I have been away for quite some time and I can't really explain why. I had yet another flare up and was on steroids. For some reason the steroids really messed with my mind set this time. They always warn it can do that but all those time I was on it for previous flares, I never really experienced it until now. It made feel like I was a different person. My emotions were a bit off and I just didn't feel myself. I couldn't focus or keep a train of thought. I couldn't organize daily tasks and believe me I am usually always excellent at my organizational skills. I was constantly distracted and didn't want to deal with my responsibilities. It made me stray off my path, the path I feel was laid out for me. Hopefully, I am returning to my path.
Yes, I am still working on the book. Genius takes time. HaHa! I didn't write for a while. For some reason I had no desire to pick up a pen and put it to paper. Maybe it was because I felt sick and tired of dealing with my illness. I felt like I wasn't Lisa anymore, I was my illness. The book just was a reminder of that. But I am back at it. At my most recent visit to the neurologist, after MRI and bloodwork, another diagnosis was either added or changed. I am atypical MS. Meaning not a normal MS patient with the normal MS. When did anything with MS become normal? I was diagnosed with Neuromelyitis Optica: As known as NMO or Devic's Syndrome/Disease. I rather say syndrome. I hate using the work disease. Make me feel contagious and dirty. I no longer take daily injections, Thank God. But now I am on a med, pilkl form, that is used for organ receiptants so they don't reject the new organ. There is some serious side effects such as lymphoma that scares me. IT lowers your white blood cells and mine are high. You would normally think that was a good thing to fight off infection. Unfortunately, in my case it is attacking my own healthy bodily parts. So the new med makes sense to me so I am hopeful it will work. I just need to stay away from sick people since it will lower my resistance. That's ok, I don't want to be around them anyway. HaHa!. I hope you forgive me for my absence and are still looking forward to the release of my book. I would love to hear any feedback or comments of anything you guys are going through that is difficult or sometimes seems unbearable. We all have a cross to bear, I just wish mine wasn't so heavy.
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So I haven't written in weeks. About two weeks to be exact, since Hurricane
Sandy wripped through my area and left us without power for over a week. During this week I stayed at a relatives during which I had yet another flare up with my MS. I was put back on the steroid IV. It seems like with each flare up a little more life is just sucked out of me, stolen from me. I love writing. But everytime I try to sit down to continue with my book I just stare at that blank page and feel nothing. My motivation seems to be in hiding. I don't want to just write anything so words can fill the pages. I want to be of meaning and purpose. Does anyone other writer get into this funk? I do find writing therapeutic so I should try a bit harder. I guess the pessismistic side of me likes to rear its ugly head sometimes. It tells me, "Why are you even doing this?" "What's the point?" "It isn't going to amount to anything." "You won't finish this just like you don't finish anything else." Maybe I should really consider shoving a sock into the mouth of that pessimistic jerk! HA. I guess I really need to take my own advice and realize this book is not going to be something that will dash me into the world of famous writers. (What I always wanted to be.) Maybe I just need to realize it is about getting my voice heard and conveing a message. When your passion is gone you just feel so empty. It's that little glimmer of hope, a small vision of a dream, that keeps you running. I need to find my passion again. Feeling like an empty shell just isn't going to help me with any part of my life. As an independent author myself I understand the muliple jobs of trying to get
your book into the hands of readers. You need to take on several different jobs such as your own publisher, promotor, editor, and the author. So how do we handle all these different tasks effectively? 1. Divide your time properly. Even if that means breaking down your day into segments. Put a time limit on each segment. For example, you can spend one hour a day on promoting, one hour on editing, etc. 2. Create a work ethic. This is espeically true during the creative writing process. We tend to write when we get a brilliant idea or when we are passionate about writing. But let's be honest. There are days that we just don't feel that passion. Even during those days still try to continue writing. Who know? Maybe something good will come of it. 3. Have a proper work environment. I notice with myself, if I am writing anywhere near a T.V. I become easily distracted. I find it best to sit in a place that is quiet and void of any interaction. This may be true for me but not others. Some like listening to music or sitting in the park. Whatever works best to get your creative juices flowing, I say go for it. 4. Find free book-marketing webinars. I just watched a webinar hosted by Brian Judd. I found it very useful and informative. It gave the name of some important sites to join to gain recognition and traffic to your websites. This is was very useful because I didn't waste time sifting through all the not so great ones. It lead me to excellent sites to get my name out there and recognized. Also, it gave the sites of press release help sites and publishing sites. The webinar gave a lot of useful information on marketing. 