“Every hour you spend writing is an hour not spent fretting about your writing.” – Dennis Palumbo, Writing from the Inside Out.
How much do you “fret” about your writing? Your marketing? What helps you out of it?
16 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Fret Level”
I’m such a slow writer that my marketing is always behind. I fret about not building readers, reviews, and sales WHILE I’m writing the final volume of my mainstream trilogy.
But the truth is I can write – and I have a LOT to learn about marketing – but you can’t market what isn’t written.
I think it will do better when it’s finished.
Meanwhile, reading the reviews keeps me from giving up. And reading my own two previous volumes keeps me happy. I keep asking myself, “Where did THAT come from?” It’s kind of cool.
Not the writing, really. But I’ve said before, I don’t have any deadline pressure other than my own settings, which can change as needed.
Marketing is something else. I don’t like it, I’m not good at it, and then something I can’t control shows up–like the Zon arbitrarily dropping prices on a bunch of my books with no explanation other than “we can do it.”
I remind myself I’m not in this gig for the money. I vent to my critique partner, or on my blog, and then move on.
As Mr. Gilstrap pointed out previously, there are more important things to consider.
Fret level on writing is low. One of the benefits of procrastinating on your writing projects is never having to deal with the yucky part–the business side. The marketing, the business details.
But now that I’m finally nearing completion of a project I no longer have the option to avoid the business side. For that, the fret level is higher. But oh well. Will just have to suck it up & deal with it. At least there will be the benefit of learning something new.
Thanks for quoting Mr. Palumbo. I need to go back and read that book again.
I don’t fret as much about my writing as I used to, but I still fret too much about getting to the keyboard and making progress in the manuscript. The solution is to write and to keep things in perspective, by tracking my progress.
Marketing these days is monthly newsletters for my mystery fiction, growing my newsletter, and promotion with the various non-Amazon ebook retailers for my fantasy backlist. I fret a little about marketing, but mostly, “just do it.”
Marketing is like eating kale before I get to dessert which is writing. As soon as I win Powerball, I’m hiring a marketing person to do stuff for me. Except for meeting with book clubs and readers. That”s also dessert.
I don’t fret much about my writing. I have a to-do list that’s so long, I just get up in the morning and start working my way through it. No time to worry.
Writing: I fret over “do I have another story in me?”. Then I look at ideas/titles I have in my file and off I go.
Marketing: It’s like a guillotine hanging over my head. “Just get it over with!” I say.
I only have an hour (sometimes 2 if I get up early enough) Monday-Friday to write, so fretting is a luxury I can’t afford. On Sunday I plan out my week, on Friday I take stock of where I ended up. If I fall short, Saturday is make-up day. On Sunday I plan for the following week.
I used to worry about everything. Gave it up for Lent one year and never went back.
I never fretted about my writing. That was the fun part. I despaired, however, over the business of writing.
Brilliant headline and Palumbo quote, but at my age, all I can do is quote Alfred E. Neuman: “What, me worry?”
The only time I fret about writing is when I’m launching a new book that takes me away from the WIP. I always fret about marketing. I’d much rather write. But of course, we need both. Lately, I save marketing for the end of my writing day when my brain’s no longer churning out story ideas.
Lately, I’m fretting on the Guardienne concept for fiction and non-fiction, resulting in 6 preprints on ResearchGate, so far. The concept explains many phenomena, from hypnic jerks to bipolar disorder. I’m currently fretting over finding a PhD co-author to assist in publishing.
I’m such a slow writer that my marketing is always behind. I fret about not building readers, reviews, and sales WHILE I’m writing the final volume of my mainstream trilogy.
But the truth is I can write – and I have a LOT to learn about marketing – but you can’t market what isn’t written.
I think it will do better when it’s finished.
Meanwhile, reading the reviews keeps me from giving up. And reading my own two previous volumes keeps me happy. I keep asking myself, “Where did THAT come from?” It’s kind of cool.
Not the writing, really. But I’ve said before, I don’t have any deadline pressure other than my own settings, which can change as needed.
Marketing is something else. I don’t like it, I’m not good at it, and then something I can’t control shows up–like the Zon arbitrarily dropping prices on a bunch of my books with no explanation other than “we can do it.”
I remind myself I’m not in this gig for the money. I vent to my critique partner, or on my blog, and then move on.
As Mr. Gilstrap pointed out previously, there are more important things to consider.
Fret level on writing is low. One of the benefits of procrastinating on your writing projects is never having to deal with the yucky part–the business side. The marketing, the business details.
But now that I’m finally nearing completion of a project I no longer have the option to avoid the business side. For that, the fret level is higher. But oh well. Will just have to suck it up & deal with it. At least there will be the benefit of learning something new.
Thanks for quoting Mr. Palumbo. I need to go back and read that book again.
I don’t fret as much about my writing as I used to, but I still fret too much about getting to the keyboard and making progress in the manuscript. The solution is to write and to keep things in perspective, by tracking my progress.
Marketing these days is monthly newsletters for my mystery fiction, growing my newsletter, and promotion with the various non-Amazon ebook retailers for my fantasy backlist. I fret a little about marketing, but mostly, “just do it.”
Marketing is like eating kale before I get to dessert which is writing. As soon as I win Powerball, I’m hiring a marketing person to do stuff for me. Except for meeting with book clubs and readers. That”s also dessert.
I don’t fret much about my writing. I have a to-do list that’s so long, I just get up in the morning and start working my way through it. No time to worry.
Writing: I fret over “do I have another story in me?”. Then I look at ideas/titles I have in my file and off I go.
Marketing: It’s like a guillotine hanging over my head. “Just get it over with!” I say.
I only have an hour (sometimes 2 if I get up early enough) Monday-Friday to write, so fretting is a luxury I can’t afford. On Sunday I plan out my week, on Friday I take stock of where I ended up. If I fall short, Saturday is make-up day. On Sunday I plan for the following week.
I used to worry about everything. Gave it up for Lent one year and never went back.
I never fretted about my writing. That was the fun part. I despaired, however, over the business of writing.
Brilliant headline and Palumbo quote, but at my age, all I can do is quote Alfred E. Neuman: “What, me worry?”
For more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Neuman
Always extra credit for quoting Mad.
Potrzebie forever!
Thank you Dr. Fonebone!
The only time I fret about writing is when I’m launching a new book that takes me away from the WIP. I always fret about marketing. I’d much rather write. But of course, we need both. Lately, I save marketing for the end of my writing day when my brain’s no longer churning out story ideas.
Lately, I’m fretting on the Guardienne concept for fiction and non-fiction, resulting in 6 preprints on ResearchGate, so far. The concept explains many phenomena, from hypnic jerks to bipolar disorder. I’m currently fretting over finding a PhD co-author to assist in publishing.