Shorter one today, as I am feeling the surgery especially keenly today. When the docs and nurses tell you to take it easy, you should probably listen to them.
I never was very smart.
I have been working on three projects roughly simultaneously. One I am writing, one I am deep into the plotting, and one just came to me, and I wanted to play with the ideas and characters a bit. I have been told that such a lack of focus means that you won’t be able to finish work, and I definitely want to finish and give myself a chance at being published somewhere. My recent brush with mortality has, in the most cliched fashion possible, made me aware of how things can turn quickly. But I don’t think, for me, that multiple projects will keep me from completing any of them.
First, they are different formats. One if a novel, one is a play, one is just some notes. Flipping between formats stretches, I think, writing muscles in a way that just concentrating on style doesn’t really. And when one project feels overwhelming, or just uninspiring, I can spend time on another and come back to the other refreshed, at least a little. I’d be curious if other writers do this as well. It feels like the correct thing to do, at least for me.
What does not feel like the correct thing to do is internet platform building. Unfortunately, it is hard to argue against the points in this Publishing Confidential newsletter. It is a thorough recounting of why authors need platforms outside their publishers. The best points center around the simple fact that publishers just didn’t do a lot of marketing, especially for titles that are not lead titles. The points are valid, but more than a little depressing.
My mental health is better away from social media. I have gotten rid of almost all of it, and am a happier, healthier person for it (somehow, I will find a way to blame my cancer on twitter …). The idea that I need to participate more deeply in that morass is disturbing. I have this newsletter, and am grateful for every subscriber, because it’s as close to old school blogging as exists today. I have never been good at nor especially interested in gaining followers on social media. As valid as the requirement may be, the prospect does not make me happy.
All of that is likely some form of whining. But I do think, given the known benefits of abandoning social media for a lot of people, requiring writers to build a social media platform has implications for the quantity, quality, and authorship of the books that will get published. And I don’t think any of those implications are good.
Weekly Word Count
One.
This week I get to use cancer as an excuse. But I did try to write. I was literally too exhausted and in pain. I am hopeful that the next couple of days I will feel better and get back to the work.
Have a great weekend everyone!