If You Have the Time to Write, Use That Time to Write

 

Photo Credit: Photo by Laker at Pexels

 

Recently, I was sitting on the couch reading on my phone, when I was notified of a new message in Facebook Messenger. Because it was after 1AM, I almost didn’t respond – until I saw the words, “I thought that we were friends.” I frowned. What the heck was going on? So I opened the message and read it, Apparently, one of my friends (now a former friend) had seen a comment I made on Facebook and took it personally. This person thought I was talking about her when I was not. Unfortunately, she ended our friendship over this and as much as her words hurt me and as much as losing this friendship made me sad, I was also reminded of how people often spend their free time scrolling on their phone and allowing what they read to influence them in some way. That is what happened with this person. Instead of asking me who I was talking about, she automatically assumed it was her and went after me. I was talking about someone else and she thought I was lying when I told her this. She was pretty much convinced by the unverified assumption that I was talking about her. People like to believe the lies they tell themselves.

 

This experience also made me think about how I have often done the same thing. I’d get upset over reading comments on social media and allow that to pretty much just ruin my day. Then I’d have to stop to remind myself that I am allowing someone else to have control over how I feel. I’m allowing someone else to just ruin my whole day and make me feel bad. In such situations, I had to realize that I was using up free time I had doing something that was a waste of my time and how I could have been spending that time doing something better. Something more productive, like writing.

 

We all have the same 24 hours in our day, and for most of us, we get to decide how to use that 24 hours. Of course, some of it must be used for sleeping, eating, and managing our health, but on many occasions, we will have free time to do whatever we want to do.

 

So, why not use that time to write?

 

Instead of doomscrolling on our phone.

 

Instead of binging on chips while watching TV.

 

Instead of gossiping about or hating on other people.

 

Use that time to write instead.

 

One common complaint that I see from people who say “I wish I could write” is that they never have the time to write. But they do, they just don’t see it.

 

For these people, time to write means hours of uninterrupted time or being able to comfortably write at the desk. But the real writers who find the time to write, and make the time to write, are the ones who are writing on their lunch break, writing right before they go to bed (or first thing in the morning) or writing while doing other things.

 

The next time you have some free time, use it to write. Even if it is the only time you have to write, it’s still one way for you to get the writing done. So get that writing done the next time you have the time, instead of getting all upset over something you read on Facebook.

“I Saw Your Post on Instagram”

 

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If a writer wanted to know just what it takes to spread the word about their work and/or their books, there is one common piece of advice that would be given: “Put yourself everywhere.”

 

Yes, it’s exhausting.

 

Yes, it takes a lot of time.

 

And, yes, sometimes it feels like shouting into the void.

 

But it works. Seriously.

 

I know, there are A LOT of people who will see that advice and respond with, “Not everywhere; just in the right places.” In other words, put yourself where your audience is. But what if your audience is spread out on different social media sites? What if your audience is too young for Facebook but on the TikTok bandwagon? Then get on the TikTok bandwagon too – but don’t neglect other social media sites!

 

That’s my opinion, anyway. As a freelance writer, author, and book reviewer, I try to be on as many social media websites as possible. The same goes for the work I do for Twisted Dreams Press.

 

And as much as it makes me cringe to use X, I use X (when I remember to!). But I only use X for Twisted Dreams Press.

 

So imagine my delight when I got an email from a prospecting author who started his inquiry with “I saw your post on Instagram.” If ever there was a form of validation that all those promotional efforts I do on social media sites is not a waste, this is it.

 

Sure, I don’t get these kinds of messages very often, but it is nice to receive them. It lets me know that I did NOT waste my time posting THAT particular thing on THAT particular site. (And, of course, this also means that my targeted audience is indeed on that particular site.)

 

I may not be doing much promotion on my personal Instagram, but for the promotional posts on Instagram that happen to catch someone’s notice, those are the golden moments that tell me that, hey, maybe I did something right!

 

But it’s not just receiving a message that I pay attention to when it comes to gauging whether or not I am on the right path promoting on a site. I also pay attention to likes, reactions, and comments. I notice if a post goes viral (oh, I had FUN thanking over 100 people for sharing one post in particular after it got lots of reposts on Bluesky), as well as the posts that don’t do very well at all.

 

I used to wonder why businesses pay attention to such things and why it even mattered at all. Now I know that looking at how posts do on certain social media sites and if they go viral is just as important to the writer as it is for a business. We writers are trying to promote our work/ We’re trying to get the word out about something that was published. We also want to show that we are taking this writing thing seriously, because, guess what? Editors, agents and publishers notice these things. They are on social media too. It’s important for us to position ourselves as serious writers worth their time and attention.

