My writing journey is chugging right along… full steam ahead. I’ve completed week 10 and have my sights on all the great things that are going to happen in week 11, as the road to the completion of my written manuscript winds down. My report for week 10 has to start with the not so favorable news and then will progress on with my new writing revelation. I was a little short of meeting my word count goal this week. I know, I know; but in my defense, I was a busy little beaver, nonetheless. For this past week, I decided to prioritize a little and put some much-needed focus on the areas that were calling for some attention. Instead of going for quantity of words, my goal in week 10 was to aim for the quality of words. Quantity ain’t everything, folks; and if I don’t put out a quality product, it won’t matter how many words I have in my book. The expectation starts from the top and trickles down. And this is what I mean. I can’t expect for you to read my book if I haven’t put in the quality work to make the content worth your time. So, my goal was inspired by those prospective readers out there that, one day, may benefit from the value my book’s words hold.
As mentioned in the last couple of posts, I had some previous work that I copied and pasted into my current work-in-progress; and while the older content is pertinent, it will take some time and effort to appropriately combine it with the newer substance until I arrive at a fluid mixture. I had quite a bit of carry over from my old draft; but, I’m finding that there are some pieces of my blog posts and YouTube scripting that I’m also wanting to reference in the book as well. Why do I keep on coming up with new ideas when I should be wrapping things up? With so much content waiting to be devoured by this informative piece I’m trying to formulate, I find myself in a place where too much information can be too much of a good thing. I wouldn’t want to wear out my welcome with the readers of my book, so I have to stay focused on the word count and page number goal that I originally determined would be ideal for a non-fiction book of my genre. So many ideas and not enough nooks and crannies to cram them into in one book. What’s a girl to do?
Well, I’m definitely not going to stuff my book. That’s for sure. Here’s my thought process for handling such a conundrum. Why not create a book series? The light bulb has come on. Believe it or not, I’m already anticipating that all of the left-over material that I refuse to cram into my first book will ultimately spill over into a second or third book in the series, perhaps. The thought is forward thinking and exciting but also brings me back to the topic of staying focused. Focusing has been my dilemma as of late. Trying to cut off viable thought processes that are floating around in the brain is harder than most may think. You wake up thinking about those very things and then go to bed thinking about them too. And if you’re like me in this respect, you may even occasionally dream about them in your sleep. So, I’ve wrangled together those additional ideas that were aimlessly running around in my mind and have captured them in my computer or down on paper. I’ve decided to address them at a later date (more than likely in a future book).
Again, my focused energy will be on my book and working on the quality aspects of its pages rather than how many words or pages I’m at at any given point in time. This task of concentration will require me to lessen my work load with YouTube content, social media management, and other irons I have in the fire; but that’s okay. I’m a writer first and foremost. That’s what I do. That’s my priority right now. And, this realization has freed me indeed. I’m steadily learning that I can’t spread myself too thin by doing way too many things simultaneously. Functioning like that can’t do anything but lead me to overload, mastery in nothing, and probable failure. Therefore, my choice has become crystal clear. I must place some concentrated effort on one thing (my book) for now and temporarily tune out some of the other distractions. After all, when self-publishing, all those creative entrepreneurial hats that are tossed your way are worn by you and pretty much you alone (with some possible delegated help along the way). Time to wear all those hats with the most humble pride and appreciation. I hope they all fit well.
By the way, look for my review of the book I’m currently reading about self-publishing and e-books. I believe I’ll have it ready for you in my next blog post, entitled “Wise Sayings #7”. So, make sure and check it out there.
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