Time Management Sucks... or Time Suck Management

Either one works, right?

There are so many aspects to authoring it's not even funny, but the worst one is deciding the priorities and how to best manage them, right?

Number one priority should be the actual writing, yes?  But what do you do when you've written yourself into a corner and you need to re-think what you're writing?  The answer to that is a myriad of things.

Marketing and promotion should be the second priority of any writer, right?  But what is a good use of time?  Is it updating your pinterest board to reflect all your muses and inspirations?  Getting that playlist up-to-date on Youtube so people can listen to the songs that inspired the book while they're reading it?  Getting the word out about the book on social media like facebook and instagram?  Re-doing your website so people can find you easier?  Figuring out that new platform so you can find NEW readers?  Networking and making friends in the hopes they can help you out in the future or answer questions you have?  That requires actually being there for them, as well.  Oh yeah!  There's also that new cross-promo giveaway that you're involved in that needs pimping so you're pulling your weight.  And the blog-hop, Bookstagrammers, bloggers, paid promo, ad nauseum.  Oh and don't forget to change your keywords periodically so you can stay on top of all the searches and lists at the various sales outlets.  I still haven't figured out what that falls under.

It's overwhelming, to say the least.

And on top of it all, it's a new year, and everyone is talking about the things they are changing for 2018.  The NEW you for the new year.

Everyone is also talking about words for 2018.  Success, drive, and Publish are all words I've heard bandied about for the WORD TO DESCRIBE 2918.  By my own definition of success (2016) I am successful, so that can't be my word this year.  I'm definitely already driven, since I've tasted my own success and it's very validating and I want more of it.  Publish is a word that isn't special to me in particular, as it's what I do.  It's not a milestone, it's just a thing that happens when the rest of my world is falling into place.

So that leaves me to the word I've decided is mine for this year:  Focus.  Focus for these moments when I'm at a standstill with my writing and need other stuff to do besides mindlessly surfing facebook.

That means I need a schedule and a plan so I won't just be wandering aimlessly through the internet looking for something productive to do.  This is going to take some time for me to develop the right habits of productivity.  I'd like to do a series of blog posts about this, as well as my progress, but I'm not sure it will last beyond January fifteenth, the date that kills most of my goals for the new year.

So in an effort to make this a more focused post, here's some info about my release coming in January.  It's only up for preorder on Amazon and iBooks.

Boy meets girl. It’s the way romances usually begin . . . and while we all love a happy ending, it’s the #MeetCute that wins our hearts.

How did you two meet?

The #MeetCute Books each have a unique answer to that query. Some might make you swoon, others might make you giggle . . . and some may make you blush.

Twelve authors. Twelve stand-alone contemporary romance novels. Twelve stories that will make your heart beat a little faster.

Because it’s all about the #MeetCute.  Check out all the books here:  https://tawdrakandle.com/books-2/meetcute-books/

My contribution to this is Fortune's Kiss and it started out a bit autobiographical.  I had to change a bit for the sake of interest, but it's a fun story about fate with a little magic.

When London was fifteen, a fortune teller told her she would meet her soul mate on June 23^rd. The only problem is, which June 23^rd? The woman wasn’t specific and only called him her dreamer. Desperate to find her mystery man eleven years later, London sets out to search for him but is waylaid by a mugger instead.

Elliot has had his eye on the woman who jogs past the park where he coaches his nephew’s baseball team for the past month. When he’s the first responder for a mugging victim on June 23^rd, she’s barely conscious. She’s the woman tattooed on his chest. He’s seen her in his dreams and has been drawing her for years.

They’ll both sound crazy if they reveal their secrets, but they can’t stay away from each other. Elliot has priorities, promises made to his late sister. London’s trying to live a more intentional existence instead of waiting for everything to fall in her lap.

Can they fulfill the destiny predicted by the fortune teller? Or will fate be undone?