 

Some people may feel that we should only focus our energy on the platforms that work, whether it’s Substack, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. As for me, I’ll keep spreading myself out on various social media sites. I don't use all of them every single day (I'm usually on Bluesky and Facebook every day), but I'm there. Sometimes, I'll make an appearance on the other ones too. 

 

I don’t use all of my social media sites for my writing, but at least I’m still there. And I’m willing to share a post so that my voice among the hundreds of others on the site is not a silent one.

Your Social Media Bio Should Speak for Itself

Image Credit: Anemone123 on Pixabay

 

I love connecting with other writers and authors, and as Executive Editor at Twisted Dreams Press, I hear from a lot of people online. But the thing about communicating with people online is that I don’t really know who I am communicating with!

 

If you’re one of those people who has been in my circle for years, there is no need for introduction. But if you’re someone who I have never worked with or commiserated with online in any way, then unless your bio says as much, I don’t really know if you are a writer, author, editor, publisher, or in some field related to the writing and publishing industry.

 

This is why it’s important to make sure you put your social media bio to good use.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Your social media bio should tell the rest of the internet who and what you are. I mean, unless you are an international sensation (Stephen King) or your name needs NO introduction (R.L. Stine), then your social media bio is the next best thing to introducing yourself to others.

 

I know some people like to be cute with their social media bios. They like to share a funny quote, use some kind of nonsensical description of who they are or what they do, or just leave a link in their bio, but if you are trying to present a professional image of yourself on your social media account, you should have a professional bio.

 

I’m not saying you need to get all fancy about where you have been published (“John Doe has had essays published in TIME, Mother Love Jones and The Atlantic. His latest book, The Big Idea, was on the New York Times bestseller list and he has lectured extensively across the country”), or even try a modern approach to show you are a writer (“Words in WIRED, The New York Times and Vanity Fair”), but I’m saying that it would be helpful to the browsing social media user to have a good idea of who you are and what you do.

 

Something as simple as “Writer, book reviewer and cat mom” would suffice. Or even “My latest novel, Capturing the Sun, was released by Tor Books” would suffice as well.

 

For my social media bios, I try to include as much pertinent info about myself as I can. I try to note that I am a writer, an author, a freelance writer, book reviewer, columnist, poet, newsletter publisher and Executive Editor at Twisted Dreams Press. If I can only include one word, then it’s “Writer.”

 

I receive a lot of invitations to connect with others online, and I’m always interested in checking out the profiles of the people who send me these requests. The first thing I want to know: Are you a writer, author, editor, publisher or someone involved in the writing/publishing field? If so, then I’ll accept the request to connect. How do I find out this info? With your bio. Your bio should tell me this in some way. If I don’t see that information there, then I won’t accept your request.

 

With family and friends, I’ll just accept the request to connect. But for everybody else, especially people I don’t know, I will check their profile out. I will look at the bio to see who and what they are. If their bio does not have any mention of being a writer, author, editor, or involved in the writing/publishing community in any way, I won’t accept the request to connect.

 

For a professional social media account, you should have a professional social media bio. Plain and simple. Let visitors know who and what you are, what it is that you do, so that they can know whether or not they should connect with you. This way, you can connect with the right people and watch your connections with others grow from there.

Doing something else with my life

Recently, I posted on Facebook that it was time to do something else with my life. This came right after I posted about how I was so disappointed in myself and angry at myself for being so selfish, irresponsible and, well, stupid for so long.

Some background:

It usually happens that a person graduates from high school, goes to college to learn a trade, graduates from college, practices that trade and, meanwhile, pursues a dream in his/her very little spare time. Then, when they succeed and hit it big, they quit their job and pursue their dream fulltime, bringing in a nice amount of money and living comfortably as a success at whatever it is they love to do – be it writing, singing, dancing, painting, acting, etc.

Well, that’s not how I did things. Of course I had to do it all backwards. Of course I had to be different!

I did go to college after high school, but I didn’t finish college. The money for college ran out. And instead of continuing to try to get the money for college elsewhere, I decided, “Screw it! I’m going to do something else.”

That something else was pursue writing fulltime.

I threw myself into journalism, freelance writing and writing books. My first book was published when I was 30 years old and I thought I’d finally made it. Unfortunately, that first book did not propel me to any bestseller list, make my name known everywhere or put a tidy sum of money into my bank account. So I thought I should stick with the freelance writing. And write MORE books. Maybe then that will make all that stuff happen.

Well, that’s what I tried to do. And I thought doing something big with my books – like writing and co-writing 20 books by the time I was 40 – would finally get me to where I wanted to be as an author.

And of course that didn’t happen! Even today, I am still a struggling author.

