The Many Ways to Get There

I read the slides of a webinar replay on marketing. It corrected my thinking that there’s nothing new under the sun. Or, more accurately, a different twist on what has been around for a while. The slides said the suggestions were available to all authors. However, the price tag attached to most of the ideas put many authors on the sidelines. What I learned is that ideas are still floating around, and some authors will be able to use them.

One suggestion for writers is to find a community. Though writing is a solitary gig, having others traveling a similar road is helpful in many ways. Brainstorming when the story gets stuck, figuring out which marketing methods are doable, and a celebration buddy are ways that having a few writers around makes the road less lonely. Meeting other writers in a class or on a webinar, joining a group who meets at a library or coffee shop, or connecting with a genre organization are ways to find people who could be your “tribe.” And if none of that works? Stepping out of our introvert circle of comfort to create our own gathering of writers is possible.

A well-known guru in the indie author sphere promotes writing short stories as a way to learn craft and find one’s author voice. These stories don’t have to be published. They’re part of the “10,000 hour” idea to get good at putting words down in the right order so whoever reads them understands the message. I’ve written several short stories. Not wanting to be confined to one lane, I’ve also written and published poetry, novels, flash fiction, and nonfiction.

I’ve made a few notes for my current project, a book 3 in a series. I mentioned my plan to a fellow writer, and she said, “Who says you have to write that book now? If you want to start something new or write a poem or five flash fiction stories, do that.” I look at the stack of spiral notebooks on the corner of my desk every day. I’ve tried myriad ideas when marketing my books. Over the years, I’ve been a member of several writing groups and even met with one person for five years. I’ve written and published 50 titles of different lengths and genres. There are countless ways to tread the path of creativity.