Appreciating Breaks in the Routine

2023 has been a daily routine of editing, writing, sorting, and recycling. The sorting and shredding part is already tedious, so I’m switching to bookcases this week. This photo shows just one third of a bookcase that fills the entire wall. I’ve managed to clear out a bookcase outside my office over recent months, but clearly, there’s more to do. Of course, I won’t give up my favorites, but near favorites will be a tougher decision.

I’ve also enjoyed some welcoming distractions this month. One involved meeting new writers and reacquainting with others I hadn’t seen since before Covid. Our area has an organization called the Tri-City Wordsmiths. This year, I attended their annual AGM meeting, which was also a potluck social. By the time we introduced ourselves and described what we were writing, I found myself with five volunteer beta readers for my urban fantasy, which will be ready by the end of February. Honestly, I hadn’t expected such positive feedback. It also speaks to the power of networking.

The following day, I attended an interesting workshop, on psychic and magical development as research for future fantasy and paranormal novels. Next session, I’m learning about psychometry and the six ‘clairs’. Clairvoyance, claircognizance, clairsentience, and so forth. For me, January always feels like a good time to learn something new.

Last but not least, I’ve enjoyed two great visits with my granddaughters, which are always favorite distractions. 😊

How is your month going? Is your year off to a good start?

Great Online Workshops For Authors

This week, I spent a few afternoons watching online workshops offered by the Creative Academy (CA), (the workshops are free by the way, although donations are appreciated), and I found some really helpful ones for authors.

I’ve been focusing on audio books and Amazon Ads lately, which has made the process seem less daunting than I originally thought. All of CA’s workshops are archived (many come with handouts and useful links) to view anytime, so if you’re looking for something to do during your Christmas break, this is a perfect opportunity to sign up (again at no cost) and browse through their catalogue of workshops. You can find all the workshops past and future, under their Events tab, but I recommend taking their orientation video to fully learn about the many resources that are available.

Thanks to those videos, part of my marketing plan for 2021 is to create audio versions of my books. As was said in one of the videos, the audiobook world is still fairly new, the way ebooks were back in 2011. There are more opportunities to sell them than I imagined and production costs don’t need to be as expensive as you might think.

There are also a number of new workshop releases called Expertpalooza, where firefighters, police officers, a librarian, a small plane pilot, and Olympic athlete, to name a few, provide insights about their professions. Looks like I’ve got plenty to keep me busy between now and the new year.

Since it was recently announced that British Columbians will not be permitted to go visit one another on Christmas Day and throughout the holidays until Jan. 8^th, it looks like I’ll have extra time on my hands.

I also plan to spend these last days of 2020 working on a new book and to continue editing my urban fantasy. I have to say COVID has allowed me to indulge in one of the most productive years I’ve had in a while, especially since retiring in June. Still, I’m looking forward to more get togethers in 2021, as long as I don’t over commit. With luck, things will feel much more normal for all of us by this time next year.