Changes

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I generally don’t do New Year’s resolutions. As someone who tends to beat herself up over every little thing, I’ve always felt that failing to stick with some random resolution just gives me more ammo to use against myself. However, this year I am breaking with my usual lack of tradition and giving it a try.

First and foremost, I resolve to reclaim my writing time. I accidentally developed the habit of writing every night well before I knew it was a Good Thing To Do. The change in my duties at my day job that went into effect July 1, 2014 had a very negative impact on my writing schedule. As much as I enjoy my new job, the situation that I found myself in lead me to be so mentally and physically exhausted when I got home that I had little to nothing left to give to my writing. I started turning things around by the end of the year but need to do even better.

Second, I resolve to avoid the negativity that seems to permeate the writing world. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to accomplish this one. As 2014 progressed, I found myself avoiding certain informational forums simply because so many of the contributors are always negative. Somehow, I need to find a way to learn from those that know this business better than I without also absorbing their the-end-is-near attitudes. The publishing world changes constantly; as always, some changes are better than others. However, few, if any of these changes truly mark the end of life on Earth as we know it.

Third, I resolve to start putting myself out there a little more. The marketing part of the publishing business is the hardest part for me. However, as I reclaim my writing time and publish more stories, marketing becomes even more important. In spite of the fact that I’m not good at tooting my own horn, I need to find ways to market both myself and my stories without being obnoxious about it.

One of the biggest changes in the near future is with my Facebook author page. I created the page because I wanted to interact with readers and other writers; Facebook has made this virtually impossible. Visibility of my posts is limited to the point that very few of my followers see them; the only way around this is to pay Facebook to “boost” the post, something that I am rarely willing to do. Facebook is changing their terms again in 2015; the full impact remains to be seen, but early analysis is alarming at best. (Remember the negativity I mentioned earlier?) I’m not going to have a knee-jerk reaction and automatically shut down my author page. I’m going to hang in there for a while and see what happens. If it turns out that Facebook really is going to charge me every time I mention my books or my blog, then yes, I will leave. Many authors have already left FB and moved to the new social media platform tsu (pronounced “sue”); I’ve created a profile but haven’t become very active there yet. If you decide to check out tsu, stop by and say hello; you can find me at https://www.tsu.co/AuthorIzzy.

Believe it or not, the last of my resolutions is not writing related. The same job changes that sapped my energy for writing also sucked away my enthusiasm for exercise. My husband and I provide care for our elderly parents; I see some of the physical issues that they deal with that could have been avoided – or at least delayed – via regular exercise. I owe it to myself – and my kids – to take care of myself. So, my last resolution is to resume and maintain a regular exercise regime.

What are your resolutions for the new year?

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