It's my journey and no one else's...

I've been doing this "event" thing with my writers group where we read a blog post by this particular author/publisher and discuss his topic.

I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again, this guy's opinions really resonate with me. They don't resonate quite as deeply or as across the board with everyone else, though. Which is, of course, perfectly fine. But it's certainly been interesting.

I was reminded the other day that this journey, my journey, is not a race. Yes, there are deadlines I need to meet and a there's an understanding in indie publishing romance that the faster you churn out books, the more financially successful you can be. Of course I want to be successful. Financially and otherwise.

But I also know that I don't want to be a slave to my writing. I'm almost fifty years old and I'm in a better place than I've been on many levels for most of my life--I want to live and enjoy life too. And if I'm not out living life and learning things and meeting people, then I fear my writing won't be as enriched as it could be.

I'm not even in competition with other writers. My chosen sub-genre is a small one. There's room for new authors. I hope my style, my twist resonates with people. I think (I hope) it will.

Not only is it not a race, but it's no one's journey but mine. I get to choose what I write, when I publish, if I advertise or spend time on social media. All the loud voices say you should advertise and promote and connect with fans on Facebook (or wherever) but that's not me and I'd much rather spend time writing or watching hockey or talking to my DD.

That's not to say I won't put my Facebook out there and interact with people if they find me, but I'm not going to actively recruit. I've never been convinced that all that stuff equals enough sales to justify the amount of time people seem to spend on it.

Every little while I start feeling ansty, like I'm falling behind, but until that first (second & third) book goes live, I can take as much time as I need to get there. After that, there's a bit more pressure to stay on track and be more timely rather than less, but it's still ultimately my decision.

I'm still hoping to hit "publish" on or before my birthday in June, but I've had some small hurdles and I'm just not sure if everything's going to come together. And maybe every single thing doesn't need to be in place. I don't know. Food for thought.

Have a great weekend!!!