Works in Progress

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

If you have more than one work in progress, raise your hand. Uh-huh, that's what I thought! 

Most of us are toiling away at several different things, and I think that's awesome. Although, a bit daunting at times, admittedly.  

I'll be honest, I also suffer from C-PTSD which comes with the ability to worsen the procrastination we already have installed as writers, and I'm sure my Co-Author, the gracious Valkyrie Lake is about ready to throttle me. Not that I can blame her.  

Where was I? Oh yeah...works in progress!  

Currently, I have five projects that I'm needing to bust my ass on: 

The second book in the Novae Terrae Series (Lux Mori being the first) that will be published by Valkyrie and myself under my other pen name Dymphna Dreamer 

Possessed - Book two in The Reincarnation Series 

87715 - A dystopian, Sci-fi piece that is supposed to be a stand-alone, but I make  no promises 

Shadow Soul - A shadow/realm walker who is the son of Lucifer and a powerful witch.  It has demons, sex and such in it, what more could you ask for? 

Untitled - also a project with Valkryie and my lips are sealed about this one, but take my word when I say it's really fucking special.  

I would LOVE to see what y'all are working on, show me, tell me, share!  

Love and Light. 

Social Media Consistency

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Ah, Social Media - what most of us writer's and Author's call "the necessary evil." Or, rather, at the very least, how I refer to it. Don't get me wrong, social media isn't all bad, and it's great for building your brand, but I have a huge problem trying to find a happy medium with it. In other words, I either spend far too much time bullshitting on it, or I ignore it completely. As you can imagine, neither option is super helpful where growing an empire is concerned.  

So, I've done my best with research to figure out a few things, and hopefully they'll help you as well: 

How often should I post? Once per day is optimal, twice per day acceptable, and more than three times per day (regarding your business) and you stand to lose followers. With Facebook, you should aim for at least three times per week. 

What times a day are the best?  It appears that each social media platform has varying times. So, I'll give you the best times for the ones I use the most. 

Facebook:  

Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Friday from 8–9 a.m. 

Wednesday from 8–9 a.m and 5 p.m.

Thursday at 5 p.m 

Most consistent engagement: Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Instagram:

Most days between 2 PM and 3 PM CDT. 

The BEST DAY to post on IG is actually Thursday at the following times 5 a.m, 11 a.m, 3 p.m, and 4 p.m. 

Twitter:

Between Mondays and Thursdays, 1 pm and 3 pm, with no specific peak times. 

However, it is strongly suggested to use images/graphics because they garner more attention. 

Is one site better than another for exposure? Well now, in researching this one I found one platform I've never heard of. So, I'm going to list the ones here that are cited as starting with the best. Much like anything, I'm sure the formula is as individual as each Author is, choose the ones that serve you and toss the rest. 

• Twitter. 
• Instagram. 
• Litsy. (I had never heard of this one, but will be checking into it)
• Facebook.
• Snapchat. (I like the filters here, but I don't have a clue how I'd use it for exposure as an Author)
• MeWe. 
• Tumblr
• Pinterest
• Goodreads
• Reddit

I want to see us all succeed, and my wish is that some of what I do here on this blog, and in general, serves to help y'all as much as it helps me. If you have any tips or pointers you'd like to share with us all, please shoot me a message and I'll share it (giving you full credit, of course!) here. 

Remember, we are not in competition with one another, we are a tribe. A family. To succeed it will definitely take a community, and I'm blessed to be a part of something that has the potential and tendency to be so beautiful and supportive. 

Love and Light. 

You. Are. A. Writer.

Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

Here's one thing (among many) that has been bothering me for a bit - the elitist attitude that if you aren't published, if you write fanfiction, write any genre that another writer/author does not care for, etc. that you aren't a writer. 

Let me go on record as saying: IF YOU WRITE, IF YOU IDENTIFY AS A WRITER, then guess what? You, my friend, ARE A WRITER. It's that simple.  

"But, Willow..." you might counter "fanfiction writers use someone else's stories, and it's not true effort." To which I will always, ALWAYS reply "If you've never written fanfiction, you have no idea just how hard it is, or how much talent and passion it takes. Fandoms are the single most critical audiences on the planet, period. I don't care how non-canonical your story is, if you don't capture the voice that they've attributed to those stories, if you fuck it up, they will LET YOU KNOW, with a quickness. Fanfiction is arduous, and most definitely a labor of love."  

So, fanfiction writers/authors WELCOME TO MY FAMILY. I'll take you under my umbrella any day. 

I have no idea why some writers feel as if they are the bee's knees, and others are scum, but I'm here to tell you, there is room enough for all of us - and if one of us makes it, all of us make it. I do not, never have, and never will see another writer/author as competition. Not because they are less than me, but because we are all so different, that there is simply no comparison.  

Learn from each other, support each other, build friendships, tribes, families with your fellow writers, and never look down your nose at someone who writes differently than you. At the end of the day, all that matters is that they DO write. Don't be an asshole, it's unbecoming. 

So, I don't care what you write, just keep at it. And remember, even if you only write a shopping list but dream of writing that great novel, it's in there, don't give up. YOU ARE A WRITER. Period. 

Hi there!

Welcome to my little slice of, well I'd say paradise, but if you know an Author, or well an Artist of any kind really, you know we're all sprinkled with a touch of insanity, and partying with our demons. So, welcome to the Thunderdome! Pull up a chair under the Willow tree, and wander along with me as I chase my dreams - and I promise to support you while you chase yours.