My husband has been supporting us for all that time. Even though I was working as a freelance writer, with a small sale here and there, and even though I had the occasional gig and the occasional book sale, my writing was not enough to help support us. My husband was and is the main breadwinner. Sure, I help out with my monthly annuity check, but now even that is not enough because life is getting more expensive for us.

As it is, we are in a house that is sinking, but we can’t move because there is no money to move. My husband has health problems and may need surgery which also means he may not be able to work for a while. I have a lot of bills to pay and debts that I want to resolve. We have no savings and no emergency fund. We have just enough money each month to get by – and even then sometimes there are days we struggle until payday rolls around. And I am very freaking insanely tired of borrowing money from people or selling my possessions instead of EARNING the money that we need!!!

And if I had been earning my share all this time, for all these years instead of wishing and hoping I’d get an agent that would bring in a nice sale or an advance because of a book, then we would not be in the deep shit that we are in now. I am not kidding when I say our situation is dire. It really is.

So. That said, I am no longer going to be devoting so much of my time to my writing. I will continue to write books and short stories and send whatever out whenever, but that can no longer be a priority in my life. The writing is not supporting us or serving as a means for me to earn a living. It hasn’t for a long time! It must now be a hobby for me. Not a career. It must now come second or maybe even third.

My circumstances are different now. Life is different now. I HAVE to have something in place that brings in an extra income. Something that actually HELPS support my family.

And before anyone complains that maybe I didn’t try hard enough or that I didn’t try this market or that market or that I am just giving up too easily: I DON’T CARE. I have tried EVERYTHING. I put over 10 years into making my dream of being a successful, famous author a reality. It never came true! I cannot continue trying to make that happen. Life demands I be more responsible and take care of my family’s needs. And my family needs me to be working!

A lot of people saw my post on FB and all of a sudden it was like I had declared I was no longer going to write a single word ever again. “Don’t stop writing!” was a common message.

Well, I want to say here and now, I WON’T stop writing. I have said this before but obviously I need to say it again: I WILL NEVER STOP WRITING! That is hard to turn off. I have been writing for a very long time. It is too much a part of me now. It is what I am and what I will always be. I will always be a writer but that will no longer be my identity.

That just won’t be my career of choice anymore. I won’t be devoting so much of my life to it anymore. No, I have a responsibility to my family. They need me to step up and provide and that is exactly what I am going to do.

I am angry at myself for dropping out of college all those years ago to run this foolish errand. I should have stayed in school. I should have gotten a degree so that I could have gone on to get a job. I know a lot of people say you don’t need a degree to get a job, but having a degree would have improved my chances of employment. And I have had to pass on applying for A LOT of jobs because they required a degree.

But I’m over all that anger, regret and self-hatred now. Yes, I made a mistake. I screwed up. I can’t go back in time to fix it. And I can’t exactly go back to school either because my oldest is heading off to college in a few years and right now, HER college education is more important. Money for her to go to college is more important. And, you know, there’s very little saved up for even that. Yet another financial thing I am worrying about!

Now, I HAVE tried to obtain part-time employment in the past. (My schedule as a mom is so crazy that it has to be part-time employment for now!) I have actually spent three years trying to get a job. Just ANY job, really. Working from home or not. Just, anything I was qualified for! But nothing has come out of that. I got rejected from one job after another. Nobody wanted to hire me!

So I’m beginning to think that, while I can’t go back to college, maybe I can still get vocational training somewhere. I have been told that it does not take so long and that it is more affordable. So I really think if I did that, then I’d have a better chance of getting a job somewhere. I can only hope, anyway! With my deafness and my physical limitation, it might narrow down what choices I have available, but I really need to try to find SOMETHING!

So basically I am doing things backward. I pursued my dream instead of establishing a secure form of employment first. That didn’t work, so I’m going back to the employment stage of things. Maybe THEN I will finally hit it big as an author? I dunno. Part of me thinks it’s too late. I have a long line of unsuccessful books attached to my name, so I doubt it. Nobody wants an author whose books are not selling.

And everybody needs to PLEASE remember one thing: I will keep writing. I will try to honor my personal goals with the writing, but we’ll see if that can still happen even after I get a job. But I’ll keep writing. I’ll finish my books. Write more short stories. Send stuff out for publication when I find the right places to send them. And I will honor the contracts and the agreements that I have with people concerning other books.
 
But writing just won’t be a priority anymore. I gave my dream my best shot. It’s been fun, but it’s time to get back in touch with the real world. And the real world needs my ass to be working and helping to support my family. They need me. They come first. They always will – even over the writing. So now I no longer identify myself as a writer, author or poet. I’m just me. Just Dawn. That is all I will ever be, I suppose. And that’s okay.  At least I tried to make my dream come true. Alas, another one got shot down!