5. Calculate your budget. Know how much you are willing to spend and stick to that limit. Remember, it's not about how much you spend to get your book noticed. It is your time and consistent effort. Also, most importantly it's how well your book is written. 6. Find your target audience. I know you have heard this time and time again but it is true. Knowing who you are trying to attract to your book is important. It plays an important role in how you market your book. This way you know what groups or stores you are going to send your press release/announcements to and a free copy to entice them. This will narrow your focus and save a lot of wasted time. 7. Be different. By knowing your target audience, reasearch what other books are available in the same genre. See what they are like then be different. We all need to make our books stand out from the rest. We have to think of what our book will offer that potential reader that they haven't experienced before. 8. Prioritize. Know which areas you need to spend more time on and which can be set aside for a bit. 9. Don't give up. Sometimes you can feel like this is more than a hassle than you expected. You just wanted to do what you love best, and that is to write. Who knew so many tedious tasks would have to go along with it? Also be patient. Most books don't reach their sales peak until it has been out there for a few years. So this means not giving up on your book. Even when it is finally published and out on the shelves, you still have to promote and market it for quite some time. Remember why you wanted to write that book in the first place and focus on that. 10. Have fun. Sounds simple yet it isn't. It's not that fun doing all these different tasks yourself. I try to make it fun by being creative with it. I love creating flyers, mailers, announcements, etc. Remember you are a writer so you are creative to begin with. In the end this is all done to get your book out there Well I have decided to take some writing classes. I actually saw on the news that many universitites are offerring free online classes. Of course it's not like you can get a degree from these things. But I thought "What the Hell?! Why not?" It will give me some instructioin in my writing skills and might be an enlightening experience. I decided to go with the M.I.T. OCW courses. They seemed to offer the most in their Writing and Humanitarian Studies Department. I can work at my own pace also. If it gives me some experience and inside knowledge then it will be well worth it. It's amazing how many different courses they offer. From Physics to Calculus and more. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants just a refresher and wants to gain some extra knowledge without the big price tage of a college education.
I will let everyone know how it works out. If you are interested just google free online courses from colleges. Like I said many colleges offer them with a wide variety of classes. Let me know how you make out. Well, along with working on my book, I decided to take up some freelance writing for helium. I did this for several reasons. I wanted to improve my writing skills, add my opinion to the vast amount of articles out there, and quite honestly earning a little cash from it doesn't hurt. Also it will help get the word out about my upcoming book. I have to admit I am new to the freelance writing business. But my love of creative writing overpowers my inexperince. I just need to control my obsession with writing a bit so I don't become ingnorant to the needs of my family and what is happening in my life as of now. It's hard not to get absorbed in writing when the passion is there. Everything else around here just seems to disapper and it is just you and your thoughts. Always looking for that healthy medium is a constant battle.
Has anyone else taken up freelance writing along with writing their book? It seems like I am taking on too much but with me being laid off from my job and the kids in school, I have some time on my hands now. I just need to spread my time across evenly. I hope by doing some freelance work it will help me with the writing and sales of my upcoming book. I have looked extensivlely into at home, on-line jobs that I can do. Sadly, the vast majority are scams. I really wish they weren't. An at-home job is something I desperately need due to my MS. I have had so many flares this year. How am I suppose to attain a new job and keep it if the flares keep making me miss time from that new job? What job will tolerate that: Maybe once or twice but nothing more than that. So I am hopes that this freelancing will head my hopes and dreams in the right direction. Check out my articles and essays on helium. My URL is: http://www.helium.com/users/682548 The more reads I get the more money I make. Thanks! |
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