publish a book--oh and then there's the promo/marketing! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Susan. Always something new to learn and try. Thanks.
DeleteI think we should all strive to keep learning new things - a few years ago I got into a really bad habit of thinking I couldn't do anything, I was useless, I couldn't learn anything new etc (hello, anxiety...) - but every time I start to think I can't do something, I stop myself and then deliberately do whatever it is I'm scared of. Congratulations on your new release!
ReplyDeleteRachel x
September IWSG co-host
Thanks, Rachel. Glad you figured out how to conquer that anxiety. Can't say it hasn't stopped me. Right now I dread tackling CreateSpace to get this puppy in print. Sometimes the print book is months behind the digital version. Thanks for co-hosting.
DeleteExcellent post! I have never tried All Romance Ebooks. Maybe I should check into it. So great that you have an understanding spouse. How do I find time to write? Barely! I pretty much have to get up two hours earlier than normal, but even then, I often have editing and other tasks I need to complete. On this new planet of yours, are there more hours in the day, perhaps? If so, I would definitely consider going. :/
ReplyDeleteLOL Sure, Alicia. There will be more hours. Whatever you want. :) If you need help with ARe, you know where to find me.
DeleteThere's a lot to learn when we self-publish--even more than when we go the traditional route. It's a lot harder than a lot of people think. Best wishes for your release. I'd love to help any way I can.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynda. So much to learn is right.
DeleteCongratulations on taking action and figuring out a new way to get your stories out there!
ReplyDeleteMary at Play off the Page
Thanks, Mary. I figure the more places readers can find my books the better.
DeleteYour husband sounds wonderful. My husband bugs me and interrupts my writing all the time. I want a lock on my door!
ReplyDeleteDo you think a BIG sign would work? LOL Good luck on that.
DeleteCongratulations, Diane. All the best on your new release. Nice cover. Trying new things keeps the spark alive. You're so lucky to have a spouse who cooks and cleans.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jacqueline. I'll let my cover designer know all the wonderful comments we've received. She'll be so please. Yes, I'm lucky to have such a great Hubs.
DeleteI have a love-hate relationship with learning new things. Doesn't always work out, but at least I too have staved off brain atrophy for a little while longer. Guess that's a good thing? You have a lot of exciting, busy busy things going on. I hope you find time for a well deserved nap sometimes :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dolorah. Yep, a nap is always in the plan. Mom had Alzheimer's so that's a fear (even though we're sure it was age not inherited). The more we use our brains the better.
DeleteCongratulations on your new release. Loved the cover of your book, Diane. You have a very understanding and helpful husband. Will email you with details.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachna. He is a gem.
DeleteGreat post! I too am learning something new nearly every day and love it. Not letting the ole brain atrophy either. And what a feeling of accomplishment when I take the new lesson and actually accomplish the task. Thanks for the tip on the website. Plus I'm going to look into Mid-Michigan RWA or maybe a West Michigan RWA? Writers are so supportive of each other. Just look at the IWSG. Hug your hubby. You have a winner there!
ReplyDeleteThanks, JQ. Do check out our chapter http://midmichiganrwa.org/ There isn't a West Michigan one. We sort of cover the whole state except Detroit-area. That's great that you're learning something new every day. Best wishes.
DeleteCongratulations on your new book!
ReplyDeleteGood for you - get with the technology. It is a lot to learn but one is never too old.
Thanks, Alex. Never too old to learn unless we don't really want to.
DeleteHi, Diane! I'm just getting around today to as many IWSG posts as I can. Yesterday went down in a pile of unexpected things. I started laughing when I read your first line: "When I retired from my day job, I thought I’d have lots of time to write." I thought the same thing ~ oh silly me! I'm glad that you didn't give up, and kudos to you for pursuing your being published by taking the self-publishing route. I plan to do that too! It's encouraging to see someone who believes in the importance of learning throughout life! Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteThank so much. I'm still trying to get to all the posts. I don't know how Alex does it. He stops by each post.
DeleteYa done good, girl!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nance.
DeleteIt is helpful to have a supportive spouse! But I, too, struggle with the things that fritter away my writing time. If you find a cure for procrastination, let us all know!
ReplyDeleteYou waste time? Unheard of? LOL! Don't we all...fb is the worst for most, but lately I upload junk from my phone and I'm terrible about actually going "on" and responding. Social media makes me nuts. It's like a full time job! It eats away at actual writing time so I have to limit that time as much as possible! It sounds like you are really getting the hand of online. Good for you! There is just so much to learn. Keep up the digital sparking and congrats on the early new release!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and thank you for sharing what you've learned :-)
ReplyDeleteSelf-publishing had a huge learning curve for me, but it was definitely worth it. Good for you for getting out there and learning new things. Persistence pays off. And it's great that your husband is so supportive.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your latest release! I'd be happy to host you for a guest post. I'll e-mail you. :)