I believe 2014 may be a year of new for me. We’re only a week into the year and I’ve already started writing a new book—in a genre I’ve never written before. I don’t want to jinx it by telling too much too soon, but I’m excited about it, even though I know how much work I have ahead me. And I don’t mean just the writing, editing, and revising. I’ll need to maintain a different mindset to write in this genre.
That’s all right, though. I need a new mindset for this year. A positive, I’m-going-to-enjoy-life-no-matter-what outlook. I need to focus on what I CAN do, who I CAN be, and build my self-esteem. And that requires changes in many areas of my life.
In my writing life, that means I must STOP comparing myself to other writers. Bye-bye, tons of frustration and disappointment. And I can’t afford to waste time like I did in 2013. I now have two books to write and edit this year. (The book I hoped to revise will have to wait for 2015.) I absolutely have to get organized and assign priorities.
I’ll elaborate on some of these points in future posts. Being a writer in the digital age is both a blessing and a curse. Maybe if we talk honestly about it, we’ll help each other enjoy more of the first and suffer less of the second.
So, that’s my plan to make it through 2014 saner than I did in 2013.
But first, I have to finish up one “old” thing—it’s coupled with a new experience, though, so that’s good. I’d planned to stop actively promoting my first two books, but I’d forgotten that a few months ago I requested to be put on the waiting list for a promotion with eReader Buddy. My name finally came up, so I decided to pair that promotion with a new tool for books in KDP Select. So for the next couple of days, The Brevity of Roses ebook will be on deep discount at $.99 and then rise in price twice over the next days until it’s back to the regular price. That’s called a Kindle Countdown Deal at Amazon. I’m interested to see how it works.
Image courtesy of Karpati Gabor / Morguefile.com
Linda Cassidy Lewis 
Focus is absolutely that hardest thing, I think, and worrying about the competition is a distraction I really don’t need. I am having to learn to read exceptional others without feeling I should give up, and trying to remember that I don’t want to write ‘like’ anyone, I want to write distinctively as myself. That takes a tiny bit of grandiosity and maybe we all need a wee dram of that to keep going. Cheers and good health!
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You’re right, Suzanne, you shouldn’t write like anyone else. Read the good stuff and let it soak in to enrich and strengthen your own voice. 🙂
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I read the not-so-good stuff too. I call it perspective but actually it’s self preserving!
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It boosts your confidence?
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My confidence doesn’t easily batter – I have to rein it in more often than not! But I do find I’m rail-roaded by ways of writing that I admire and so it’s easier to write my own way if I read occasionally something that is less literary, that I know I could replicate if I wished.
There you see – absolute arrogance!
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Can you bottle some of that and send it my way?
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In the post 🙂
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You sound excited about your new project. Congratulations for taking the plunge and trying something new. I send you many good wishes for this year!
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Thank you, Patricia. 🙂 I’m hoping I can take turns and work on both books at the same time without developing a split personality. LOL
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All the best with your writing projects this year! It sounds exciting. Can’t wait to hear more.
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Oh, a new genre sounds exciting! 2014 sounds like a great year for you, and I’m excited to read more work from you. I love your stuff. 🙂
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If I can pull it off, it will be exciting, Michelle. 😉 Right now, I have a stack of books building up for research.
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Good, I’m not the only one who gets sidetracked when I see something “shiny” along the way. 🙂
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No, I’m right there with you, David. 🙂
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